We can’t allow Google to waste its surplus heat
The new Google data centre being built in Skien is in danger of wasting its surplus heat because Norway has no legislation that reduces this risk. We really need to address this issue!
SINTEF Energy
LOADING CONTENT
Development projects should be assessed according to the cumulative impact they have on nature
Does it matter if a small area of rare wetland is lost if a lot more of the same area remains intact? In Norway, it is impossible to say, because no-one can show how many such wetlands are being destroyed elsewhere at the same time.
You may soon be making coffee powered by your car battery
Power cuts can be caused by heavy snow and icing, as well as lightning strikes and strong winds bringing down power lines. Together with more extreme weather events, Norway is also facing a major power supply deficit. So, what can we do to avoid a total electricity crisis?
The next solar storm is on its way – and may cause more problems than you think
Solar storms are no joke. It may get cold and it may get very dark. Our mobile networks may be severely disrupted.
Neighbours can save money by suspending car charging for 30 seconds
The electricity grid in Norway needs more balancing power. Neighbourhood communities can help by participating in a new market where intelligent consumer planning enables them to save money.
Rethinking foreign aid may promote green innovation
Groundbreaking projects funded by Norway demonstrate that foreign aid can help to combat both poverty and environmental problems. One result is that uncontrolled plastic waste may become a resource for the cement industry.
Fast charging stations can be built more quickly with these 3 tips
It is essential to speed up electrification of the Norwegian heavy transport sector. We believe that this is possible in spite of full capacity utilisation in the electricity grid. Here are our three recommendations.
The wrong type of plumbing can increase the risk of Legionnaires’ disease
SINTEF researchers have been testing different types of water distribution cabinets. Cabinets that combine the distribution of both domestic tap water and water for floor heating, are now shown to represent an unnecessary risk of Legionnaires’ disease.
What will the price of your neighbours solar power be?
In the future, we will see the emergence of local energy communities made up of households and businesses who buy and sell electricity among themselves. But someone will have to work out how to determine the price.
New report on the future development of Norwegian hydropower
The smarter utilisation of Norwegian hydropower will promote nature conservation, improve access to energy and boost earnings.
Active control of wind turbine speed can lead to fewer bird strikes
Norwegian researchers are currently developing wind turbines that can adapt their blade rotation speeds to prevent bird strikes.
Teaching the world how hydropower development can safeguard fish populations
SINTEF researcher Marcell Szabo-Meszaros is the man behind the international study ‘Hydropower and Fish – a Roadmap for Best Practice Management’, which offers guidelines on fish population protection in rivers to companies carrying out hydropower developments.
There are easier ways of integrating solar power into the energy system
We need the electricity generated by solar panels in order to meet our climate change mitigation targets. But solar power must be integrated rationally and fairly – something that can only be achieved with effective regulation.
Smarter charger pricing offers effective emergency aid to the power grid
The Norwegian power grid needs relief during periods when ‘everyone’ is using electricity. Research is showing that variable pricing for the fast charging of electric cars may offer a solution.
A new approach to waste incineration removes CO2 from the atmosphere
There are plans in Årdal to build a waste incineration plant based on a new technology that captures and stores CO2, thus removing the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.
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.
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.
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.
‘Bio-batteries’ enable us to store solar and wind energy
Up until now it has been a challenge to store the energy we generate when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. But researchers at a laboratory in Trondheim in Norway have succeeded in doing just this – and entirely without any form of advanced battery technology.
Suddenly everyone wants ‘super-hot’ heat pumps
High-temperature heat pumps are no longer simply for idealists. They’re contributing to more than just climate accounting, and industrial companies are standing in line to learn more.
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 North Sea can drive the green energy transition
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and SINTEF have travelled to the UN climate change conference, COP26, with three strong recommendations on how the North Sea can power the green energy transition.