Comment by throwaway2037 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by throwaway2037 | Hacker News Reader

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This is a great post. This part: <<This is mainly due to the NO4 being basically not connected to the the synchronous grid of Continental Europe>> and this part: <<Sweden makes a killing buying cheap power from NO4 and selling it to mainland Europe, or even straight back to southern Norway.>>

Ouch! Is this not enough to push for interconnect? Or will the electricity price increases prevent such a change?

Alternatively, why hasn't more heavy industry been built in NO4 zone? Or is it not possible due to winter weather?

I also heard that in Norway, a high percentage of electricty is generated from gravity (water dams). That would make aluminium production ideal. I have heard this is one reason why Iceland, with excelent geothermal energy sources, is also a major aluminium producer.

Hey, apologies for not seeing your reply before now.

I agree the selling of power to ourselves via Sweden seems weird, but I suppose it's better to do just that instead of having to drain the dam without producing electricity at all, and it's a solution which works at this moment instead of waiting for an interconnect to be built. I would hazard a guess that it does slightly reduce the cost of power in other regions whenever we do sell to Sweden from NO4, but I have no data. I haven't really heard much about this exact issue being discussed though, so I don't have much information regarding that. But the issue with prices jumping to European levels would be relevant here too.

There is a lot of heavy industry in the north, such as petroleum, mining, refining and others. Norway does have a large aluminium industry which does rely more or less exclusively on hydro power, and seems to be in the top ten of aluminium producing countries, just above Iceland.

Never say electricity is generated from gravity, that is an instant reveal that you don't know much physics. It's hydro power, water power, or hydroelectric power. Gravity is everywhere, water is not. Energy can be extracted only where the water is.

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