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The problem is that there isn't enough hydro. Only Norway has enough hydro to run the country.

Norway currently gets 90% of its power from hydro. If they didn't use hydro while the sun was shining and/or the North Sea wind was blowing, the combination would serve > 5X as many people. And if some of that solar and wind was used to pump water uphill, the number would get even igger.

Norway doesn't have enough interconnection capacity to do that.

And even if it did, the real issue is how to supply power when the sun don't shine and the wind don't blow, i.e. windstill winter days.

During such periods Norway does not have sufficient excess in hydro power generation to satisfy neighboring countries needs.

This is exactly the purpose of the North Sea Link and they are talking about building more.

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