Pixelization — Using solar panels to beautify building facades
The shift to greener energy technologies can be beautiful as well as carbon neutral.
Viewpoints
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Never set your heat pump to Auto
Show us your heat pump, and we’ll tell you if you’re using it right. Researchers provide advice that can save you both energy and money.
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 computing industry can assist Polish refugee centres
Speedy work carried out for free in Norway resulted in an IT system that protects refugees against human traffickers at the Polish-Ukrainian border. This type of aid work may become financially self-supporting.
War in Ukraine could last for months
The war in and over Ukraine has already lasted nearly two months. There is little reason to assume that it will be over anytime soon.
Can lightweight metal help the green shift?
The climate will benefit if we shift to using aluminium in more and more construction. Buyers need to look past the procurement costs and consider the total life cycle costs instead.
A policy that can increase the windfall profit of energy producers — like Russia
While former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg steered Norway according to the logic of economics, today’s politicians seem to lack a basic understanding of markets. The result is a policy that amplifies energy scarcity and drives up energy prices – without policymakers recognizing this unintended consequence.
Many reasons for war on Ukraine
Political power adjustments in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union rank among the deepest causes of the war. But balance of power alone does not explain the crisis and war.
The loser’s ultimate revenge
The war in Ukraine is a disaster foretold. The warnings have come from Russia – and they have been coming for at least 15 years and they have been consistent. But they have been ignored by the outside world. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine represents the loser’s ultimate revenge.
Would you drive a car built from recycled materials?
Norwegian industry is shifting towards a greener future. But what does the transition to a greener economy really mean for industry and for consumers?
Is green growth possible?
Increases in economic growth contribute to one-for-one increases in carbon emissions. Energy system decarbonization and economic productivity gains are the most effective carbon emissions mitigation mechanisms for sustainable economic development.
Which species will be our urban neighbours?
All over the world, people are moving out of rural areas, and cities are growing. What will be the impact on resident species that live in these cities? Which will be our new plant and animal neighbours, which will have to leave town, and what does that mean for us humans?
Building with new thinking and old components
An old building at Tullinløkka in Oslo has set a new standard for reuse, consisting of components from other buildings – like concrete floor dividers from a government building. Building stock in Norway accounts for half of society’s total environmental impact. Thinking in new ways and reusing building components offers multiple gains.
Six factors that will determine the cost of offshore wind power
Large cost cuts are achievable for both floating and bottom-fixed wind farms in the future. If we do this correctly, floating wind turbines will be able to compete with bottom-fixed wind turbines by 2030.
The stag hunt – and why a circular economy is so difficult
The will is there. The technology is too. So why is only 2.4 per cent of the Norwegian economy circular?
Quarantine and financial support for plagues were already in place in the 1600s
Plagues have ravaged Norway many times over the centuries. As early as 1625, the state took systematic action to prevent the plague from spreading. Isolation was a new idea that would prove to be effective. Strict restrictions were imposed on social gatherings, including limits on the number of people who could be present at weddings and funerals. Measures were also introduced to compensate the business community for the financial losses resulting from closures.
Twenty years of sequencing genes… for better or for worse
It’s been 20 years since the first draft sequence of the human genome was published in the journals Nature and Science. The result led then-President Bill Clinton to state that we are now learning the language in which life was written, and that “doctors will increasingly be able to cure diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and cancer by attacking their genetic roots.”
Sequencing 30 000 genes has changed the world, but in a different way than expected.
The hidden threat of the home office
Working at home has given many people the opportunity to arrange their working hours more freely than usual. But has it really given us more freedom?
Simulation model may reduce the climate footprint of oil production
Future offshore oil and gas fields are most likely to be “satellite developments” that are less expensive and emit less greenhouse gases than other fields because they do not require new production platforms. An innovative Norwegian computational tool called “Slug Capturing 2” is now enabling the design of longer pipelines that will allow many more fields to be developed as satellites.
Social media “likes” and comments lead to poorer self-esteem
Girls who “like” and comment on what others post on social media develop a worse self-image over time. Posting on your own profile doesn’t have the same effect.
Concussions can cause long-term sleep problems
A new study shows that people who have had concussions sometimes develop long-term after effects, including sleep disturbances. The findings could also be of use to other patient groups.
Bats not a threat to public health, but important for ecosystems
Bats have received a lot of negative attention, but the chances are slim that the virus that causes COVID-19 was transmitted from bats to humans. The world needs bats – in ecosystems, for pollination and for seed dispersal. On top of that, they keep harmful insects in check around our homes, on farms and in cities.
Temperament affects children’s eating habits
Temperamental children are at greater risk for developing unhealthy eating habits.
How we figure out that red herrings are neither red nor herrings
Our language can be fun and colourful, but unusual phrases that aren’t literal can be difficult for some to interpret. Learning more about how we decipher these phrases can help us teach people in certain groups how to better understand them.