Here's a an update on NTNU-related energy transition activities, brought to you by the NTNU Energy Transition Initiative.

Recent news

Conference recordings

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2023 NTNU Energy Transition Conference and/or any of the workshops during the Energy Transition Week.

You can find all the presentations and panel discussions in this YouTube playlist.

Recent podcast episodes

We've been asking some tough questions in our podcast lately. Consider subscribing through your preferred podcast platform.

#46 The Role of the University in Fighting Climate Change (with Angeline Bruls,  Scientist Rebellion)

#45 The Future of Petroleum Exploration and Renewables in Norway (with State Secretary, Andreas Bjelland Eriksen)

#44 How Green is Blue Hydrogen? (with Prof. Robert W. Howarth, Cornell Uni)

NTNU Energy Systems Seminar

Every other Friday, energy researchers organize a seminar to present current work and network. You can tune into these seminars online, or watch the recordings.

Recently we had a special episode, featuring several presenters with different standpoints regarding nuclear energy.

Next seminar, 28 April:
"STraM: a framework for strategic national freight transport modeling"

Town Hall Meeting:
The Great Energy Dilemma

"The Great Energy Dilemma" was the title when Adresseavisen and NTNU invited to a town hall meeting at Byscenen in Trondheim during the NTNU Energy Transition Week.

Here, researchers, politicians, and activists gathered to discuss climate, energy, and the impact of energy infrastructure on nature.

The meeting was in Norwegian. You can watch the recording at Adresseavisen.no

The Energy Crisis in Europe and the Norwegian Power Market.

This report summarizes a series of workshops organized throughout 2022 by the research centers NTRANS, CINELDI, ZEN, HighEFF, Include, NorthWind, and HydroCEN, together with NTVA and DNVA.

The background for the workshops was a prolonged period of high energy prices in Europe, which has affected the Norwegian power market for an extended period.

Nuclear - a savior or a threat?

Norway hasn't discussed building nuclear power yet, but neighboring countries like Sweden, Finland, and France are either reopening or building new nuclear power plants. Some people believe that Norway should consider nuclear power too.

At NTNU Kveld, NTNUers shared their takes and discussed the topic.

Watch the recording here (Norwegian).

Some upcoming events

28 April - Energy Systems Seminar: STraM: a framework for strategic national freight transport modeling

3 May: FME NorthWind: Webinar: Dynamic models, cost-effective installation, regulatory framework and impact assessments

3 May: FME HighEFF: Energieffektivisering: Slik vil industrien frigjøre 20 TWh konfliktfri energi

4 May: FME NorthWind: Webinar: Sustainable Development Goals, circular business development, and the framing of Norwegian wind energy futures

19 - 21 June: FME NCCS: The Trondheim CCS Conference

Some recent media appearances

Professor Stein-Erik Fleten said on national TV that building more wind power won't make electricity cheaper for Norwegians. NRK Debatten (2 Feb 2023)

PhD candidate Goran Durakovic and Professor Asgeir Tomasgard says hydrogen plays a key role in EU's climate strategy, and is important for the energy transition. Opposing statements made by the Minister of Education and Research, Ola Borten Moe. Stavanger Aftenblad (5 Feb 2023)

Norwegian newspaper Nettavisen asked Professor Asgeir Tomasgard if NRK's statement: "Norway provides less electricity bill-support than almost every other European country", is correct. Nettavisen (6 Feb 2023)

Professor Edgard Hertwich says it's important to avoid investments in heavy infrastructure for fossil fuels, like terminals for LNG, during the current energy crisis. Speaking as a member of The EU’s Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change. Norwegian SciTech News (10 Feb 2023)

PhD candidate Goran Durakovic and Professor Svein Sunde help fact-checking website Faktisk.no when deconstructing the Minister of Education and Research, Ola Borten Moe's hydrogen calculations. Faktisk.no (7 Feb 2023)

Should Norway stop trading electricity with other countries? Asks department leaders, Sebastien Gros and Anngjerd Pleym, together with Professor Magnus Korpås. Gemini (10 Feb 2023)

Nuclear energy is no quick-fix, explains Director of NTNU Energy, Johan Hustad. TU.no (13 Feb 2023)

Nuclear energy is more expensive that other energies, says Professor Asgeir Tomasgard. MN24 (16 Feb 2023)

The current building regulations, TEK 17, are not good enough if more climate-friendly buildings are to be obtained in the future, says Professors Thomas K. Thiis and Arild Gustavsen. TU.no (20 Feb 2023)

Energy efficiency will not necessarily lead to reduced consumption, and may instead lead to increased consumption through so-called "rebound effects", warns Associate Professor Marius Korsnes. Energi og Klima (20 Feb 2023)

Norwegian government support for high electricity prices is failing completely in some areas, writes NTRANS-researcher, Grunnar S. Ekseland. Dagens Næringsliv (22 Feb 2023)

-If you take away the wind power that has been built there, you in principle take away electricity production that can cover the whole of Trondheim municipality, says Magnus Korpås about the controversial Fosen wind power plants. E24 (1 March 2023)

If a a Supreme Court ruling is not to have consequences, where is the legal certainty for the Sami, and for all of us? Asks NTRANS-researcher, Ragnhild Freng Dale. Agenda Magasin (1 March 2023)

Professor Tomas Moe Skjølsvold says the Fosen conflict symbolizes a 10-15 year setback for Norwegian wind power. Dagens Næringsliv (3 March 2023)

Professor Magnus Korpås sheds light on how Norway became the world's electric car capital. Nexus Media News (7 March 2023).

-The Norwegian debate on nuclear power is characterized by opinions. We want to gather knowledge about nuclear power, says Erik Wahlström, who leads NTNU's department of physics and is behind a new interdisciplinary research group at NTNU. Adressavisen (19 march 2023)

-The activist groups that engage in the climate issue is multifaceted. They have a concern for a global challenge, which they interpret and translate into action locally. In this lies a creative force and willingness to change that society at large should appreciate, writes Tomas Moe Skjølsvold. Adresseavisen (22 March 2023)

Professors Magnus Korpås and Asgeir Tomasgard comment on The EU countries agreement to not extend long-term contracts for fossil gas beyond 2049. NRK (12 April 2023)

NTNU professors Leif Lia and Arne Nysveen warns that electrification of the continental shelf means in practice that Norwegian hydropower can be exported as gas. Europower (18 April 2023)

Associate Professor Jonas Kristiansen Nøland says to NRK Radio that Norwegian offshore wind power is the most expensive in Europe, and a risky investment. Dagens (19 April 2023)

Selected research

Michael Grubb, Nino David Jordan, Edgar Hertwich, Karsten Neuhoff, Kasturi Das, Kaushik Ranjan Bandyopadhyay, Harro van Asselt, Misato Sato, Ranran Wang, William A. Pizer, Hyungna Oh (2022) Carbon Leakage, Consumption, and Trade, Annual Review of Environment and Resources DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-120820-053625

Peng Liu, Maria Justo Alonso, Hans Martin Mathisen, (2023) Global sensitivity analysis and optimal design of heat recovery ventilation for zero emission buildings, Applied Energy, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120237

Marianne Ryghaug et al. (2023) A Social Sciences and Humanities research agenda for transport and mobility in Europe: key themes and 100 research questions, Transport Reviews, DOI:  10.1080/01441647.2023.2167887

Lola S. A. Rousseau, Bradley Kloostra, Hessam AzariJafari, Shoshanna Saxe, Jeremy Gregory, and Edgar G. Hertwich (2022) Material Stock and Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Global and Urban Road Pavement, Environmental Science & Technology DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05255

Wendy Wuyts, Alessio Miatto, Kronnaphat Khumvongsa, Jing Guo, Pasi Aalto, and Lizhen Huang (2022) How Can Material Stock Studies Assist the Implementation of the Circular Economy in Cities? Environmental Science & Technology DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c05275

Anna Bergek, Teis Hansen, Jens Hanson, Tuukka Mäkitie, Markus Steen (2023) Complexity challenges for transition policy: lessons from coastal shipping in Norway, Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2022.100687

Antti Silvast, Govert Valkenburg (2023) Energy citizenship: A critical perspective, Energy Research & Social Science DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.102995

Allan Dahl Andersen, Jochen Markard, Dierk Bauknecht, Magnus Korpås (2023) Architectural change in accelerating transitions: Actor preferences, system architectures, and flexibility technologies in the German energy transition, Energy Research & Social Science DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.102945

Jan Martin Specht, Reinhard Madlener (2023) Deep reinforcement learning for the optimized operation of large amounts of distributed renewable energy assets, Energy and AI DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyai.2022.100215

Y. C. Karekezi, E. G. Melfald, T. Øyvang and J. K. Nøland (2022) Loss Modeling of Large Hydrogenerators for Cost Estimation of Reactive Power Services and Identification of Optimal Operation, IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, DOI: 10.1109/TEC.2022.3230763

Junqi Wu, Zhibin Niu, Xiang Li, Lizhen Huang, Per Sieverts Nielsen, Xiufeng Liu (2023) Understanding multi-scale spatiotemporal energy consumption data: A visual analysis approach, Energy DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2022.125939

Vidar T. Skjervold, Giorgia Mondino, Luca Riboldi, Lars O. Nord (2023) Investigation of control strategies for adsorption-based CO2 capture from a thermal power plant under variable load operation, Energy DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2023.126728

Milad Mehdizadeh, Trond Nordfjaern, Christian A. Klöckner (2023) Drunk or Sober? Number of alcohol units perceived to be safe before riding e-scooter, Accident Analysis & Prevention DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2022.106930

M. Justo Alonso, P. Liu, S.F. Marman, R.B. Jørgensen, H.M. Mathisen (2023) Holistic methodology to reduce energy use and improve indoor air quality for demand-controlled ventilation, Energy and Buildings DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.112692

Stian Backe, Dimitri Pinel, Magnus Askeland, Karen Byskov Lindberg, Magnus Korpås, Asgeir Tomasgard (2023) Exploring the link between the EU emissions trading system and net-zero emission neighbourhoods, Energy and Buildings DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.112731

Marius Korsnes, Bradley Loewen, Ragnhild Freng Dale, Markus Steen & Tomas Moe Skjølsvold (2023) Paradoxes of Norway’s energy transition: controversies and justice, Climate Policy, DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2023.2169238

Vedant Ballal, Otávio Cavalett, Francesco Cherubini, Marcos Djun Barbosa Watanabe (2023) Climate change impacts of e-fuels for aviation in Europe under present-day conditions and future policy scenarios, Fuel, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2022.127316

Mattia Manni, Maria Chiara Failla, Alessandro Nocente, Gabriele Lobaccaro, Bjørn Petter Jelle (2022) The influence of icephobic nanomaterial coatings on solar cell panels at high latitudes, Solar Energy, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2022.11.005

Aline Kirsten Vidal de Oliveira, Matheus Körbes Bracht, Mohammadreza Aghaei, Ricardo Rüther (2023) Automatic fault detection of utility-scale photovoltaic solar generators applying aerial infrared thermography and orthomosaicking, Solar Energy, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2023.01.058

Ayotunde A. Adeyemo, Erick Alves, Francesco Marra, Danilo Brandao, Elisabetta Tedeschi (2023) Suitability assessment of high-power energy storage technologies for offshore oil and gas platforms: A life cycle cost perspective, Journal of Energy Storage, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2023.106643

T.-S. Neset, C. Navarra, M. Graça, T. Opach, J. Wilk, P. Wallin, L. Andersson, S. Santos Cruz, A. Monteiro, J.K. Rød (2022) Navigating urban heat – Assessing the potential of a pedestrian routing tool, Urban Climate, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2022.101333

Alfredsen K, Juárez-Goméz A, Refaei Kenawi MS, Graf MS and Saha SK (2022) Mitigation of environmental effects of frequent flow ramping scenarios in a regulated river. Front. Environ. Sci. 10:944033. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2022.944033

Egner, Lars Even and Klöckner, Christian (2022) Effect of Policy Implementation on Energy Retrofit Behavior and Energy Consumption in a Simulated Neighborhood, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation doi: 10.18564/jasss.4936

Vesely S, Klöckner CA, Carrus G, Tiberio L, Caffaro F, Biresselioglu ME, Kollmann AC and Sinea AC (2022) Norms, prices, and commitment: A comprehensive overview of field experiments in the energy domain and treatment effect moderators. Front. Psychol. 13:967318. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.967318

Dimoski, J., Fleten, SE., Löhndorf, N. et al. (2023) Dynamic hedging for the real option management of hydropower production with exchange rate risks. OR Spectrum DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00291-023-00709-z

Granado, P.C.d., Rajasekharan, J., Pandiyan, S.V. et al. (2023) Flexibility Characterization, Aggregation, and Market Design Trends with a High Share of Renewables: a Review. Curr Sustainable Renewable Energy Rep 10, 12–21 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40518-022-00205-y

Ryghaug, M., Haugland, B. T., Søraa, R. A. and Skjølsvold, T. M. (2022) Testing Emergent Technologies in the Arctic: How Attention to Place Contributes to Visions of Autonomous Vehicles, Science & Technology Studies, doi: 10.23987/sts.101778.

M. Formolli, T. Kleiven, G. Lobaccaro. (2023) Assessing solar energy accessibility at high latitudes: A systematic review of urban spatial domains, metrics, and parameters, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.113231

Štádlerová, Š., Jena, S.D. & Schütz, P. (2023) Using Lagrangian relaxation to locate hydrogen production facilities under uncertain demand: a case study from Norway. Comput Manag Sci 20, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10287-023-00445-3

Magnus Askeland, Laurent Georges, Magnus Korpås (2023) Low-parameter linear model to activate the flexibility of the building thermal mass in energy system optimization, Smart Energy, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.segy.2023.100094

Edgar Hertwich & Ottmar Edenhofer (2023) Turning point for Europe’s switch to low carbon, Nature, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00766-y

Lina Ingeborgrud, Ivana Suboticki, Marianne Ryghaug & Tomas Moe Skjølsvold (2023) Planners as middle actors in facilitating for city cycling, Mobilities, DOI: 10.1080/17450101.2023.2186799

Ivana Suboticki, Sara Heidenreich, Marianne Ryghaug, Tomas Moe Skjølsvold (2023) Fostering justice through engagement: A literature review of public engagement in energy transitions, Energy Research & Social Science, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103053

Emil Dimanchev, Davood Qorbani, Magnus Korpås (2023) Electric Vehicle Adoption Dynamics on the Road to Deep Decarbonization, The 4Ds of Energy Transition: Decarbonization, Decentralization, Decreasing Use and Digitalization, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/9783527831425.ch8

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