Growing demand for electricity

The total Faroese energy consumption in the first half of this year was 196.5 GWh, which is an increase of 5.4 percent on the same period last year.

This represents the all-time highest electricity consumption over a six-month period, reports public energy supplier SEV.

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Some 61 percent of the electricity generated in the first six months of the year came from thermal energy, i.e. oil, while the remaining 39 percent came from water, wind or solar power.

Out of this 39-percent total, 26 percent came from water power, 12 percent from wind power and 0.04 percent from solar power.

Partly as a result of technical faults in three wind turbines, wind power production went down by 12 percent in January-June this year compared to the same period last year.

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Water power production grew by 13.8 percent from 46 GWh in June last year to 52 GWh in June this year. June 2020 saw an average rainfall of 71.3 mm compared to 67.7 mm in June 2019.

Although only 0.04 percent of the total electricity production came from solar power, SEV is optimistic about this relatively new form of energy production in the country.

In June, the new solar farm in Sumba produced electricity for some 77 households, generating 1.97 MWh on the sunniest day in June.

Translated by prosa.fo