- Presentasjon: John Olav Giæver Tande (PDF-2 691.7 KB)
- Presentasjon: Ragne Hildrum (PDF-2 642.4 KB)
- Presentasjon: Hans Otto Haaland (PDF-3 335.2 KB)
- Presentasjon: Knut Liestøl (PDF-678.3 KB)
- Presentasjon: Erik Stensrud Marstein (PDF-2 263.5 KB)
- Presentasjon: Petter Støa (PDF-1 127.1 KB)
- Presentasjon: Fridtjof Unander (PDF-1 169.1 KB)
- Faktaark: Elkem (PDF-970.8 KB)
- Faktaark: Energos (PDF-734.3 KB)
- Faktaark: Forbrenningsteknikk (PDF-720.7 KB)
- Faktaark: Nexans (PDF-995.3 KB)
- Faktaark: Powel (PDF-733.4 KB)
- Faktaark: Rainpower (PDF-761.4 KB)
- Faktaark: Varmepumpe (PDF-704.9 KB)
Dynamic RENERGI programme hits the halfway mark
Long-term Norwegian research on environment-friendly energy has generated results of high international standard and spawned new industrial value creation. Recently, the Large-scale Programme Clean Energy for the Future (RENERGI) reached the midway point in its programme period.
Status Renewable EnergyDato:03.06.2010
| Material from the presentation (in Norwegian) |
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Presentasjoner (alle) (ZIP-12 206 KB) Faktaark (alle) (ZIP-5 050 KB) |
Launched in 2004, the RENERGI programme will run until 2013. In its orientation on the status and future of the programme, the Research Council highlighted the excellent cooperation between research institutions and the business sector, which has given rise to an array of companies in areas such as solar cell production and offshore wind turbine technology.
Photo: Claude R Olsen
Greater allocations put to good use
Government allocations to research on environment-friendly energy have grown substantially in the past few years, not least as a result of the broad-based political agreement on climate policy achieved in the Storting in 2008. A fourth of the total allocations has been used to establish the new Centres for Environment-friendly Energy Research (the FME scheme). The rest has been used to fund a significantly greater number of the research projects proposed by the research community and the business sector in response to ordinary funding announcements.
“The number of grant applications submitted has increased dramatically, and the quality of the proposals remains high,” states Chair of the Research Board of the Division for Strategic Priorities and Member of the Executive Board of the Research Council Knut Liestøl, a professor at the University of Oslo. Professor Liestøl describes the intensified activity within the field of environment-friendly energy as nothing short of an R&D revolution.
Photo: Norwegian Research Council
Wind at their backs
Norway has made tremendous strides in offshore wind installations in waters deeper than 30 metres. “Thus far, only three full-scale test installations in the world have been installed at these depths – and Norwegian suppliers have actively participated in all three projects,” says John Olav Giæver Tande, Director of the FME centre NOWITECH. The projects include the Beatrice offshore wind farm on the UK continental shelf, the Alpha Ventus offshore wind farm on the German continental shelf and the Hywind offshore floating wind turbine on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Despite the progress made, Mr Tande does not hide the fact that cost levels must be cut in order for offshore wind power to be competitive on the market. This constitutes a major research challenge.
Solar energy a force to be reckoned with
PhD students. Photo: IFE
According to the forecasts of the International Energy Agency (IEA), solar energy will play a key role in future electricity production. Until now, overcoming the high price of solar cells has been an obstacle, and installation of solar cell plants has only been possible through large subsidies. However, the financial crisis and a decrease in subsidies have caused prices to fall, and Norwegian companies such as REC, Elkem Solar and NorSun are experiencing new growth.
“Solar electricity is playing an increasingly important role worldwide, and holds great opportunity for Norwegian industry,” says Erik Stensrud Marstein, Manager of the Norwegian Research Centre for Solar Cell Technology, which has put together a team – Solar United – comprising industrial players and research groups.
Improving the power grids
Power grids are at the heart of the energy system. In response to the growing internationalisation of the energy market and the increasing demand for more renewable energy on the grid, the Norwegian power industry is gearing up to make investment in a big way. If Norwegian hydropower is to serve as balance power for variable wind and solar power in continental Europe, new transmission lines connecting Norway to the continent will have to be built. Research on such solutions is a high priority under the RENERGI programme, which has already allocated funding to several projects dealing with power transmission.
Revolutionising the approach to energy
The global demand for electrical energy will rise dramatically in the coming decades, and current solutions will be insufficient.
“We need an energy revolution. It will be costly, but it will open up significant market opportunities,” asserts Fridtjof Unander, Director of the Department for Energy and Petroleum Research at the Research Council.
According to IEA estimates, investment costs in the years up to 2050 will total some USD 45,000 billion, or an average of NOK 6,000 billion per year up to 2050. Much of this will be invested in wind power.
If IEA forecasts are to be realised, 2,000 GW of wind power must be installed globally by 2050 – and a third of this is to be offshore. This corresponds to the construction of an installation the size of the planned Dogger Bank offshore wind farm each year, or of 45 offshore wind farms the size of Sheringham Shoal, which Norwegian Statkraft and Statoil are building off the coast of England.
The RENERGI programme is funded by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The programme encompasses activities ranging from basic research to research and development of small pilot-scale facilities. Other public stakeholders such as Innovation Norway, Transnova, Enova and Gassnova, assume administrative responsibility for the projects once they reach the demonstration and commercialisation phase.
- Published:
- 06.05.2010
- Last updated:
- 03.06.2010
