Climate: a challenging type of justice

What makes a fair climate agreement? The fight for justice has been one of the biggest problems in all international climate discussions. The summit in Paris will likely be no exception.

A climate dictionary

Have you ever wondered what climate scientists are really saying, but find it a little embarrassing to ask anyone about the language? Here is a glossary that explains commonly used technical terms.

Living longer — but with illness and pain

We are living longer than ever, but with more years of chronic illness and pain. Researchers are asking, shouldn’t health care authorities be focusing more on curing these chronic illnesses?

Fish farming gobbles up phosphorus

Fish farming is the largest source of phosphorus emissions in Norway, generating about 9,000 tonnes a year. Finding ways to reuse the waste from the fish farming industry could cut consumption of this important and increasingly scarce resource.

Need for a pan-European CO2 storage site in the North Sea

Norway has a particular vested interest and responsibility to develop CO2 capture and storage (CCS), believes Nils A. Røkke. Without CCS, the world will be unable to achieve the aim of limiting the global temperature increase to two degrees, says SINTEF’s Director of Climate Technology Research.

Hydropower

Preventing hydropower turbine failure

The turbines at the heart of Norway’s many hydropower plants are in trouble. They can’t handle the new, flexible power production regime.

Can biodiesel damage your car?

The oil industry believes biodiesel is not to blame for problems that car owners are experiencing. But not everyone agrees.

Self-repairing subsea material

Embryonic faults in subsea high voltage installations are difficult to detect and very expensive to repair. Researchers believe that self-repairing materials could be the answer.

A new way to separate oil and gas

Carlos Alberto Dorao is trying to nail down the mechanisms that will help make processes used in the oil and gas industry more effective. His work may also contribute to making computer processors more powerful.

Eagle-eyed robots

The robots of the future must be able to adapt to changes in their surroundings. Some of them will be in close contact with people. At the very least they must be able to see properly – in three dimensions, just like us.

I ein heilt ny metode i produksjon av solceller, brukas mindre energi, billegare råvarer og urein silisum. Foto: Thinkstock

Cheaper silicon means cheaper solar cells

A new method of producing solar cells could reduce the amount of silicon per unit area by 90 per cent compared to the current standard. With the high prices of pure silicon, this will help cut the cost of solar power.

Lopwood and brushwood make high-grade charcoal

When the forestry machines have finished extracting timber, what is left are tops and branches – waste which cannot be used. However, according to researchers, it is possible to turn these heaps of lopwood into high-quality charcoal.

Choking on their own growth

The population of the world’s cities is growing by 60 million people a year. What can urban planners do?