COP21: Wind farms at sea along the Norwegian coast

COP21 is the annual UN conference on climate and climate change. This year’s COP meeting is in Paris from 30th November to 11th December. COP brings together leaders from around the world to achieve a legally binding agreement on the climate, with the aim to keeping global warming below 2°C. SINTEF’s Executive Vice President Sustainability, Nils Røkke will attend COP21 from 7th to 10th December. In three COP21 mini-blogs – we will present three climate technology cases where Norway has a lot to offer: Storing carbon dioxide under the North Sea, Norway as Europe’s battery and wind farms at sea along the Norwegian coast.

What: Offshore wind is a technology that will be crucial in reaching the 2-degree C climate target.

Global climate benefits: Wind power produces no greenhouse gas emissions and requires just a few months to produce as much energy as was needed to create it. 

Is the technology ready? Offshore wind power is already being installed now at a large scale in the North Sea, especially by the UK and Germany. China, Japan, South Korea, USA and others have also ambitious programmes. Wind resources are evenly distributed between rich and poor countries, and wind energy is already in use in many developing countries.

Why offshore wind is important for Norway:

• Norway has some of the world’s foremost research and industrial players in the field.
• We have access to a long coastline that offers very large offshore wind energy resources.
• Our hydro-based power system has the ability to store energy in the form of reservoirs and fits perfectly with wind power.
• Europe needs more renewable energy, and Norway can use renewable energy for green industrial development, transport and the electrification of society.
• By focusing on offshore wind as a climate initiative, Norway will help to reduce emissions and create jobs in Norway.