From October to February, we struggle with the fact that, for long periods, very little sunlight reaches our solar panels. The sun’s angle is much lower, so less energy is captured; there are fewer hours of sunlight per day; there are fewer days with blue skies and sunshine; and the solar panels tend to get covered in snow. All in all, this means that a typical week in December can yield as little as 5%–10% of a typical week in July. The only way to compensate for this is to charge the batteries using our generator—which is both noisy and causes some complications when it comes to renting out the property.

For a long time, we have therefore been planning to install a small wind turbine that can generate electricity during periods when there isn’t enough sunlight. In the summer, there is little wind and plenty of sunshine, and in the winter, there is plenty of wind and little sunshine. In addition, it generates electricity after the sun has set.

Sun and wind are, in other words, a perfect combination, as they complement each other’s weaknesses and strengths. We had done a lot of research and ended up buying a Rutland 910, which offers the ideal combination of being extremely quiet and incredibly sturdy. When the wind blows hard, it automatically tilts sideways to prevent damage from the wind. And we have plenty of strong winds up in the high mountains!

So in December 2018, I had a wind generator, a 6-meter steel mast, and a new controller delivered, with the intention of setting it up by summer. This could turn out great! But I’m also law-abiding, and I was aware that such an installation required a permit—no matter how inconspicuous it might be. The area is zoned as LNF2 in Sigdal’s municipal plan, which entails very strict restrictions: essentially a complete ban on construction. We had hoped that they would see the benefits of replacing noisy generator operation in the mountain wilderness with a quiet and nearly invisible alternative, but in July, the County Governor of Viken issued a clear rejection of our application. They believed it would set a precedent that could lead to an increase in flagpoles and similar structures at cabins in the municipality, which would exacerbate the privatizing effect. This was not a rejection in itself, but the signal to the municipality was so strong that we realized there was no point in proceeding with the exemption for consideration by the municipal council—which would have cost us nearly 25,000 kroner. So we withdrew the application.

Wind power; farewell. Large generator; welcome

It was unfortunate that the County Governor didn’t recognize this as a positive environmental measure, which meant we had to find other ways to solve the problem of not having enough power. So now we’ve purchased a used Honda EU 30is generator with remote start—three times more powerful than our old one. In addition, I’ve acquired an extra Concorde Sun Xtender PVX-2580L. Hopefully, this has doubled our battery capacity as well, which should help.