Renewable energy transition was in both policy and research for many years about nurturing and analyzing the emergence of particular new sustainable technologies. With falling cost, rising performance and growing competitiveness and mass diffusion of key renewable energy technologies the energy transition is changing in character such that reliable and cost-efficient ‘system integration’ of these technologies become the key issue.
However, despite progress in leading renewable energy technologies, there is little overall progress in terms of reducing the world’s CO2 emissions and the world’s carbon budget for staying below 2 degrees warming is soon exhausted. This has led to calls for greatly accelerating decarbonization and energy transition processes. Decarbonization via electrification based on renewable electricity is a key strategy; particularly in Norway. At the same time, Norway is well-positioned to export renewable balancing power to support Europe’s energy transition via enhanced interconnector capacity. In fact, electrification and export initiatives may even compete for resources and legitimacy.
These three issues—renewables integration, electrification, and electricity export—put the role of grid transformation at center stage in the energy transition. The INGRID research project has produced research on the social-technical dynamics of power grid transformation by studying key actors, technologies, policies, and regulation. At this seminar, we wish to share key insights from the project with a view to understanding current and future challenges Norway faces in further decarbonization via electrification.
Purpose
- InGRID team shares key insights from the research project with broader audience
- Actors from public and private sectors share insights on lessons learned from electrification so far regarding the role of power grid transformation
- Together identify key challenges related to further electrification and the role of power grid transformation to inform future research and policy
Program
Part 1 (45 minutes):
InGRID insights
- Introduction, Allan Dahl Andersen, Assoc. Professor, TIK, UiO
- Next phase of the energy transition: A Norwegian perspective. Jochen Markard, ETH Zurich
- Insights on power grid transformation and implications for electrification, Allan Dahl Andersen, Assoc. Professor, TIK, UiO
- The politics of building interconnectors, Erlend Hermansen, CICERO
- Questions
Break, 15 minutes
Part 2 (60 minutes), Norwegian/English:
Stakeholder panel on experiences with and challenges for grid transformation and electrification in Norway
Panelists:
- Statens Vegvesen
- Energi Norge
- Elbilforeningen
- ENOVA
- ZERO
- BKK
Background
The background for the seminar is the end of one research project, InGRID (Integration of Power Transmission Grids), and the beginning of a new research project, PATHWAYS (Conflicting Transition Pathways for Deep Decarbonization). Both projects are funded by the EnergiX program, Research Council of Norway. The InGRID project has studied the role of power grid transformation in renewable energy transition with attention to integration of renewables, pace and scope of grid transformation, and the role of actor capabilities, policies and regulation. The PATHWAYS project will investigate technological, social, institutional and economic aspects of ‘deep decarbonization’, i.e. decarbonization beyond the power sector where renewable electrification is one important option. With this seminar, we aim to use insights from the InGRID project to start the PATHWAYS project under the title “The role of power grid transformation in decarbonization via electrification”. The InGRID project was affiliated with FME CENSES and PATHWAYS is affiliated with FME NTRANS.
The seminar will be open to the public and announced broadly in TIK’s and UiO’s networks.