What are we going to do with all those used EV batteries?
Very soon, there will be enormous numbers of used EV batteries available, but we have yet to work out how we will be organising the reuse of this massive resource.
Energy and environment
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Never set your heat pump to Auto
Show us your heat pump, and we’ll tell you if you’re using it right. Researchers provide advice that can save you both energy and money.
An ‘unknown’ ecosystem that is good news for the climate
At the boundary between the land and sea, there exists an ecosystem that has been overlooked by Norwegians for so long that it was only recently given an official name. But studies are revealing that it has some very desirable properties.
Eavesdropping on whales in the high Arctic
The Earth’s oceans are crisscrossed with roughly 1.2 million km of fibre optic telecommunication cables — enough to girdle the planet 30 times. Researchers have now succeeded in using fibre in a submarine cable as a passive listening system, enabling them to listen to and monitor whales.
Capturing CO2 from flue gases using a super membrane
As part of a six-year research project, researchers have succeeded in developing a membrane that captures CO2 in an entirely innovative way. Their work has resulted in an article published in the prestigious research periodical Science Magazine.
Norwegian rivers need to be better protected
When hydroelectric power plants suddenly switch off the water, we risk killing fish fry and other living organisms in rivers. The regulations need to change, say scientists and anglers.
Thousands of environmental bombs under Norwegian homes
Heating with oil in homes and commercial buildings is now banned in Norway. The storage tanks are supposed to be removed from buildings, but many people choose not to get rid of these environmental time bombs.
Plastic waste is a resource that doesn’t have to end up in the oceans
Using non-recyclable plastic waste as an alternative to coal may prevent huge volumes of plastic from being discarded into the oceans – and will also reduce CO2 emissions. This is the conclusion of a recently completed pilot project headed by SINTEF in Vietnam.
Could this dry battery system be Elon Musk’s next big thing?
The idea behind batteries is to make the planet greener, but they all start their lives as energy-demanding environmental liabilities. Research scientists at SINTEF have succeeded in making batteries cheaper and simpler using a process that requires much less energy consumption.
Climate change reveals unique artefacts in melting ice patches
Norwegian mountains are full of time capsules. Thousands of years of human and ecological history are preserved in remnant patches of ice. Now this treasure trove of information threatens to melt away, unless we take action.
Now construction projects can heat themselves
What if a concrete building could heat itself – while being built? Research scientists are about to make this dream a reality.
This electric flying boat might transform travelling
With this seaplane you will be able to take off from Trondheim Fjord or Flesland Airport in Bergen, Norway, and land in the Geiranger Fjord one hour later.
We can electrify the continental shelf without electricity cables
Electrification of the Norwegian continental shelf is a long-standing political issue. Now research scientists believe this can be done using fuel cells installed on the platforms. This will reduce CO2 emissions and remove the need to lay new subsea cables.
Corrosion forecast technology can cut costs and reduce waste
High energy prices highlight the importance of the thousands of kilometres of insulated pipe networks and equipment in industrial plants. However, corrosion under the pipes’ insulation is hard to detect and can have severe consequences. New surveillance technology being developed by SINTEF can help combat this looming threat.
The worst polluters in the Arctic are not what you think
More than 600 fishing vessels sail the icy waters of the Arctic. But just over two dozen big tankers are the worst offenders when it comes to air pollution in this vulnerable region.
Scientists call for cap on production to end plastic pollution
Capping production of new plastics will help cut their release to the environment — and brings other benefits, from boosting the value of plastics to helping tackle climate change.
First ones out to buy and sell neighbourhood electricity
Many buildings with solar cells produce more electricity than they consume themselves, but current legislation prevents surplus power from being sold to neighbouring consumers. A pilot project in Trondheim will be the first in the world to test a system that makes this possible.
The Alchemists: Turning wild water into white coal
How Norwegian scientists and engineers harnessed the country’s wild waterfalls by developing super efficient turbines — and how advances in turbine technology being developed now may be the future in a zero-carbon world.
Can lightweight metal help the green shift?
The climate will benefit if we shift to using aluminium in more and more construction. Buyers need to look past the procurement costs and consider the total life cycle costs instead.
Want to save the planet? Cut coal use by 95 percent, oil by 60 percent by 2050, report says
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released its third Working Group report on how humankind can mitigate the ecosystem and societal effects of climate change. Much can be done, but the challenges remain enormous, the report confirms.
A policy that can increase the windfall profit of energy producers — like Russia
While former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg steered Norway according to the logic of economics, today’s politicians seem to lack a basic understanding of markets. The result is a policy that amplifies energy scarcity and drives up energy prices – without policymakers recognizing this unintended consequence.
Two Industrial Ecology professors named to international climate-related posts
Professor Edgar Hertwich has been named to the EU’s newly constituted European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, while Professor Francesco Cherubini has been asked to serve as a Lead Author for an upcoming assessment by The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
People over 60 are greenhouse gas emission bad guys
Baby boomers have a big climate footprint. In 2005, people over 60 accounted for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2015, that number jumped to nearly 33%.
Recovering eco-friendly phosphorous from wastewater
A shortage of phosphorous is driving the price of artificial fertilisers through the roof. But a new and eco-friendly wastewater decontamination process has enabled a company in Hamar in Norway to kill two birds with one stone.