It is important to limit the global average rise in temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels if the planet is to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Our work with innovative and sustainable solutions to replace less eco-friendly systems, and with emissions-reducing solutions, is making a direct contribution to the achievement of this goal.

SINTEF Energy Research is working to promote smart cities and low-emission transport solutions that will contribute to more sustainable cities with more resilient infrastructures.

SINTEF Energy Research is working to develop energy solutions that safeguard the natural world. We have accumulated extensive experience in this field in connection with our hydropower projects.

When the TINE dairy planned to cut its energy requirements and greenhouse gas emissions at its new plant in Bergen, it sought the help of the HighEFF (FME) centre, which conducts research into industrial energy efficiency. In collaboration with TINE, the HighEFF centre identified heat pump technology that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and energy requirements by 40%, equivalent to the annual values of these parameters for 250 households. The heat pump used in the dairy is manufactured by the company Hybrid Energi AS, which is also a partner in the HighEFF centre.

What is the optimal way of integrating batteries into the electricity grid? The aim of the three-year research project IntegER, funded by the Research Council of Norway, is to identify how to reap the benefit of experience obtained during demo projects carried out on plants operated by project owner Skagerak Nett and the other major grid companies participating in the project. These partners are: Agder Energi, Lyse, NTE, BKK Nett, Eidsiva Nett, Hafslund Nett, Helgelandskraft, Energi Norge, Smartgridsenteret (the Smart Grid Centre) and the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE). The project tests a variety of battery concepts across Norway. One of these is a 1 MWh battery installed at the Odd football stadium, owned by Skagerak Energi. In another example, organisations such as the Flakk-Rørvik ferry company and Orkla City are having batteries installed.

GoNorth is a three-year programme dedicated to the exploration of the Arctic Ocean. The programme assembles 13 educational and research centres from all over Norway and is led by Gunnar Sand from SINTEF. It was motivated by the decision taken in 2009 by the UN's Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to award Norway additional shelf waters north of Svalbard in an area about which we know little. In the start-up phase, the government is providing funding for the organisation of a multidisciplinary research collaboration. In the future, the ambition is to organise scientific cruises together with global partners. Current project partners include the universities of Tromsø, Bergen and Oslo, as well as NTNU, the University Centre in Svalbard, Akvaplan-Niva, the Norwegian Geological Survey, the Nansen Centre, NORCE, NORSAR, NUPI, and the Norwegian Polar Institute.

The main objective of NCCS is to apply industry- and research-driven innovation to bring about the rapid implementation of carbon capture, transport and storage (CCS) technologies. NCCS also aims to ensure that Norway remains a global leader in the field of CCS and will contribute towards achieving the large- scale storage of CO₂ in North Sea reservoirs.

Research carried out at CINELDI into future smart energy systems facilitates the feeding of greater volumes of renewable energy into the electricity supply grid, the electrification of transport, and the more efficient use of energy both in private households and by industry.