Tradition Meets Transition

Rethinking Energy in Norway’s Cabin Culture

Norway’s cabin life has long symbolized simplicity, nature, and togetherness – a cherished tradition built on wood stoves, candlelight, and slow weekends. Yet today’s hytter increasingly resemble fully equipped second homes, with growing energy demand and grid-dependent comfort.

This shift raises fundamental questions about how cabin energy use affects local grids, public financing, and national sustainability goals. Should future solutions rely on continued expansion of centralized grid infrastructure – or is it time to rethink the model?

This workshop explores decentralized alternatives such as swarm grids, micro energy communities, and reduced-demand approaches, asking how innovation can meet heritage without undermining either.

• The evolving role of cabins in Norway’s energy system
• Impacts of rising electricity demand in cabin areas
• Opportunities for decentralized and off-grid solutions
• Trade-offs between comfort, sustainability, and tradition

Program

Abstracts

Ida Fagerli
Nordic Swarm – A new concept for energy access in remote cabin fields
 

Tatiana Grandón
What do cabin owners say? Results from a survey on energy use and cabin usage patterns
 

Erik Shini
GridVille NTNU – Sustainable Power By Students
GridVille NTNU is a student organisation at NTNU working with smart and sustainable energy solutions. Through practical projects, members gain experience with renewable energy, microgrids, and energy management. The group is currently installing an energy system at a DNT cabin to test solutions in demanding environments.

Lauri Karttunen
Effects of battery degradation modelling on sizing of off-grid PV-battery systems
This presentation presents preliminary results on off-grid PV-battery system sizing, focusing on how different battery degradation models influence lifetime estimates and optimal system design.