(Retrieved from: http://www.biotek.uio.no/english/research/news-and-events/events/conferences/2013/eu-openscreen%205th%20partner%20meeting%20in%20oslo)
On Thursday morning the sun was bright and warm as we traveled to the University of Oslo’s research park to learn about Norway as a green battery. Professor Finn Forsund spoke to us about hydropower, the vital resource that allows Norway to export so much energy to nearby nations such as Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. Hydropower is especially efficient in Norway because small dams are built in the mountains using high-pressure turbines at the entrances of mountain lakes. This strategy reduces the detrimental effects of damming globally, such as landslides and rive obstruction. It was really interesting to hear that while the concern for potential changing landscapes of microclimates further along the river and ocean patterns might be disrupted, the primary environmental concerns surrounding hydropower facilities are displacement of wildlife and recreation. This highlights the noticeable difference between the mentality of Norwegians and Americans with respect to development and the environment.
Regardless, Norway holds over 50% of the hydropower capacity of Europe, provided up to 96% of the nation’s electricity. The reliability and consistency of hydropower are what have led to ideas about Norway becoming a green battery for Scandinavia and other nations. The intermittency of other renewable energy technologies, such as wind and solar, makes nations incapable of relying on them, reducing their affordability and feasibility. Additionally, the flexibility of hydropower, it’s tolerance of being used at different rates or not at all, is an extremely attractive aspect, especially in comparison to its main clean energy competitor in Europe, nuclear power, which can be extremely dangerous to turn on and off.
In order for the Green Battery to become a reality far more cables, above and below ground, will be needed to deliver exported power when the price of energy is high, while also allowing Norway to continue to import other renewable energies when they are more affordable. It was really interesting that this idea includes energy exchanges both from and into Norway.
Unfortunately, a very large hurdle that still must be overcome before any of Europe becomes entirely carbon neutral is the economic and social benefit of coal and fossil fuels. Conflicts arise surrounding carbon taxation and eradication of energy sources associated with emissions, as these technologies provide jobs and national stability. This was very interesting to consider because it engages another facet of global energy sharing that we hadn’t discussed at all yet, and led to the interconnectedness of international energy prices. The United States could potentially export more gas and oil, but this would inevitably raise gas prices globally. I really appreciated that Professor Forsund addressed the potential effects of this green battery on other nations around the world, even complications Germany is experiencing due to the turmoil in Ukraine, where the pipeline used to import gas from Russia passes through.
Overall, Norway as a green battery is a really interesting proposal that would require huge coordination between nations, super advanced investment in renewable technologies, and likely create large impacts on energy production and consumption in other areas of the world. This idea relates back to many of the class discussions we had this past semester about McKay’s book because a lot of the technologies he investigated as options were impossible in combination with one another. Alternatively the proposal for Norway as a green battery utilizes existing and future wind, solar, nuclear, and other European renewable energy resources in coordination with each other, employing many of them at once! Another way that this lecture reminded me of our class was the thought of constructing sprawling pipelines between nations, which we discussed when considering massive PV farms in northern Africa that would transport energy across not only continents but also oceans. The thorough information we received about Norway’s hydropower will serve as a great platform to build on as we go on to visit the wind farm in a few days!