Sustainable Wind Development

Developing tools and insights for sustainable development of wind energy to create a successful export industry, reduce cost and uncertainty, and resolve environmental and societal conflicts.

Work Package 5 is led by Rita V. D’Oliveira Bouman from NTNU and Roel May from NINA. Its focus areas are value chains, environmental impact and public engagement.

Anticipated results:

  • Circular value chain design
  • Nature-inclusive wind energy development
  • New forms of citizen participation
Rita V. D'Oliveira Bouman
Roel May

Hypothesis

Circularity, public engagement, and environmental design support sustainable energy transitions.

Methodology and research tasks

The role of Norwegian wind in the sustainable energy transition

Develop pathways examining the role of Norwegian WE to realize a low-cost, low-emission European energy supply by 2050. Investigate how industrial international circular value chains can be developed to support scaling from tens to hundreds of GW. Assess regulations, contracts and business models.

Environmental impacts and options for environmental design

Assess multiple-stressor impacts of marine operations, quantify the ecological footprint of development, develop best regulatory practices and (international) Standards for (strategic) Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA).

Public engagement, participation, and controversy

Explore the institutional, industrial, legal, and material underpinnings of energy citizenship related to wind power. Investigate existing and developing new forms of wind power governance, planning and implementation processes, advancing principles of responsible research and innovation (RRI).

Innovations

Main results from 2022

The role of Norwegian wind in the sustainable energy transition

  • PhD candidate working on “Circular business development of offshore wind energy”➔ Pankaj Ravindra Gode.
  • PhD candidate working on “Harnessing Norwegian maritime industrial capabilities in the emerging US offshore wind industry” ➔ Julian Lahuerta
  • A preliminary SDG impact analysis (poster presented at the Annual Innovation forum), combined qualitative literature and quantitative global value chain analysis
  • Started developing a quantitative innovation-diffusion model, that relates cost and technology learning data of the different components of an offshore wind farm, with the diffusion/uptake of wind offshore. Here, we have the theoretical model implemented with some (partly dummy) data. In 2023, we’ll collect information from industry.
  • Outlined a qualitative SDG-interlinkage study: presented at the Annual Innovation forum, where we started recruiting experts for the focus group activities for 2023.

Public engagement, participation and controversy

  • PhD candidate working on “The framing of Norwegian wind energy futures – the cases of Svalbard and Sørlige Nordsjø II” ➔ Birgitte Nygaard
  • Workshop with FME NTRANS on the Norwegian wind power controversy
Compilation of the interface of ConSite Wind.
ConSite Wind: Consensus-based siting analysis toolbox for onshore wind energy development.

Environmental impacts and options for environmental design

  • Above-water impacts: The work in 2022 was linked to design and preparations for applying for a permit from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority for year-round tracking of gulls (GPS precision, harness-mounted equipment), as well as the processing of tracking data of kittiwakes from Skudeneshavn/Karmøy.
  • Below-water impacts: A literature review of reef effects for Scandinavia has been performed and is currently being finalised in a report. NINA has established collaboration with the Institute of Marine Research for taking eDNA samples at the Hywind Tampen area before construction starts; this will be followed up on in the coming years through the spin-off project WindSys.
  • Onshore impacts: The AviSite LCA-mapping application has been developed, and is currently undergoing internal testing.
  • Mitigation options: SINTEF performed a review of existing technology for bird detection and systems to prevent bird collisions. This has been published in a report “Review of technology for bird detection and collision prevention“.
  • Integrated siting tool: The ConSite tool has been established in a new cloud repository in NINA’s Google Enterprise. So far, further development of the ConSite Wind web app includes additional maps, preference weights and new functionality to support a traffic light planning approach. The beta version now operational. Development of the Online data catalogue is in progress.
  • Two PhD candidates were hired in 2022 that will focus their work on “Improved legal framework for impact assessment of wind parks” and “Life-cycle options for ecological restoration: construction to decommission”, respectively.

Publications

  • Journal paper: Afewerki, S. and Karlsen, A., 2022. Policy mixes for just sustainable development in regions specialized in carbon-intensive industries: the case of two Norwegian petro-maritime regions. European Planning Studies, 30(11), pp.2273-2292.
  • Book chapter: Banet, C., 2022. Energy Planning Legal Requirements and Offshore Wind in Norway. In Fleming, Ruven; de Graaf, Kars; Hancher, Leigh & Woerdman, Edwin (Ed.), A Force of Energy – Essays in Energy Law in Honour of Professor Martha Roggenkamp. University of Groningen Press. ISSN 9789403429533. p. 191–203.
  • Report: Garcia Rosa, P.: Review of technology for bird detection and collision prevention.

Previous results

The role of (Norwegian) wind in the sustainable energy transition

  • PhD candidate working on “Circular business development
    of offshore wind energy”.
  • PhD candidate working on “Harnessing Norwegian maritime industrial capabilities in the emerging US offshore wind industry”.

 

Environmental impacts and options for environmental design

Multiscale wind modelling:

  • Above-water impacts: In 2021, work has been done on the design and preparations for applying for a permit from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority for year-round tracking of gulls (GPS precision, harness-mounted equipment).
  • Below-water impacts: A literature search process for a review of reef effects for Scandinavia has commenced. NINA has established collaboration with IMR for taking eDNA samples at the Hywind Tampen area before construction starts; this will be followed up on in the coming years.
  • Onshore impacts: The proposed AviSite LCA-mapping application has been presented at the Innovation Forum in 2021. The actual development will be done
    in 2022.
  • Integrated siting tool: In 2021, the initial planning of the app design and system environment was done. A new cloud repository was established in NINA’s Google Enterprise. The mapping of relevant map layers and configuration of workflows will be done in 2022.

 

Public engagement, participation and controversy

  • PhD candidate working on “The framing of Norwegian wind energy futures – the cases of Svalbard and Sørlige Nordsjø II”.
  • Workshop with FME NTRANS on the Norwegian wind power controversy.

 

Publications

  • Journal paper: Afewerke, S. & Karlsen, A. (2021). Policy mixes for just sustainable development in regions specialised in carbon-intensive industries: the case of two Norwegian petro-maritime regions. European Planning Studies 2021.
  • Book chapter: Banet, C.: Energy planning legal requirements and offshore wind in Norway.

 

Example of online interface of the AviSite application
AviSite: Online application for assessing life cycle impacts on avian diversity for siting of offshore wind farms.