Line Rydså
Leader RA5 Society- Name
- Line Rydså
- Title
- Leader RA5 Society
- Organization
Society RA5
Society RA5 studied societal, organisational and political aspects of energy efficiency research. The research area has also included Novel Emerging and Innovative concept projects, providing funding for thirteen projects in total.
Final results
Improved understanding of energy efficiency
politics, rhetoric, and practices We conducted a wide range of research and dissemination activities on societal and organisational aspects of energy efficiency. Many of our discoveries relate to individual and organisational factors influencing both the collaboration process and the innovation outcomes. For instance, we examined how proximity and mutual commitment between firms and university partners contribute to establish a successful collaboration in research centres.
We also studied how the activities of individual firm representatives and centre managers (boundary spanners), at various stages of a research centre, might enable knowledge integration and innovation. Through a close collaboration between NTNU Social Research and Nord University, we studied how research scientists and companies collaborate within HighEFF to develop and implement radical energy efficiency innovations.
We found that the interplay between collaboration dynamics in the research centre and organisational factors can help explain why certain innovations are implemented, while others are not. By studying successful innovation projects (IPN), we also identified that university-industry collaboration can generate significant additionality effects for firms over time. Furthermore, we edited the Handbook on Innovation for a Circular Economy, offering guidance on how companies can manage the transition to a circular economy, and prepared an industry handbook on sharing surplus energy and resources. Additional outputs include multiple publications in international research journals, podcast episodes, two PhD theses, book chapters, and follow-up projects that extend HighEFF’s research themes into new domains.
In summary, our research has provided important insight to firms and research partners, about how to participate in research centres, how to manage outcomes; and to policymakers, about how such engagement should be funded and structured to reach the goals of generating new knowledge and industrial innovations.
This research area was also responsible for communications activities within the Centre.
Novel Emerging Concepts
A total of 7 NEC (Novel Emerging Concepts) and 6 NEIC (Novel Emerging and Innovative Concepts) were financed by HighEFF.
The purpose of Novel Emerging Concepts (NEC) and Novel Emerging and Innovative Concepts (NEIC) was to support research and invocations not covered by ongoing HighEFF activities. The NEC initiative was replaced by the NEIC in 2022 to increase the focus even more on innovative projects. Both NEC and NEIC projects were funded in the range of 1 MNOK with a project period of up to 1 year.
Both internal and external evaluators participated in the committee responsible for deciding which initiatives to finance. The internal committee comprised three members: Petter Nekså, Jens Olgard Dalseth Røyrvik, and Arne Petter Ratvik. The external committee had two members at any given time, with membership varying over the years. Initially, Nancy Jorun Holt served, followed by Trond Erik Jentoftsen (Hydro). Rune Holmen was later succeeded by Anita Fossdal, who was then succeeded by Arve Solheim (ENOVA).
NEC – Novel Emerging Concepts
BUSMOD – Organising shared resources and alternative business models
Catharina Lindheim
Efficient methods to utilise surplus energy across companies are usually not a sufficient incentive to establish such agreements. BUSMOD focused on mapping experiences and new ideas for elements to be included in agreements, including alternative business models. Developed models included not only the resource exchange, but also other elementssuch as lease of land and exchange of knowledge and expertise. The intention was to broaden the perspective on what such a business model might include, thereby making the deals more appealing. The project explored cases and possibilities that were summarised in a handbook.
CETES – Cost-efficient thermal energy storage for increased utilisation of renewable energy in industrial steam production
Hanne Kauko
Fluctuations in renewable energy sources is expected in decarbonised energy systems. A cost-optimal storage for high-temperature applications such as industrial steam supply can have a significant impact on costs. Enabling technologies include thermal energy storage combined with power-to-heat technologies, facilitating a shift of energy demands to period with lower electricity prices. The technologies considered in CETES focused on different storage systems such as latent heat thermal energy, steam accumulator (Ruths steam), molten salt and sensible concrete.
Due to their individual advantages and disadvantages, the applicability of these storage technologies strongly depends on process requirements. Mathematical programming and simplified transient simulations were used to demonstrated different scenarios for energy prices, i.e., various types of renewable energy and varying heat demand. The work demonstrated that heat load-specific costs must not be neglected when it comes to cost-optimal storage methods for high-temperature applications since heat load requirements usually have a significant impact on heat transfer.
HighEx Design for additive manufacturing of novel heat exchangers
Trond Andresen
This project focused on improving and optimising heat exchangers using advanced material processing methods such as additive manufacturing (AM). This approach enabled new opportunities for optimal design and the integration of advanced technologies. The AM approach was used to validate a workflow exploring these benefits. A powder bed laser fusion (PBLF) metal processing method for heat exchanger manufacturing was established and used to produce and verify heat exchangers in aluminium.
Intercur – Integrated energy systems for industrial clusters
Hanne Kauko
Industrial parks have potentials for utilisation of surplus heat and by-products. Mo Industrial Park (MIP) was considered for still having an untapped potential for utilisation of surplus heat and by-products. The main objective of this project was to explore the potential of an integrated system at Mo. The current processes and energy flows were used to study the potential of including hydrogen and biocarbon production as well as carbon capture on-site. The thermal energy demands and surplus flows were analysed with the objective of obtaining an energy-efficient utilisation and production of steam and cooling water. New business opportunities regarding the utilisation of surplus heat or other by-products such as biogas, CO-rich gas and CO₂ were also investigated.
NECast – Next generation casting process for the ferroalloy industry
Vidar Skjervold
NECast focused on the casting process in ferrosilicon production, a stage characterised by significant energy consumption. Although most of the energy is bound chemically in the molten metal, approximately 5 % of thermal energy is lost to the ambient surroundings as the ferrosilicon is cooled. NECast demonstrated the viability of an energy recovery system integrated in a novel casting process with improved dust abatement, product quality and HSE. The results from the system simulation case indicated that solidification under a heat recovery device or even inside a heat recovery tunnel takes only slightly longer than the baseline without heat recovery. Moreover, even a simple and open heat recovery configuration can recover 60 % of the total heat content initially available, and more than 75 % recovery was assumed feasible with a closed tunnel. A simple control strategy appeared quite effective in mitigating the most aggressive temperature spikes in the system. A potential annual energy saving with the NECast concept implemented in all ferroalloy smelters in Norway was estimated at around 120 GWh, assuming electricity is generated from the heat. This corresponds to a reduction by 1.5 % of the total electricity consumed annually. If the collected energy is directly used as heat, the potential savings increase to about 400 GWh.
DigiHP – Towards digitalisation of heat pump dryers by using ML and IoT for optimal operation
Cansu Birgen
DigiHP focused on developing a data-based, machine learning model to predict the Coefficient Of Performance (COP) of a Heat Pump Unit (HPU) using independent variables as predictors for optimal operation. The aim was to optimise energy efficiency and provide a case for the application of digitalisation tools. The ZEB (zero-emission building) laboratory was used for the case study. The Gaussian process regression (GPR) machine learning method was chosen as a robust method to capture nonlinear system dynamics and changing correlations between predictors and model output. The model’s predictors were outdoor temperature, solar radiation and building occupancy. The GPR model’s predictions of COP were found to align well with actual observations and were comparable with similar studies. This modelling approach proved suitable for calculating COP in advance using available environmental parameters, such as weather forecasts, which is particularly beneficial when sensor data is unavailable. Estimated COP can be utilised for process optimisation and control by altering algorithms and/or operating parameters for increased efficiency. In this way, machine learning methods can contribute to the digitalisation of industry by providing knowledge and insight in a real-life use case.
Biochar – Biochar from Seaweed for Metal Production
Samuel Senanu
This project focused on the initial exploration of the conversion of seaweed to biochar for metal production. The initial project was followed up by a NEIC project, which you can read about below.
Soctes – State of Charge in Thermal Energy Storage
Magnus Rotan
This project aimed to validate and implement highly innovative real-time state-of-charge monitoring and heat output control methods for Phase Change Materials in Thermal Energy Storage (PCM-TES), enabling optimal energy utilisation and reliable heat (or cold) supply. The project focused on using ultrasound SOC sensors combined with signal processing to monitor PCM-TES state of charge, and on developing a control algorithm based on reinforced learning. The methodology is well-suited for applications across different temperature ranges in the food industry.
ITChES – Exploring the potential of salt hydrates for large-scale thermal energy storage
Jorge Salgado Beceiro
Technologies for excess heat recovery and storage can contribute to a more energy-efficient industry. Water-sorption TCES (ThermoChemical Energy Storage) systems offer promising potential, although they are still at a low TRL. TCES may enable loss-free, long-term storage at room temperature with higher energy density. The ITChES project aimed to validate materials at the lab scale, focusing on compounds such as MgCl₂, to support future industrial adoption. Selected materials were studied for their ability to recover excess heat, through thermo-chemical analysis. HighEFF partners have been interested in TCES for its potential to enhance heat system flexibility and efficiency. Addressing just 10 % of Norway's yearly 20 TWh of industrial waste heat represents a significant market opportunity (€1.2 billion by 2030). The project’s overall objectives were to enable integration of renewable sources, utilisation of industrial excess heat, and optimisation of auxiliary equipment operation.
TES-AC – Piloting cold thermal energy storage for flexibility in supermarket refrigeration systems
Håkon Selvnes
A demonstration project at REMA 1000 Orkidéhøgda showcased the flexibility of cold thermal energy storage, targeting different capacities required in a supermarket throughout the seasons. The design drew on insights from lab tests conducted by HighEFF’s WP3.3 (PhD) and the ZEB building demonstrator heat storage, which used the same operating principles. For REMA 1000, the system demonstrated a capacity reduction of about 25 kW. An installed system could have the possibility to store the entire air conditioning load in advance for the coming day. Expected capacities 10 kW for freezing, 50 kW for chilling, and 25 kW for air conditioning.
PrintUP – 3D-printed solutions for commercial refrigeration and heat pumps: first lessons
Krzysztof Banasiak
This project aimed to enhance the capabilities of natural refrigerant-based heat pumps and refrigeration units through innovative additive manufacturing. A low-cost CO₂ ejector was tested in an industrial setting at SINTEF Energy Research. Additionally, a butane ejector for a heat pump was installed and tested at the Austrian Institute of Technology as a part of HighEFF activities in WP2.2 (for the ejector) and WP3.2 (for the entire system). The implementation of a two-phase CO₂ ejector design code was based on research conducted during an NTNU PhD project.
Biochar – Seaweed Biochar for Metal Production
Samuel Senanu
Using biochar-based coke in metal production can contribute to a reduced carbon footprint. The aim of this project was to evaluate seaweed-based biochar as an alternative source of biocarbon as it is presumed that seaweed will have a much quicker and larger production potential than traditional land-based biochar. It can also contribute to significant CO₂ capture. Several approaches were tested to get high quality pyrolyzed kelp. The main conclusion was that high temperature pyrolysis removed most salt components, except calcium and sulfur. Although the structural composition of the kelp remained largely unchanged, the formation and testing of pellets proved successful.
HighEffEC – Reducing the CO₂ emissions and decarbonisation cost of manganese production by integrating fuel-assisted solid oxide electrolysis cells in 2-stage oxide reduction
Gonzalo del Alamo
This project focused on using excess heat from industrial processes to preheat H₂O and CO₂ for hydrogen production via a solid oxide electrolytic cell (SOEC). This was combined with a fuel-assisted SOEC (FA-SOEC) which was a novel approach to improve efficiency. The main objectives were to verify this technology for integration in industrial processes, within both technical and economic frameworks. Two approaches were explored: one based on conversion of light hydrocarbons to hydrogen in the FA-SOEC for applications in hydrogen-based refinery processes, and one focused on integrating the technology into metal production using CO as reducing agent, producing CO₂ as a byproduct. Additionally, the FA-SOFC was investigated for converting CO₂ back into CO, using excess heat from industrial processes.
2023 Results
Innovation, barriers, and enablers
In 2023, HighEFF partner organisation NTNU Social Research (NTNU Samfunnsforskning AS) completed publications and synergistic project development activities building on previous HighEFF research. Particular attention was given to the recently completed (2022) PhD research by Jens Petter Johansen into the representational, political, and rhetorical dimensions of energy efficiency.
A journal article was published1, expanding on HighEFF work to critically analyse claims, contradictions, and paradoxes around digital infrastructure expansion. Another article on sustainability-as-managemental-technology, based on major work by Jens Røyrvik and the PhD thesis of Jens Petter Johansen, was submitted to an academic journal for review.
During the year, HighEFF partner organisation Nord University focused on research dissemination for policymakers, firms, research scientists, and the public through research-based presentations. One specific highlight was the participation at the DRUID 23 conference, which is one of the world’s premier academic conferences on innovation. At this event, Nord University presented novel research on how research centres strive to satisfy public sponsors in innovation activities. This research suggests that these centres employ various strategies to highlight the potential innovation outcomes they produce. Additionally, Nord University scientists presented research on how firms can achieve growth through effectual leadership over time. Another specific highlight related to research dissemination was a seminar titled “How to build a business-related research environment” organised by Nord University’s Centre for Business Development. The event featured a debate involving businesses, research scientists – including HighEFF’s Centre Manager, and Research Council of Norway representatives. The topic was policy initiatives to develop business-relevant research.
In late 2023, Nord University research scientists focused on cross-sectoral open innovation collaborations for circularity. For example, they explored the possibility of establishing tomato production based on waste resources from various industries in Northen Norway, and how actors from these industries could develop the project together, from the idea-generation phase to a viable business case. The findings show that the viable business case is dependent on a cross-sectoral collaboration where the actors involved perform multiple open innovation activities and where some of them can take the role of innovation champion throughout the collaboration.
This role can be played by multiple actors in the project and is contingent upon the experience and knowledge the actors have and can contribute with throughout the various stages of the collaboration. This research is now to be considered for a book chapter in a book on bio-circular economy and innovation development.
On the project development side, the new RCN-funded project Limits to digitalisation was launched to investigate the emerging data centre industry. The research looks at the industry’s efforts around circularity, which include ambitions for surplus heat reuse and symbiotic activities with other industry clusters around data centre sites. NTNU Social Research is involved in this project.
Novel Emerging and Innovative Concepts (NEIC)
Our internal funding scheme allows us to invest in ideas that are not covered by ongoing activities within HighEFF. The Novel Emerging and Innovative Concepts (NEIC) aims to foster new ideas and innovations through collaboration and research within HighEFF. The evaluation criteria and the HighEFF NEIC evaluation committee were set in 2021. The committee is composed of two members from the industry, one from a university and two from the R&D sector. One more member from R&D is invited as an observer.
The final call for Novel Emerging and Innovative Concepts (NEIC) was announced with a deadline for applications January 20, 2023. Six applications were received, of which three were funded:
1) PrintUp – Enhanced capability of natural refrigerant-based heat pumps and refrigeration units through innovative Additive Manufacturing (PrintUP)
This project encompasses both numerical simulations with a dedicated CFD simulation environment as well as experimental activities related to 3D-printing of ejector components and testing those components at SINTEF laboratory rigs. The aim of the project is to prove the concept of using additive manufacturing to further develop heat pumps. Since the energy efficiency of heat pumping installations (specifically high-temperature heat pumps of industrial capacity) remains their most important performance indicator, boosting their energy performance by using ejectors for expansion work recovery has gained a lot of interest from the industry in the last decade. Still, using traditional manufacturing technologies for industrial-size ejectors limits the potential benefits: 1) the geometry cannot be fully optimised due to technological and economic constraints, 2) integration with other components like heat exchangers or phase separators is challenging, when at all possible. For these reasons, the project aims at 1) mapping the potential hurdles in the implementation of 3D-printing to the ejector manufacturing process, and 2) delivering tangible test results of selected 3D-printed ejector geometries compared to the results obtained through traditional means. The effects of surface roughness after the 3D-printing and surface quality of complex shapes of the flow channel are the main points of interest in the project. The project is a cooperation between SINTEF Energy Research, SINTEF Industry and SINTEF Ocean.
2) HighEFFEC – Reduction of CO₂ emissions from industrial processes through integration of high-efficiency H₂O/CO₂ electrolysis
This project uses the so-called fuel-assisted solid oxide electrolytic cell (FA-SOEC) technology. The FA-SOEC is a new conceptual development of SOEC technology where combustible gases are introduced in the anode of the cell and react with the oxygen that diffuses from the electrolyte. The heat produced from this reaction is then used inside the cell to maintain high operational temperature in the electrolyte, reducing kinetic losses and thus the electric power consumption required for the electrolytic process. Excess heat from the industrial process is used, together with the hot gas produced at the anode, to heat-up the H₂O/CO₂ feed to the cathode. This reduces the overall electricity consumption of the cell. When the excess heat is in form of hot water (40–100°C) or steam (above 100°C), it can be used directly as an H₂O source to hydrolysis. The project is a collaboration between SINTEF Energy Research (project lead), the Department of Energy and Process Engineering at NTNU, and the metal processing group at SINTEF Industry.
3) Biochar from Seaweed for Metal Production
This project aims at investigating the utilisation potential of seaweed cultivated along the coastline of Norway for metal production, by answering research questions relating to 1) Producing biochar from seaweed with sufficient quality for the metal industry; 2) Using surplus heat for the biochar production; and 3) Investigating the potential for extracting critical elements in the seaweed. The project is executed through a cooperation between SINTEF Industry, SINTEF Ocean, SINTEF Energy Research, Elkem and Eramet.
Update on projects that have been granted before 2023, with ongoing activity in 2023:
1) SOCTES – Innovative State-of-charge and Output control of PCM-TES systems
This project outlines a new methodology based on ultrasound sensors for controlling thermal energy storage using phase change materials. The aim of the project was to validate and implement highly innovative real-time state-of-charge monitoring and heat output control methods for PCM-TES systems, enabling optimal energy utilisation and reliable heat (or cold) supply. Results from several measurements have shown that the concept could be realised into application. Further development is needed however, due to the complex relations between ultrasound recordings and state of charge determinations. The challenge lies in the difference in the behaviour of the phase change process when comparing solidification and melting of the TES media. Nevertheless, a patent application has been submitted and is pending. New projects have also been initiated in which the concept will be further developed. The project was conducted via a cooperation between SINTEF Energy Research and NTNU.
2) TES-AS – Monitoring and analysis of a pilot thermal energy storage (TES) unit to supply air conditioning (AC) in commercial refrigeration systems
This project aims to demonstrate that the TES technology developed at HighEFF can reduce the AC nominal capacity of a supermarket, increase the commercial refrigeration system stability, and improve the system's overall energy efficiency. Shifting the AC load to off-peak hours can result in valuable flexibility and cost savings for the system owner. The project is a cooperation between SINTEF Energy Research, the Department of Energy and Process Engineering at NTNU, and industry partner REMA 1000.
3) ITChES – Integration of ThermoChemical Energy Storage
The objective of this project was to analyse the performance potential of selected steam absorption TCES compounds to recover excess heat in the range of 50-300°C in a lab scale reactor. The project also aimed at providing a technoeconomic study for large-scale implementation of this method in industry processes. The work was done as a collaboration between SINTEF Industry and SINTEF Energy Research.
Dissemination and Communication
Efforts have been made on the communications front in 2023 to convey the Centre’s message on key topics such as excess heat, thermal energy storage and natural refrigerants. The Centre continued using its established channels (the website, the LinkedIn page, the webinars and the various workshops and seminars) to reach its objectives. Additionally, there was a concerted push to coordinate the writing of an EU whitepaper on energy efficiency. Work on this whitepaper started in the spring of 2023 and ended with its launch in early 2024. The document aims to provide recommendations to policymakers on how to best leverage energy efficiency to help facilitate the energy transition.
2022 Results
Innovation, barriers and enablers
We provided research-based knowledge on how industry and research partners manage to collaborate for the enhancement of knowledge and innovation. Through a close collaboration with NTNU Social Research and Nord University, we studied how researchers and companies collaborate in HighEFF and can attain jointly beneficial outcomes in open innovation projects. We discovered that partner alignment happens through practices that are influenced by structured coordination at the partnership level and mainly unstructured coordination at the project level, which led to a paper published in IEEE Transaction on Engineering Management. We also studied how company representatives are able to integrate knowledge developed in research centres into their organisation, and how this is done over different stages of the research centre. This led to a paper published in International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development.
To summarise, our research provides important insight to companies and research partners, about how to participate in research centres, and how to manage their outcomes; and to policymakers, about how such engagement should be funded and structured to reach the goals of generating new knowledge and industrial innovations. Furthermore, our research provides insights into political, organisational, and collaborative challenges for energy efficiency innovations and surplus heat exchanges.
A particular focus in 2022 was on dissemination of research from RA5 for industries, policy makers, researchers, and the general public outside of HighEFF through presentations as well as other means of communication such as workshops and podcast episodes. We also explored the changing rhetoric and politics of energy efficiency in the context of the emerging energy crisis in Europe, and how it potentially affects frame conditions for research and industries.
HighEFF PhD student Jens Petter Johansen defended his thesis "Energy efficiency-ing. How an energy efficient world is produced through practices, objects, rhetoric, and politics" in September of 2022. The thesis discusses the implications of moving from a technical understanding of energy efficiency as a measurement or technical quality, to denoting the work of a multitude of actors in developing and implementing technologies, how efficiency becomes represented in numbers and models, and how these are applied rhetorically and politically in the policy domain.
Novel Emerging and Innovative Concepts (NEIC)
Our internal funding scheme allows us to invest in ideas that are not covered by ongoing or enabled activities within HighEFF. The call is Novel Emerging and Innovative Concepts (NEIC) and is built upon the idea that new ideas and innovations are created through collaboration and research within HighEFF. The evaluation criteria and the HighEFF NEIC evaluation committee were set in 2021. The committee is composed of two members from the industry, one from a university and two from the R&D sector. One more member from R&D is invited as an observer.
Two calls for NEIC applications were published in 2022, one in January and one in September. In total, 11 project proposals were received by the two deadlines in 2022, and three projects were funded:
- Innovative State-of-charge and Output control of PCM-TES systems (SOCTES). The project outlines a new methodology based on ultrasound sensors for controlling thermal energy storage using phase change materials. The aim of the project is to validate and implement highly innovative real-time state-of-charge monitoring and heat output control methods for PCM-TES systems, enabling optimal energy utilisation and reliable heat (or cold) supply. The project is a cooperation between SINTEF Energy Research and NTNU.
- Monitoring and analysis of a pilot thermal energy storage (TES) unit to supply Air Conditioning (AC) in commercial refrigeration systems (TES-AC). The project aims to demonstrate TES technology developed at HighEFF to reduce the required installed capacity of supermarket refrigeration systems and improve energy efficiency. By shifting the AC load to off-peak hours, valuable flexibility and cost savings for the system owner
are provided. The project is a cooperation between SINTEF Energy Research, NTNU-EPT and industry partner REMA 1000. - Integration of ThermoChemical Energy Storage (ITChES). The objective of the project is to analyse the performance potential of selected steam absorption TCES compounds to recover excess heat in the range of 120-300°C in a lab scale reactor and provide a technoeconomic study for large-scale implementation in industry processes. The project is a cooperation between two SINTEF institutes: Industry and Energy Research.
Dissemination and communication
Higher focus on communication and dissemination for increased research and innovation impact have been the goal for the communications activities in 2022. The focus was to raise awareness of energy efficiency as a key for reaching the target of a maximum of 1.5 degrees of warming. How energy efficiency is part of the big picture is another key point, as well as paving the ground for further research and development of technology to help the industry be more energy efficient. The Centre used newsletters and social media channels such as LinkedIn, in addition to workshops and seminars, for these objectives. Our strategy ensures a widest possible outreach, involvement and cross-sectorial interaction with relevant industry and academia. The dissemination strategy is built up to maximise the use of existing physical meeting points and existing communication platforms and media channels, such as project partners' own communication channels.
2021 Results
Innovation, barriers and enablers
Through a close collaboration with NTNU Social Research and Nord University, we studied how researchers and companies collaborate in HighEFF to develop and implement radical energy efficiency innovations. We discovered that the interplay between collaboration dynamics in the research centre and organisational factors can help explain why such innovations are (or are not) implemented, which led to a paper published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
We provided research-based knowledge on how industry and research partners manage to collaborate for the enhancement of knowledge and innovation. More precisely, we examined how the activities of firm representatives and centre managers (boundary spanners) might enable knowledge integration between fi rms and research partners. We also examined the role of proximity between companies and university partners in establishing successful collaboration in a research centre and looked into additional effects from participating in university-industry collaboration that might be enhanced by companies over time. Moreover, we contributed with a edited Handbook on Innovation for a Circular Economy, providing knowledge on how companies can manage the circular economy transition. The handbook also includes a chapter on how surplus heat is valuated in local contexts based on the research in HighEFF.
To summarise, our research provides important insight to companies and research partners, about how to participate in research centres, and how to manage their outcomes; and to policymakers, about how such engagement should be funded and structured to reach the goals of generating new knowledge and industrial innovations. Furthermore, our research provides insights into political, organisational, and collaborative challenges for energy efficiency innovations and surplus heat exchanges.
HighEFF student Irina Isaeva defended her Thesis "Managing multiple goals in university-industry collaboration" in December where the purpose has been to survey the university-industry collaboration to achieve the common goals within an FME Centre.
Novel Emerging and Innovative Concepts (NEIC)
Our internal funding scheme allows us to invest in ideas that are not covered by ongoing or enabled activities within HighEFF The scope of the former Novel Emerging Concepts calls was further developed and extended during the autumn of 2021 to also include the innovation aspect. The new call is now Novel Emerging and Innovative Concepts (NEIC) and is built upon the idea that new ideas and innovations are created through collaboration and research in HighEFF. The evaluation criteria and the HighEFF NEIC evaluation committee was set in 2021 The project proposals will be evaluated by an internal group, in addition to two external evaluators from the industry.
Throughout 2021, the novel emerging concept (NEC) call was still valid, and we had one internal call. The result from this call was two applications Biochar from Seaweed for Metal Production received funding, focussing on the utilisation potential of sustainably farmed seaweed from the Norwegian coastline to produce biochar for metal production, and the possibility to use surplus heat from the industry in the processing of seaweed to applicable carbon products. The project is a cooperation between three SINTEF institutions: Industry, Ocean and Energy.
Dissemination and Communication
Our communication goals for 2021 have been to increase knowledge and awareness about energy efficiency in industry, through presenting its impact on sustainability and value creation, with increased use of the Centre's social media channels and newsletter. Focus on visibility of the overall project results and the work performed in HighEFF have been followed up in HighEFF’s communication strategy for 2021. Our strategy ensures widest possible outreach, involvement and cross-sectorial interaction with relevant industry and academia The dissemination strategy is built up to maximise the use of existing physical meeting points (seminars, centre workshops and RA meetings) and existing communication platforms and media channels, such as project partners' existing communication channels.
Results 2020
Innovation, barriers and enablers
Through a close collaboration between NTNU Social Research and Nord University, we studied how researchers and companies collaborate in HighEFF to develop and implement radical energy efficiency innovations. We discovered that the interplay between collaboration dynamics in the research center and organisational factors can help explain why such innovations are (or are not) implemented, which led to a paper currently in review for the journal of cleaner production.
We provided research-based knowledge on how industry- and research partners manage to collaborate for the enhancement of knowledge and innovation. More precisely, we examined how companies coordinate in a research centre in early stages to achieve long term innovation benefits and which internal and external activities company representatives (boundary spanners) might engage in at various stages of a research centre. We also examined the role of proximity between companies and university partners in establishing successful collaboration in a research centre and looked into additional effects from participating in university industry collaboration that might be enhanced by companies. Moreover, we contributed with knowledge on how companies can manage the circular economy transition by getting involved in open innovation.
To summarise, our research provides important insight to companies and research partners, about how to manage outcomes from university-industry collaboration; and to policymakers, about how such engagement should be funded and structured in order to reach goals of knowledge and innovation for environmental reasons.
Novel Emerging Concepts (NEC)
New ideas and innovations are created through collaboration and research in HighEFF. Our internal funding scheme allow us to invest in ideas that are not planned for or that need more investigation before we know if they are worth bringing further. In 2020, 6 applications were received through our third internal novel emerging concept (NEC) call. The NECast and INTERCUR project received funding this year: the former focussing on improving heat recovery from casting processes in the ferroalloy industry and the latter concentrating on the development of evaluation tools for integrated energy systems in industrial clusters to achieve new business opportunities for surplus energy use.
Dissemination and Communication
Our communication goals for 2020 have been to increase knowledge and awareness about energy efficiency in industry, through presenting its impact on sustainability and value creation, with increased use of social media and Newsletter.
Focus on visibility of the overall project results and the work performed in HighEFF have been followed up in HighEFF’s communication strategy for 2020. Our strategy ensures widest-possible outreach, involvement and cross-sectorial interaction with relevant industry and academia. The dissemination strategy is built up to maximise the use of existing physical meeting points (seminars, centre workshops and RA meetings) and existing communication platforms and media channels, such as project partners' existing communication channels.
2019 Results
Innovation, barriers and enablers
The realization of energy efficient clusters might be one of key factors in order to reach the goals in HighEFF. Barriers for such inter-organizational interaction of industrial rhythms imposes dependencies and uncertainties for the companies involved. A study based on case studies in three industry clusters in Norway looked into how formal and informal aspects of inter-organizational collaborations can add resilience to socio-technical-economic systems for energy exchange that face uncertainties to the flow of operations and the viability of the systems.
The research on how energy efficiency is used in media, for policies directed to mitigate climate change and competitiveness, and to answer the question: "what do we talk about when we talk about energy efficiency?" was performed to give us an overall status and a hint on the future communication on energy efficiency in the industry. Energy efficiency is often framed generically without explicit or implicit assumption about reduction in consumption. Producing goods and services that are useful for society in a more energy-efficient way can be a valuable contributor to reducing carbon emissions and cost, and impro- ving competitiveness. However, this two-fold benefit is only viable to the extent that it is coupled with absolute reductions and/or de-carbonization of energy production and use. These considerations are rarely addressed in the media discourse, and sometimes are not even the intention of the participating actors.
Novel Emerging Concepts (NEC)
Novel Emerging Concepts (NEC) is the HighEFF funding scheme for projects related to the HighEFF research and innovation objectives within emerging, energy efficient and cross-sectorial technologies. NEC is available for all industry partners. The goal of NEC is to make room for new ideas and to increase the innovation potential in HighEFF.
In 2019 HighEFF granted funding for two new NEC- projects; HighEx and CETES. HighEx researches how we can use additive manufacturing to develop and test novel heat exchanger concepts. If successful, the impact will be of high importance for the world´s energy footprint, since heat exchangers are crucial industrial components utilized in countless thermal processes in both industry and everyday life. New design, improved efficiency and performance can be the result when utilizing the design-freedom from artificial manufacturing.
CETES is developing a tool that allow us to consider complex trade-offs between energy savings and investment costs for energy storage, which can help the decision-makers in the industry to transition towards renewable-based steam production and, at the same time decrease their energy costs.
Dissemination and Communication
HighEFF's communication strategy for 2019 followed up the 2018 strategy on how the Centre will increase the visibility and knowledge among the partners and society, increasing the positive reputation of the Centre and how to improve the internal engagement within the Centre, to achieve the FME goals. The communication action plan was set up to meet the Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication (DEC) goals for the period by setting deadlines for the different activities.
During the annual HighEFF cross-sector workshop held in Trondheim in October 2019, communication staff from HighEFF partners gathered together with invited speakers. This successful event was designed to pinpoint the knowledge gained during HighEFF and make the Centre and its results more visible throughout the partner organisations.
For more details see the Communication chapter in the PDF-version at the bottom of the page.
2018 Results
Innovation, barriers and enablers
In addition to following up other initiated activities, the main objective of 2018 was to conduct data collections. In order to cover the wide range of topics framed by the label "society", the following collections was conducted:
- Document studies (in connection to both interviews and case studies), based on available, public documents and mainly used as contextual data for preparation and further analysis.
- A media discourse analysis on "industrial energy efficiency", an in-depth analysis (both coded and analyzed) covering 310 newspaper articles.
- A total of 47 interviews, involving both university partners, industry representatives, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Site visits involving tours of local industry sites and on-site interviews.
- Two main case studies have been identified and has been followed closely throughout the year.
- Two workshops within the HighEFF consortium have been conducted each involving 2-3 groups (5-10 participants in each group) of both industry and university partners, and two externally organized industry workshops in connection with one of the case studies.
- Two HighEFF seminars have been conducted including presentations from university and industry partners as well as plural discussions. On the basis of these data collections, we have increased our knowledge of, and published articles about such topics as,
a) how policies are legitimized and debated in the public, and who are the core actors in the public energy efficiency discourse,
b) new and innovative takes on barriers and drivers of energy efficiency,
c) the potential and challenges related to innovation in FME centers in general,
d) how energy efficiency works in different industrial clusters,
e) how contextual conditions affect business models for industrial clusters and for energy sharing in general, and
f) variability and resilience in industrial symbiosis for energy exchange.
Novel Emerging Concepts (NEC)
The first call for NEC was launched in February 2019. In total 6 applications were received covering a broad part of the scientific challenges in HighEFF. At the end, the project Organizing shared resources and alternative business models was given the opportunity to present the project ambitions and initiate the work. The allocation of funding through NEC will also continue in 2019 with some minor adjustments of the call regarding objectives and guidelines for the funding.
Dissemination and Communication
In 2018, the website was revised to comprise all necessary sections for an efficient communication of project results and the Centre as a whole. A goal was to improve the website to be more attractive for the HighEFF Consortium and the general public, e.g. by giving information on forthcoming workshops, seminars, project content and partners, relevant conferences and news using blogs and newsletters, in addition to actively disseminate all open results from ongoing research.
Dedicated dissemination events arranged by HighEFF was the Annual Consortium meeting in May and The Cross-Sector Workshop in October.
The Dissemination and Communication plan was updated in accordance with planned activities in 2018. We had 11 blog articles, 4 newsletters and 23 videos. This resulted in higher digital visibility for HighEFF. For more details – see the Communication-chapter in this annual report.
2017 Results
Innovation, barriers and enablers:
A first survey of innovation potential and cooperation relations in HighEFF has been conducted. This has included an literature review, interviews of researchers and industry representatives, and resulted in input to centre innovation structures and roadmaps, further management of industry/research collaboration and new cooperation arenas especially between RAs 4/5/6. We have also conducted case studies that include, among other things, document studies, interviews and industrial visits, which resulted in an article on the sociotechnical aspect of energy sharing in heterogeneous constellations. A case study on regulatory frameworks (such as emission trading) for industrial clusters that share CO-gas was also conducted, the results of which appear in an article in addition to a pentagon analysis of organizational dependencies in industrial clusters.
Novel Emerging Concepts (NEC):
Novel emerging concepts produced through cooperation between HighEFF partners and research assignment, will be actively looked for and handled. To build upon the innovation task force in the Centre, HighEFF has allocated 1.5 MNOK/year for funding of NECs related to the research and innovation objectives within the Centre. Evaluation procedures for spin-offs and novel emerging concepts have been developed and agreed on. The procedures for evaluation of the Concepts and execution and follow up on Concepts that have been granted support is prepared. In short, the report describes 5 stages for handling the Concepts; (1) The Call, (2) The Evaluation, (3) Plan and Budget Approval, (4) Concept Execution, and, (5) Post Project. First announcement will be in Q1 /2018.
Dissemination and Communication:
A first outline of the Dissemination and Communication plan is finished, and will be actively used and updated every year. The content is based on close cooperation with SINTEF ER's communication staff and RA5. The HighEFF Website is established (www.higheff.no) showing relevant news and upcoming events, in addition to HighEFF results. Dissemination standards and design, such as HighEFF logo, PP-template, deliverable template, are available. In total 13 blog articles and 4 newsletters (Highlights) were published during the first period of FME HighEFF. Our ambition is to increase these numbers even more in 2018.
Deliverables Society RA5
- A QUESTION OF POWER - The Politics of Kilowatt-Hours (pdf)
by Torgeir Kolstø Haavik, Jens Olgard Dalseth Røyrvik, Catharina Lindheim