Biogas utilisation in Norway

Abstract

Controlled production of biogas has no tradition in Norway. The country has been lucky to have renewable energy enough for its own consumption and some extra for export. Traditionally people in Norway heat their houses with wood and electricity from hydropower. We are about 4 million people and even today we normally uses 800 000 wood-burning stoves each day during the winter. Annually it is sold 40 000 new such stoves (with a catalyzer). After the 2.nd world war we were sure about that we had enough hydropower for all future -we have waterfalls enough to meet increasing demands of electricity. New houses were built without chimneys and old houses turned out their waterbased systems. Each unit (flat, single family house/home) was heated separately with electricity - a clean, cheap and easy energy form to use. Increasing interest of nature conservation results in actions against development of waterfalls to hydropower plants. The consumption of electricity increased so much that new power cables to the continent, meant for export mostly is used for import. (To day we import more electricity than we export). Unfortunately energy from fossil sources was cheap in this period so normal people, industry and commerce installed chimneys and oil burners/heaters. We produce enormous quantities of natural gas from the North Sea. Most of it is exported to the continent, but some of it is might be used at home. The authorities introduce two great gasfired powerstations to make us independent of energy from other nations (so far stopped because of C02)- This is why district-heating systems was not built until these days in Norway.