Floating cities will soon be a reality
Researchers from Norway and Singapore are working together to build cities floating at sea and underground universities.
Energy and environment
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Finding life — and farming minerals — deep under the sea
Japanese researchers have access to the largest scientific vessel ever constructed, one that has a 120 metre tall derrick capable of drilling to 7500 metres below the seafloor. They’re using it to hunt for life deep under the seafloor and explore for mineral deposits at the bottom of the ocean — topics that are of great interest to Norwegian researchers.
Does ‘green energy’ have hidden health and environmental costs?
Production of electricity is responsible for about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, and demand is poised to rise as underserved populations connect to the grid, and electronics and electric vehicles proliferate. So stopping global warming will require a transformation of electricity production. But it is important to avoid various environmental pitfalls in this transition, researchers say.
Creating systems that understand the Arctic
How can ships travelling in the Arctic maintain their position when ice pushes them in different directions?
Super microscopes help make greener batteries
Researchers rely on super microscopes to develop more efficient next-generation batteries.
Norway’s oldest ice found in Jotunheimen
Some of the ice in the Juvfonne glacier in Jotunheimen National Park in central Norway has been dated to be 7600 years old, currently the oldest dated ice on mainland Norway.
Air could be the world’s next battery
Storing compressed air in sealed tunnels and mines could be a way of storing energy in the future – if an EU project in which Norway is a partner is successful.
Inside the ice caves on Svalbard
Svalbard’s cold climate means that its glaciers are solid and frozen to the ground. This allows for winter travel into unique ice caves that contain plants and material that froze into the glacial ice as it formed.
Going deep to learn the secrets of Japan’s earthquakes
The 11 March 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake was the largest and most destructive in the history of Japan. Japanese researchers — and Norwegian partners — are hard at work trying to understand just what made it so devastating.
European researchers want to extend funding for renewables
An international team of researchers has concluded that operational funding should continue to be provided for the production of renewable energy in Europe, provided that such support is progressively reduced over time.
Crushing ice to save platforms
It’s been a warm winter on Svalbard this year. But this doesn’t apply to the laboratory where Niek Heijkoop works. There it’s a stable -10° Celsius
Svalbard’s electric power could come from hydrogen
Longyearbyen, the world’s most northerly city, could save more than 100 million kroner (11.5 million US dollars) a year in the cost of electricity, if a completely green hydrogen-fuelled power station is built in preference to laying a cable from the mainland, according to calculations made by SINTEF scientists.
A future for skiing in a warmer world
As the world struggles to make progress to limit climate change, researchers are finding ways to adapt to warmer winter temperatures — by developing environmentally friendly ways of producing artificial snow.
Finding ways to fix the climate before it’s too late
Scientists and policymakers rely on complex computer simulations called Integrated Assessment Models to figure out how to address climate change. But these models need tinkering to make them more accurate.
Making a car workshop into an attractive, energy-efficient urban residence
Combining old and new to achieve reduced energy consumption, a better living environment and architectural success. It’s definitely possible and researchers will show you how.
One radiator to heat a whole floor
What happens to people’s comfort level when the heating system in a super-insulated building is simplified by installing only one radiator per floor?
Big data shows how what we buy affects endangered species
We don’t have to snuff out species when we eat a hamburger or buy a tee-shirt— if we know how our consumption affects endangered and threatened species.
EV owners’ range anxiety soon a thing of the past
In a few years we’ll be able to charge virtually wherever and whenever we want with only minimal buildout of the power grid, according to electrical engineering professor Magnus Korpås.
True hygge with environmentally friendly log fire
A crackling log fire is pure HYGGE. But what’s actually the best way to have log fires in our modern, well-sealed and fully-insulated homes?
The magical reindeer nose
Every schoolchild knows about Rudolph the Reindeer and his magic red nose. But Rudolph’s real-life counterparts really do have a magic nose. The colder it is, the better it is in keeping the animals warm and hydrated.
– The world doesn’t realise how much we need CO2 storage
The world will not be able to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement without technology capable of capturing, transporting and storing CO2.
Speed warning system saves lives and reduces emissions
Universal adoption of the ISA speed warning system in Norway could reduce both the average speed of vehicles and their emissions, concludes a recent SINTEF report. Lower speeds also lead to fewer fatalities and serious injuries on the roads.
Clay and a little salt water can make for enhanced oil recovery
By controlling a mix of clay, water and salt, Norwegian and Brazilian researchers have created nanostructures that might help boost oil production, expand the lifespan of certain foods or that could be used in cosmetics or drugs.
Energy savings in shopping centres
Shopping centres are major energy consumers with significant opportunities for savings. Researchers are currently checking the impact of savings made on lighting and air-conditioning at the City Syd centre in Trondheim.