UiO:Energy has defined four main research areas across the university. These are based on societal needs, solid research environments, and external funding opportunities.
Energy Transition and Sustainable Societies
To accelerate the transition to a low-carbon society, we need new knowledge about the societal, political and judicial aspects of such a shift.
Carbon Capture and Storage
An improvement of such technologies will reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.
Energy Systems
To balance the multitude of new energy sources such as wind and solar, as well as new producers of electricity, we need a new energy system.
Materials for Energy
We need new materials for a more efficient and sustainable use of energy.
Centres for Environment-friendly Energy Research (FME)
The Centres for Environment-friendly Energy Research (FME) carry out long-term research targeted towards renewable energy, energy efficiency, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and social sciences aspects of energy research. Research activities are carried out in close collaboration between research groups, trade and industry, and public administration, and key tasks include international cooperation and researcher training.
Mobility Zero Emission Systems – MoZEES
MoZEES focuses on the development of new battery and hydrogen materials, systems, and future applications to be used within the transport sector (roads, tracks and at sea).
- Hosted by the Institute for Energy Technology with Øystein Ulleberg as Centre Director
- Participants from UiO include the Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology and UiO:Energy
Research Centre for Sustainable Solar Cell Technology – SuSolTech
SuSoltech does research on how to develop the world´s most environmentally friendly and effective solar cells.
- Hosted by the Institute for Energy Technology with Erik Marstein as Centre Director
- Participants from UiO include the Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology and the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture
Norwegian CCS Research Centre – NCCS
NCCS is a national and international partnership for carbon capture and storage (CCS). It consists of operators, suppliers, and reserachers who work towards full-scale CCS projects and for the North Sea to become Europe´s CO2 depot.
- Hosted by SINTEF Energy Research with Mona Jacobsen Mølnvik as Centre Director
- Participants from UiO include the Department of Geosciences and the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law
Norwegian Centre for Energy Transition Strategies - NTRANS
NTRANS does research on the development of environmentally friendly energy from a social sciences perspective, focusing on interaction between technology and society.
- Hosted by NTNU with Asgeir Tomasgard as Centre Director
- Participants from UiO include the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture
Include
Include is working to provide knowledge on how we can create a socially just low-emission society through inclusive processes and close collaboration between academia and the public, private and voluntary sectors.
- Hosted by the University of Oslo with Tanja Winther as Centre Director.
- The Centre for Development and the Environment at UiO is hosting Include, and three other institutes at UiO are involved: the Department of Sociology and Human Geography, the Department of Education, and the Department of Political Science
Norwegian Research Centre on Wind Energy - NorthWind
NorthWind will bring forward outstanding research and innovation to create jobs and grow exports, as well as facilitating for the sustainable development of wind power.
- Hosted by SINTEF with John Olav Tande as Centre Director
- Participants from UiO include the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law
Convergence Environments
UiO:Energy Convergence Environments are large and interdisciplinary research projects funded by UiO:Energy. They are to strengthen collaboration across the university, and contribute to increased coordination and synergy between researchers and relevant external stakeholders within the field of sustainable energy and the energy transition.
Duration: Pilot projects 2021-2025
EMPOWER
The project EMPOWER aims at answering the overarching research question: how can batteries used in mobility empower the transition to a net-zero energy system in Norway?
Privacy-preserving Transactive Energy Management - PriTEM
The main objective of PriTEM is to design distributed and trust enhancing mechanisms for realising optimised approaches for transactive energy management – which entails privacy preservation and secure data sharing for decentralised energy trade for the smart and sustainable energy systems of the future.
Thematic Research Groups (TRG)
UiO: Energy is funding three thematic research groups related to the development of sustainable energy systems and a sustainable society. The research groups will also contribute to the further development of an interdisciplinary culture and collaborations between UiO researchers, and to external collaborations both nationally and internationally.
Spatial-Temporal Uncertainty in Energy Systems - SPATUS
The research group SPATUS studies how we can model uncertainty in renewable energy production. Wind, clouds and temperature vary randomly through time and space, and SPATUS will look at mathematical models that can capture and describe this uncertainty.
Climate Change and Energy Transition in the Middle East - GreenMENA
GreenMENA studies the human and social factors in energy transition in the Middle East and North Africa. Which factors influence ordinary people’s perceptions of, and support for, a green shift in the MENA region?
Circular Energy for a Sustainable Circular Economy
The research groups aims to contribute to new knowledge about social and legal aspects of sustainable energy solutions in relation to the expanding role of digital products and services in our economy. The research group will explore digitalisation in the context of the shift to a circular economy, with a particular focus on design, maintenance, and repair as energy conservation strategies and the regulation of products for sustainability.