High mercury levels found in Svalbard birds
Norwegian seabirds are struggling. Svalbard seabirds have mercury levels above the threshold for deleterious effects on reproduction, researchers have found.
Energy and environment
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Our innovation makes it safer to store CO₂ in the subsurface
Such storage will be crucial if we are to halt climate change, which is already costing us enormous sums of money and causing suffering for humans and animals.
Researchers make recommendations for schools of the future
We need to think more about the interaction between architecture, pedagogy and different forms of learning when we plan new schools, researchers say.
Adjusting electricity use could postpone expensive power investments
Norwegian hydropower provides stability in the power market, but a more even power consumption in Norwegian building stock could have an impact on the electricity production of hydropower, a new SINTEF study shows.
Energy consumption cut by 30 percent – without expensive upgrades
Tests show that it is possible to cut up to 33 percent of energy consumption using smart heating controllers. The system is based on multiple factors, including future electricity prices and weather data.
Improving the range of electric vehicles
If electric vehicles were lighter, they would also be more energy efficient. Of course researchers are eager to make that happen. With aluminium.
Better offshore wind solutions
Constructing offshore wind turbines is both costly and challenging, but researchers are working to make offshore wind more profitable and secure.
Technology that could multiply geothermal output fivefold
Far below the earth’s surface is an energy source with huge and perpetual potential: geothermal heat. But the forces in its scorching and inhospitable depths must be tamed. Now scientists know what that will take.
Green and compact is the recipe for climate-friendly cities
How climate-friendly is the urban development in your municipality? A new tool helps planners compare alternatives.
“Football pitch” metaphor is slide tackling the solar power debate
It’s easy to oppose solar parks when you hear that 60 solar plants are equivalent in area to over 5000 football pitches, as recently reported by NRK. This analogy draws attention away from other important aspects of the debate.
COP29 resulted in a crisis of confidence – the last thing the world needs
An ineffective negotiation system was the main impression people left with from the climate summit in Baku. Restoring trust in this system must be the top priority for the next conference.
Power ball on transmission wires lowers electricity bills
The Norwegian-developed sensor node detects where transmission lines have available space. It also means that grid companies could avoid building new, expensive and controversial power lines.
The phenomenon that converts all kinds of heat into electricity
A box the size of a refrigerator that supplies a home – and perhaps ten neighbouring houses – with electricity. That’s Ole Martin Løvvik’s dream at SINTEF.
New theory on dense gases and liquids could help carbon capture
The transport of dense gases and liquids is becoming increasingly relevant in relation to carbon capture. New research is helping us understand more about how this can be done most efficiently.
Researchers in this lab are creating a self-repairing and environmentally friendly EV battery
The goal is to eliminate both charging anxiety and environmental concerns. Now researchers have created the “recipe” to do it.
Making the world’s fastest skis
They won’t feature at this year’s World Championships in Trondheim, but NTNU researchers believe the world’s fastest and most flexible cross-country skis will be ready for the 2027 World Championships in Falun.
Equal distribution of wealth is bad for the climate
The climate benefits if only a few people have a lot of power and money. So, should the rest of us be held back because of this fact?
Why a groundbreaking discovery about tiny RNA molecules may be helpful for humans and wildlife
Short strands of genetic material called microRNA have implications for human health – but they could also revolutionize species identification, and perhaps even allow monitoring of wildlife health. Here’s how they work and the potential they offer.
It’s a short distance to a policy for buildings that strengthens the climate issue
Greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting for buildings is an effective tool for achieving climate targets. The requirements must now be followed up with policy in Norway as well.
Trump wants Greenland – but here’s what the people of Greenland want
Donald Trump used a 2018 survey on Greenlandic preferences for national independence to bolster his argument for annexing the autonomous territory.
New book on digitalisation and sustainability in Norwegian goods manufacturing
Digital technologies are creating many opportunities for the industry, but how can you ensure that you take advantage of these opportunities in practice? Researchers examine how and why in the new book “Digitalization and Sustainable Manufacturing – Twin Transition in Norway”.
PFAS: found 180 times more ‘forever chemicals’ in birds
These man-made toxic substances are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’. There are thousands of different variants, and researchers are finding more and more of them.
The secrets of small droplets can offer smelters substantial benefits
It’s been a mystery for many years: Every day, tonnes of ferromanganese – an important additive in steel – are “locked” in slag on their way out of the furnaces. We are now getting close to solving this problem.
This technology enables you to sense and experience architecture – which doesn’t even exist yet
How can we increase our understanding and commitment to environmentally friendly architecture? There is much evidence to suggest that visualisation using AR can help us.