Helping low-income families onto the housing ladder
Families who obtained help to purchase their homes improved their lives in many ways. But outcomes were not so positive for those renting as part of affordable housing allocation schemes.
UN Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Cities and Communities
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What researchers found out after 1,130 tests on Norwegian windows
Results from a major study may contribute towards developing windows that can withstand harsher climatic conditions involving heavier rainfall and stronger winds. Because that’s exactly what we can expect in the future.
A technology to help us achieve large-scale carbon storage
SINTEF researchers are applying methodologies used to transport oil and gas in their efforts to upscale a technology for carbon capture and storage. This is good news for the climate.
Why we need biofuels
Necessary reductions in greenhouse gases will be achieved too late if we have to wait for all our aircraft, ships and trains to transition from fossil fuels. This is why we need biofuels – in spite of the criticisms levelled at their use in a recent article published on the opinions website ‘NRK Ytring’. Biofuels are no ‘climate change mitigation ruse’, as these authors would have you believe.
New knowledge will offer cheaper and greener rail services
New lubricants, combined with new knowledge about how they should be applied to train wheels and rails, have the potential to reduce rail sector costs in Norway by hundreds of millions of kroner during the next decade.
Cultivated kelp can now be as good as wild kelp
Norway already exports large amounts of valuable alginate, but new research findings can make this industry even larger and more sustainable.
New, super-smart hardware could provide drastic cuts in power consumption
Greener data processing requires systems that work smarter, faster, and are more energy efficient. Researchers from NTNU have developed a tiny piece of super-smart hardware that enables all of the above.
Technology focused motorists are positive to road pricing
Road pricing may soon be replacing toll charges on Norwegian roads. But researchers still don’t know if this will help to reduce and regulate road traffic.
How much insulation should we be using now that the climate is changing?
Recent research indicates that the best environmental solution is in fact to install less insulation in our homes and consume more electricity for heating. But first, some preconditions have to be met.
‘Blue-green’ roofs can prevent stormwater run-off
Urban growth, densification and climate change are putting increasing pressure on our water drainage systems. We now need better systems to manage the increasing number of uncontrolled stormwater events.
What’s the best way of warming up your electric car?
Up until now, car manufacturers and others have been recommending using electricity from the grid to warm up your car on cold winter mornings because this will save the battery and ensure maximum range. But research is showing that this isn’t always necessary. Nor does it save you money.
Fish excrement – a superfood for plants
Vegetable farmers will soon be helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution while at the same time boosting our self-sufficiency.
Slag to replace cement in concrete? Yes, please!
The addition of slag has been shown to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from concrete manufacture by more than 95 per cent. Researchers have now discovered that the concrete delivers.
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.
Making seaweed cultivation into a major industry
Seaweeds can be used to improve soils and for the biological capture and storage of carbon. They can serve as feed for livestock and as a food and health supplement for humans. And that’s just for starters. A new research project is aiming to help upgrade current cultivation systems to an industrial scale.
Aiming to electrify construction sites outside built-up areas
Calculations reveal that hydrogen, batteries and solar panels will make it possible to use electric construction machinery on sites where access to the grid is limited.
Torrential rains put engineers under ethical pressure
An extreme storm in Norway called Hans has accelerated the debate about how we should build and where we can live. Adapting to wilder and wetter weather also means that engineers are exposed to greater ethical pressure.
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.
The aluminium in your old car should be recycled into a new car, not something else
Unless we acquire greater knowledge about what happens at the atomic and molecular scale during materials recycling, progress towards a truly circular economy will grind to a halt.
Quantum sensors paving the way for new possibilities in many areas
Increased cooperation between Norwegian industry and universities on quantum physics sensors is a win-win situation for society. Such sensors can provide new opportunities in areas as diverse as mineral extraction and agriculture.
Construction solution extracts heat directly from the earth
Using a completely new piling joint, geothermal heat can be extracted directly via the piles used to anchor buildings in the ground. The invention makes it easier, quicker, cheaper and safer to use environmentally friendly energy.
Professor wants to involve children in work
“A sense of community between generations will be key to ensuring sustainable coastal communities. The importance of children’s learning through work is underestimated,” says Professor Anne Trine Kjørholt.
The aquaculture sector is aiming at better plastic recycling
There is enormous potential in the aquaculture sector to generate circular economy initiatives when it comes to its use of plastics. But can these be made commercially viable? Researchers believe that they can.
Residents must participate in the development of our future communities
In Palma de Mallorca in Spain, researchers are planning to use VR headsets to encourage resident participation in a community project.