Energy crisis can help boost green energy investments in Europe
Can Europe use the energy crisis to help accelerate its efforts to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050? The EU’s Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change says yes.
Energy and environment
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Urgent need to commercialise CCS
At last it is now possible to capture CO2 at industrial scales without state subsidy, and countries across the world should be persuading private industry to identify storage sites that will make a real difference.
Blue hydrogen: the real bridge between fossil fuels and renewable energy
Blue, also called “low carbon” hydrogen will make for a much more suitable transition towards renewable energy than natural gas.
Data-driven heating reduces energy consumption in buildings
Energy consumption in buildings can be reduced by predicting their actual heating needs.
Recycling snuff boxes to make new products
Don’t tell me that you haven’t noticed them. Empty snuff boxes littered all over our streets and parks. But instead of being just rubbish, they can now be recycled to make new products.
Just one degree can change a species
Even seemingly small changes in the climate can change the number of animals and plants in an area and how species behave, new research shows. Natural history collections provide valuable insights.
Now is the time to stop talking up the benefits of natural gas
The view that natural gas can act as an eco-friendly bridge in the transition from our use of coal to renewable energy has experienced a renaissance in the wake of the European war. Thus, the time is right to review the data behind the politics.
A gamechanger for aluminium component production in the car industry
A new Norwegian technology is enabling the removal of an entire process stage from car component production lines. It makes the cars less expensive, more eco-friendly and faster to manufacture.
Enzymes from bacteria and fungi break down plastic
Plastic is useful but also poses an environmental problem. Scientists are now using enzymes from bacteria and fungi to break down plastic.
Eavesdropping on the Earth itself
This summer, a coalition of researchers led by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology reported the first-ever use of a fibre-optic cable network to eavesdrop on whales in the Arctic. Now they suggest these networks be used to establish a low-cost global ocean-earth observatory.
In search of a smarter grid
The Norwegian government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55 per cent by 2030. This will involve dramatic changes to the electricity grid system.
No correlation between windy conditions in northern and southern Norway means money in the bank for the offshore wind sector
A stroke of serendipity, courtesy of the weather gods, will save the Norwegian offshore wind sector from the intermittent moods of windpower. But only if wind farms are distributed across large geographical areas.
Easier to recycle agricultural plastics
Researchers are currently working to improve the recycling system for agricultural plastics. Their aim is that more plastic shall be recovered and recycling made simpler and more effective.
Can floating solar islands meet the world’s future energy needs?
Covering less than ten per cent of the world’s hydropower reservoirs with floating solar panels would yield as much energy as all hydropower does today, one researcher says.
World’s food production footprint on climate and environment
Cattle farming has often been portrayed as having the most detrimental environmental impact because it takes the most grazing land, uses a lot of water and has large methane emissions. But it’s not the worst. And is locally produced food always best for the environment?
Greta Thunberg effect evident among Norwegian youth
Norwegian youth from all over the country and across social affiliation point to teen activist Greta Thunberg as a role model and source of inspiration for climate engagement.
A vessel that ‘hand-picks’ its catch from the seabed
The Arctic Pearl is setting course for the Barents Sea in search of the shellfish delicacy Iceland scallop. It is the first and only vessel of its kind, crammed with new technology that may herald the start of a new era in bottom fishing.
Action from the building sector is more important than ever as the world races headlong towards 2.5 degrees
If only the Norwegian building and construction industry would embrace a little more digitalisation, this alone would enable Norway to achieve its 2023 emissions target agreed with the EU.
Now we know which airline routes pollute the most
Norwegian greenhouse gas emissions from air traffic are more than twice as high as the worldwide average.
A new method of detecting indirect corporate emissions
How does the chain of suppliers impact on a company’s climate footprint? This is a key question and, according to a recently established entrepreneur in the field, Norwegian know-how stands ready to offer the world the answer.
New solar panels from solar panel waste
Solar energy is good news for planet Earth – but solar panels are not as climate-friendly as they should be. Researcher Martin Bellmann is using what he calls the ‘black gold’ waste materials from solar panel manufacture to make new panels.
Innovative recovery of valuable raw materials from ‘red mud’
Waste slags from the metallurgy industries often contain valuable materials, but in very small concentrations. This means that large areas of valuable land are used to accommodate reservoirs filled with what is sometimes toxic waste. We now want to use hydrogen to convert this waste into a resource.
More efficient ocean mapping and monitoring
Australia has a seafloor monitoring program where they can precisely surveil the changes in the environment. NTNU has attracted one of the key researchers from this project. Oscar Pizarro’s research goal is to find tools to facilitate continuous observation with less resources.
Researchers gave an identity to the world’s first fully electric high-speed ferry
Scientists have now found out how to optimise the functional and aesthetic character of the world’s first fully electric high-speed ferry. The aim is to persuade passengers to opt for fossil-free transport.