King Harald and Queen Sonja are currently in Jordan on a state visit. One of the things they are doing there is promoting Norwegian solar panel technology. At the same time they are considering installing full solar panels on the roof of the castle in Oslo.
The Norwegian state visit to Jordan started on Monday, and with them, they have large economic delegation. Among them are some of Norway’s largest producers of solar panels as well as experts and companies in other solar technology. On Monday, the king and queen attended a seminar where they discussed business opportunities with partners in Jordan, a country that wants to increase its commitment to renewable energy.
The Norwegian king and queen have for a long time considered doing the same as the Swedish king, who installed 1,000 square meters of solar panels on the roof of the Royal Palace in Stockholm to supply it with electricity.
In the summer of 2018, a smaller test facility was installed on the roof of the castle in Oslo and now the trial project is being evaluated to see if it will be expanded. “We need to make investigations based on the experience we did during the trial period. It will probably take some time before we conclude”, said communications manager Guri Varpe at the royal court to the Norwegian news agency NTB on Sunday last week.
It was in 2015 that the royal family in Norway started what they call “The green castle”, a series of environmental initiatives at the Royal Court. Environmental measures have been implemented at the Royal Court, the Palace, the Skaugum estate and other royal properties. The environmental work at the Royal Court is led by Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess.
Solar panels were installed on the roof of Stockholm Palace on Thursday, 19 April 2018. King Carl XVI Gustaf even got his hands dirty and helped as the panels were brought up to the roof. According to the Royal Court, once it is “running, the State Property Agency expects an annual output will at least provide twelve percent of the palace’s annual electricity consumption.”
