Europeans pursue better energy technologies
The Nordic region is renowned for its work on the protection of the environment. For its part, the Research Council of Norway has announced that it will grant funding to eight national research centres for the development of environmentally friendly technologies. Each centre will receive up to NOK 20 million (EUR 2.26 million) a year for five years. Various topics will be covered during this period, including solar, bioenergy and wind power, and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage, said representatives from the Norwegian gas technology centre SINTEF/NTNU, which is either heading or participating in six projects. Under the programme, the eight research centres will work at developing high-quality technologies for energy that does not harm the environment. The researchers involved will also focus on strengthening skills and know-how in this area. Ultimately, the goal is for the research centres to create jobs and fuel industrial activity, the SINTEF/NTNU representatives said. All the centres participating in the programme should be national leaders in their fields, they added. In order to meet its goal, each research centre will focus on three main strategies: to boost power generation from renewable sources including solar, biomass and wind; to handle CO2 emissions from fossil sources of energy like oil and gas; and to ensure more efficient use of energy. 'These efforts will bring Norway into line with a widespread international trend that is being led by the US and the EU, with active efforts being made in environmentally friendly technologies,' Research Council President Arvid Hallén commented. For her part, SINTEF head Unni Steinsmo said: 'The development of technology in this field will be one of Norway's most important contributions in the field of climate improvement.' The new centres will play a huge role in the country's aims to fuel global efforts in the field of climate technology. According to Ms Steinsmo, Trondheim-based research centres have already started working with leading groups in China, Europe, Japan and the US on climate technology. 'Now, we will build on these contacts and develop both technology and a consciousness of what is needed to produce a technological revolution,' Ms Steinsmo remarked. 'Together with our partners, we will contribute actively to ensuring that both Norway and the global community will benefit as much as possible from our efforts,' she added. 'As a supplier of knowledge and technology at [the] international level, Norway can contribute to making cuts in global emissions that will be several times as large as those we can make within our own territory.' The research centres that will take part in the programme are the Research Centre for Offshore Wind Technology, BIGCCS Centre - International CCS Research Centre, the Research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB), the Centre for Environmental Design of Renewable Energy (CEDREN), the Bioenergy Innovation Centre, and the Norwegian Research Centre for Solar Cell Technology. In a related development, the EU is targeting a 20% share of energy from renewable sources in the overall energy mix so as to curb its dependence on fossil fuel imports, especially on oil and gas. In order to meet its objective, the EU is focusing its efforts on the electricity, heating and cooling sectors, as well as biofuels.
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Norway