Members of Norway’s Green Party (MDG) have put forward a proposal to legalise and facilitate plug-in solar and batteries. The six politicians were each elected to the Norwegian parliament, known as the Storting, for the 2025-2029 term.
Their proposal, published on the Storting’s website, calls on the government to remove “unnecessary restrictions and bureaucratic obstacles” to plug-in solar and batteries, which are currently prohibited in Norway.
It says the move would make it easier for consumers to choose safe and compliant facilities, strengthen the rights of landlords who want to produce their own electricity and remove taxes on clean energy production.
Their statement says plug-in solar and batteries would be able to reduce household electricity bills, remove power peaks from the power grid and reduce the need for the development of other renewable energy.
It adds the technology would also be useful for emergency preparedness purposes, estimating that an 800 W pluggable solar system, valued at around NOK 5,000 ($532), would produce enough electricity to provide a household with hot food and water in a crisis situation.
The group’s proposal introduces a series of recommendations for the Norwegian government, each with a deadline of the end of 2027, including making it possible to connect plug-in solar and batteries that meet established safety requirements directly to ordinary grounded sockets and preparing a national guide for the safe purchase and use of plug-in solar and batteries.
The measures also include establishing a digital registration scheme for plug-in solar and batteries and developing a Norwegian specification or similar national technical standard for plug-in solar and batteries with requirements that ensure electrical safety, fire safety, grid conformity and safe use for end users.
The proposal also calls on the government to investigate, with a view to introducing, an exemption from VAT for solar cell systems and batteries aimed at private households by Oct. 1, 2027.
The centre-left MDG does not form part of Norway’s current government coalition. Their proposal adds that Norway could look to build on the experience of European countries that currently permit balcony solar, naming Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
Norway’s cumulative solar capacity surpassed 1 GW last month but the rate of deployment has been declining, with 2026 set to see the lowest annual figure since 2021. Growth has been particularly slow in the residential market, which analysts attribute in part to an optional fixed electricity price for households known as the Norgepris that has removed most of the financial incentive for rooftop solar.
The Norwegian Energy Regulatory Authority (NVE) recently proposed a simplified connection process for small renewable generation facilities it says is designed to make it easier for households, housing associations and other end customers to use PV systems.
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