With increased emphasis on environmental friendly energy solutions, the technological development for use of new renewable energy sources has important implications for the energy related industries. As a major urban development area, the Oslo region is particularly important as a test bed for new and sustainable energy solutions such as decentralised and local energy production sites. Companies and research institutions in the region contribute nationally and internationally to the development of four principal new energy technologies: solar, hydrogen, bio-energy and wind. 

Solar energy

The world's largest solar power corporation, REC, has its headquarters just outside Oslo. Much of the solar panel technology used in RECs production has also been developed in R&D institutions around the region, such as IFE, the Institute for Energy Technology. Interest in the solar market from both investors and researchers is growing throughout the entire region, and several promising new start-ups have made Oslo their headquarters for development and operations.

Hydrogen research

The hydrogen society may still be years off, but many significant steps are being taken to make it a reality. Institutions in the Oslo region Are active in hydrogen research for production, energy efficiency and secure storage. IFE is the largest and most important in this field and has conducted research on the usage and storage of hydrogen for more than 20 years. In 1999 the Institute accelerated its efforts in this field and made a scientific breakthrough in the storage of hydrogen involving a metal hydride (one of several storage alternatives) with the highest hydrogen density ever shown (eight times higher than in liquid hydrogen) - a world record.

A public-private initiative, the HyNor Hydrogen Highway, is also making progress towards everyday use of hydrogen as a non-polluting energy bearer. HyNor will by end 2009 have four hydrogen filling stations between Stavanger on the south coast and Oslo, with plans to extend the highway down through Scandinavia and to the continent. Mazda recently chose HyNor as the test bed for their hydrogen-driven vehicles, a major vote of confidence in the Norwegian effort.

Bio-energy and recycling

In Norway bio-energy and energy recycling comprise 15 percent of all energy consumption. This market has spawned new technologies and investments in exploitation of organic energy sources include renewable plant material such as sawdust and tree trimmings, animal waste, household and industrial waste.

Companies and research institutions located in the Oslo region have focused mainly on environmentally friendly combustion technology in relation to biomass in order to recover as much energy as possible through various combustion processes. Among the most innovative players in the region are Lindum in energy from waste, and Tomra in recycling, both located just east of Oslo.

Wind power - a priority

Wind energy has been identified by the Norwegian research authorities as a priority for the near future. Norway has a large potential for generating energy from wind, due to Norway's long and windy coastline. The Norwegian government has stated the goal of producing 3 TWh annually based on wind energy within 2010. Activity is growing and many production facilities are planned and approved. In the Oslo region, research on wind turbine aerodynamics and simulation methods for airflow over irregular terrain, as well as in-situ wind measurement, are key areas of expertise. Kjeller Vindteknikk, a spin-off company from IFE, has made significant contributions towards helping the industry reach the Norwegian goals.