Vertical rooftop PV pilot goes online in Norway Over Easy Solar AS has developed a rooftop PV system with two generation peaks – one in the morning at 11 am, and one in the evening at 7 pm. It has been deployed on a school building. JUNE 20, 2022 EMILIANO BELLINI Norwegian startup Over Easy Solar AS has finalized the first pilot project to use its vertical solar module technology for rooftop applications. “The 5 kW system was deployed in a school building in Oslo,” CEO Trygve Mongstad told pv magazine. “We applied our modularized solution at a height of 31.4 cm above the rooftop with no need for ballast or fastening, and we are now validating it for application in each building and local wind conditions.” The PV system is owned by Oslo municipality, which provided support through its Smart Oslo innovation fund. The system will be used mainly for self-consumption and will also sell excess power at spot prices to the grid under Norway's net metering scheme. “The orientation we chose here gives a peak at around 11 am in the morning, and a second peak at around 7 pm in the afternoon,” Mongstad explained, referring to the advantages of deploying vertical solar arrays at high latitudes. “There is most activity here early in the day and in the evening when the school is used for other extracurricular activities.” Andreas Nilsen, energy and environmental adviser for municipal enterprise Oslobygg, said the energy production matches the school's demand profile “perfectly.” Over Easy Solar used 150 of its special solar panels, which are based on heterojunction solar cell technology. They have an efficiency of 22% and a bifaciality of up to 92%. Their temperature coefficient is -0.26 C. The panels were installed in 50 vertical PV units.