Tidal energy represents a large energy potential and is a predictable and environmentally friendly energy source. Compact design and solid composite material provides low weight, low cost and easy installation. The system is inherently buoyant allowing the systems to be towed to site, submerged and easily installed. There are no moving parts in the turbine. The system is self regulating and operational over a large range of tidal stream velocities. The system also has limited environmental impact, with a slow moving turbine.
The minimal turbulence created by the Flumill systems and the lack of cavitation means that Flumill tidal parks can be far more concentrated than e.g. horizontal axis turbines.
A more concentrated park setup will first and foremost result in greater power outputs from smaller areas of seabed, in addition to reduced costs through reduced number of cable meters needed.
The Flumill system can operate in tidal streams as low as 1 m/s flow.
This information comes from the website of Flumill.
Norway Proves That Treating Prison Inmates As Human Beings Actually Works.
Bastoy is an open prison, a concept born in Finland during the 1930s and now part of the norm throughout Scandinavia, where prisoners can sometimes keep their jobs on the outside while serving time, commuting daily. Thirty percent of Norway’s prisons are open, and Bastoy, a notorious reformatory for boys converted in 1982 to a prison, is considered the crown jewel of them all.
A small yellow van driven by a smiling officer carried me to a cabin where I checked my phone in, the first thing that remotely suggested “prison.” Tom, the governor ― not warden or superintendent but governor ― looked like Kevin Costner. He offered me a cup of coffee, and we took a seat in his office, which, with its floral drapes, aloe plants and faintly perfumed, cinder scent, reminded me of a quaint bed-and-breakfast somewhere in New England.
“It doesn’t work. We only do it because we’re lazy,” Tom said flatly. He was talking about the traditional prison system, where he was stationed for 22 years before running this open prison. A fly buzzed loudly by the window as Tom went on.
“I started skeptical. That changed quickly. More prisons should be open ― almost all should be. We take as many as we can here, but there isn’t room for everyone.” Prisoners from around the country can apply to move to an open prison like Bastoy when they’re within three years of release. The island is home to about 115 men overseen by over 70 staff members, and there is a waiting list of about 30.
“There’s a perception that, ‘Oh, this is the lightweight prison; you just take the nice guys for the summer-camp prison.’ But in fact, no. Our guys are into, pardon my French, some heavy shit. Drugs and violence. And the truth is, some have been problematic in other prisons but then they come here, and we find them easy. We say, ‘Is that the same guy you called difficult?’ It’s really very simple: Treat people like dirt, and they will be dirt. Treat them like human beings, and they will act like human beings.”
The fleet of plug-in electric vehicles in Norway is the largest per capita in the world, with Oslo recognized as the EV capital of the world.
As of July 2016, the market concentration was 21.5 registered plug-in cars per 1,000 people, 14.2 times higher than the U.S., the world’s largest country market. Norway’s fleet of electric cars is one of the cleanest in the world because 98% of the electricity generated in the country comes from hydropower. In March 2014, Norway became the first country where over one in every 100 passenger cars on the roads is a plug-in electric, and the segment’s market penetration passed 3% in December 2015.
The stock of light-duty plug-in electric vehicles registered in Norway totaled 121,330 units at the end of September 2016, making the country the fourth largest plug-in market in the world after the U.S., China and Japan. As of September 2016, the Norwegian fleet of plug-in electric vehicles consist of 92,813 all-electric passenger cars, 26,225 plug-in hybrids, and 2,292 all-electric vans. The total stock includes more than 14,000 used imported electric cars from neighboring countries. The Norwegian plug-in electric vehicle market share of new car sales has been the highest in the world for several years, reaching 22.4% in 2015, up from 13.8% in 2014. The highest-ever monthly market share for plug-in electric segment was achieved in March 2016 with one in three passenger cars registered being a plug-in electric car (33.5%). Registrations of light-duty plug-in electric vehicles in Norway passed the 100,000 unit milestone in April 2016. Norway is the largest European market for both the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model S.
Among the existing government incentives, all-electric cars and vans are exempt in Norway from all non-recurring vehicle fees, including purchase taxes, and 25% VAT on purchase, together making electric car purchase price competitive with conventional cars. Also, the government approved a tax reduction for plug-in hybrids in effect starting in July 2013.
CMR Prototech is planning to install hydrogen fuel cells on the Osterøy car ferry “MF Ole Bull”, operating between Valestrand and Breistein just outside Bergen. The ferry will be the first car ferry in Norway to use hydrogen as fuel. The aim of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of hydrogen and fuel cells for marine electric propulsion, and to test hybrid operation together with Li-ion batteries. One of the ferry’s two diesel engines will be replaced by an electric motor powered by 200 kW commercially available PEM fuel cells combined with 100 kWh batteries.
This information comes from the website of Christian Michelsen Research.
Siemens has supplied the propulsion system for the world’s first electric fishing boat. The solution saves fuel, reduces maintenance costs, and is broadly applicable.
A new fishing cutter called the Karoline has been developed by boat builder Selfa Arctic AS. The boat’s main propulsion system is an electric motor that gets its energy from a set of batteries. When the boat is in port at night, its batteries are recharged with electricity from the local grid. As a precautionary measure, the boat is also equipped with an efficient diesel engine and an electric generator. This combined propulsion system was jointly developed by Siemens and Selfa. Siemens supplied the propulsion technology, including the electric motor, the batteries, the generator, and the control unit for the entire system.
Karoline’s home port is Tromsø in Norway, where the boat has been going out to sea since early October. Fishermen find it less strenuous to work on the Karoline than on conventional boasts, because the electric motor doesn’t produce exhaust gases, vibrations, and the noise associated with diesel engines.
Electric boats are especially advantageous in Norway, because the country generates its electricity exclusively from renewable sources, thus emitting no greenhouse gases. Norway’s fishing fleet could cut its fuel consumption by 80 percent if all of its boats were fitted with electric motors. The amount of fuel involved is considerable, given that the fishing fleet currently consumes about 400 million liters of diesel per year. This would go a long way toward achieving the Norwegian government’s goal of cutting the country’s CO2 emissions by 40 percent.
Big savings
Fishing cutters can be in operation for up to 12 hours per day. But most work days last only about eight hours and the Karoline’s batteries are powerful enough to cover this. However, if the batteries’ charge level drops below a certain value, the cutter’s diesel engine and generator, each of which has 60 kilowatt (kW) of output, automatically kick in to produce power for the electric propulsion system.
A landmark building in Bergen, and a world class hub for innovation and science for the media industry and the University of Bergen.
In September 2017 TV2, NRK, Vizrt, The University of Bergen (Dept. of Information Science and Media Studies), Bergens Tidende and Bergensavisen will co-locate under the same roof in Lars Hillesgt in the city centre of Bergen. Media City Bergen™, encompassing more than 45,000 square meters, will be the workplace for 1200 people within the media industry.
MCB will launch the world’s most exciting media lab for cutting edge innovation and research, with a special focus on media technology. MCB will host as well a greenhouse for entrepreneurship and business development. Also several other media technology companies working in a variety of fields – from 3D, animation, games, film and music, to mobile, app development, drones and sensor technology – will call MCB home. The effect? A hub for launching new worldclass media companies and driving job creation throughout the region.
Media City Bergen™ will not be a traditional office building. With a massive digital screen on the wall outside, and the open and welcoming atrium inside, this will be a vibrant meeting place – not only for the industry but for the people of Bergen. A variety of events will be held here – from live broadcasts, debates and interviews to student pitches. The building will also house restaurants and coffee bars, also open to all visitors.
Entra, one of Norway’s leading real estate companies and an Industry leader in developing and managing energy efficient buildings, is building Media City Bergen™. The architects are MAD arkitekter. Together they are creating a landmark building that stands out as an icon in the city as well as in the global media landscape.
Media City Bergen™ will be a resource not just for those who work inside its walls but MCB will also serve as a science park for the media cluster at large – at last count, consisting of over 80 members. Together MCB and the cluster will serve as a leading international hub for media and technology innovation.
This information comes from the website of Bergen Media City.
The world’s first large all-electric car ferry started operating in january 2015 and is a 100 % battery driven catamaran in aluminium. The 80-meter long vessel can carry 120 cars and 360 passengers across the Sognefjord between Lavik and Oppedal in southwest Norway. Crossing time is 20 minutes. Time at port is 10 minutes, time which will be used to fully charge the 1 MWh lithium-polymer battery pack on board.
From the News section of Fjellstrand website:
SEATRADE AWARDS for Ampere 2015
Ampere, the world’s first large fully electric vessel, has received the Seatrade Clean Shipping award for 2015. Owned and operated by Norled and designed and constructed by Fjellstrand, the DNV GL classed car ferry is a fully battery driven catamaran made of aluminium. Innovative not only in its propulsion system but in its highly efficient hull design the 80 metre long vessel is able to carry 120 cars and 350 passengers across the Sognefjord .
The award was accepted by Sigvald Breivik, Technical Director of Norled, on behalf of the project partners. “Norled are proud to be the first ferry operator to operate the world’s first zero emission ferry,” he said.
“We are honoured to have been part of the Ampere project and to have received this award,” said Narve Mjøs, Director Battery Services & Projects at DNV GL – Maritime. “This has been a very exciting project to work on and we were very pleased that we could help to realise the vision of Norled and Fjellstrand. Vessels such as the Ampere demonstrate how the industry can use existing technologies to improve its impact on the environment, while at the same time maintaining economic operations.” DNV GL has developed several tools to help the spread of battery and electric, such as tentative class rules for battery power, a guideline for large maritime battery systems, a new tool for qualifying battery related systems, a battery ready service (technical, economic and environmental performance analyses), battery sizing and optimisation tools and an introduction course to maritime battery systems.
This is not the first time the industry has celebrated the Ampere. During the SMM global shipping exhibition in Hamburg, the Norwegian shipping magazine ‘Skipsrevyen’ gave the annual ‘Ship of the year 2014’ award to the Ampere’s owners, designers and yard.
This information comes from the website of Fjellstrand.
This project is the largest of its kind in Norway. The development consists of about 700 new dwellings, a kindergarten, and some commercial buildings, and is located at Ådland, near the Bergen airport.
The project design has focused on several interrelated topics such as minimizing energy use, effective production of local, systems, design for solar access and noise minimization, and exchange of energy between the buildings, with the local energy central, with the grid, and with transportation (electromobility).
The knowledge gained from the planning process has contributed to the general understanding of zero emission neighborhoods as something very different and much more complex than a single zero emission house.
The planning of Zero Village Bergen has also led to several scientific reports and press coverage about zero emissions and inspired several public funded research initiatives with local partners in Bergen such as BKK (Bergen Utility Company), Christian Michelsen Research, The Norwegian State Housing Bank, Bergen University College, UNI Research in Bergen, etc. The realization of Zero Village Bergen will be very important in the work towards a zero emission society.
This information comes from the website of ZEB Center.
