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Solar panels fully operational at Ole-Johan Dahls hus—a step towards sustainable energy consumption

A state-of-the-art solar panel system has now been installed on top of Ole-Johan Dahls hus at Gaustad.

A comprehensive solar panel system tailored to the building's needs

The new solar panel system has 354 panels, each with a capacity of 430 Wp (watt peak). In total, the system covers 692 square metres of the roof, with an overall output of 152.22 kWp. Although this is a significant production of electricity, it does not meet the entire energy needs of Ole-Johan Dahls hus.

Because the building houses large data systems, servers and cooling systems, it uses more energy than the panels can produce. Still, the new solar panel system is an important step in reducing the building's dependence on external power supply, optimising energy usage and contributing to a more sustainable operation.

Saves 360,000 NOK annually

We expect the installation to produce around 180,000 kWh annually, equivalent to driving 900,000 km with an electric car or the annual electricity consumption for approximately 80 electric cars, assuming an average energy usage of 0.2 kWh per km and a driving distance of 11,000 km every year.

With a lifespan of at least 30 years and an estimated payback period of 8.5 years, the installation will provide a significant economic benefit over time. Given an electricity price of 1 NOK/kWh and a grid fee of 1 NOK/kWh, we anticipate the savings to be around 360,000 NOK annually.

Cost framework of 2.5 million NOK

The cost framework for the project was 2.5 million NOK. The solar panel system itself cost 1,351,281 NOK. To ensure optimal operation and protection, the project included several important additional investments, such as an operational monitoring system for continuous monitoring of production and CO2 savings. We have also installed a lightning protection system costing 300,000 NOK. This was necessary due to the building's height and exposure to lightning strikes.

Fully operational 

After careful evaluations, Ole-Johan Dahls hus was selected as a pilot project. The solar panel system is now fully operational, and we will be able to use the experiences from this project when considering further investments into solar panels on other buildings.

Published June 6, 2025 2:08 PM - Last modified June 6, 2025 2:08 PM