Exploring US and Norway renewable energy partnership

On September 14, Rosenberg hosted a delegation from the United States embarking on a four-day mission to explore renewable energy initiatives in Norway. Organized by Innovasjon Norway, the Offshore Wind seminar at Rosenberg in Stavanger was an engaging half-day event focusing on renewable energy, with a particular emphasis on offshore wind.

The seminar aimed to foster connections with Norwegian stakeholders, exploring avenues for collaboration and partnerships in the renewable energy sector, and served as a unique platform for knowledge sharing, networking, and exploring potential collaborations in the growing offshore wind energy sector on both sides of the Atlantic.

Participating entities from the Norwegian side included Energy Transition Norway, Rosenberg Worley AS, the University of Stavanger, IKM Ocean AS, NORCE and Innovation Norway.

The American delegation brought together representatives from a wide range of organizations:

1. Greentown Labs: Known as the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, Greentown Labs plays a vital role in nurturing innovative clean energy solutions.

2. Massachusetts Clean Energy Council (MassCEC): A quasi-state economic development agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy sector in Massachusetts.

3. Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA): This office oversees various state agencies and initiatives related to energy and environmental concerns, with a strong focus on sustainability.

4. New Bedford Ocean Cluster: Comprising three nonprofit organizations, this cluster aims to leverage New Bedford, Massachusetts' strategic coastal position and extensive ocean economy and knowledge base to attract investment and support maritime businesses while promoting sustainable ocean resource utilization.

5. National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC): A is a public-private partnership committed to advancing offshore wind technology in the United States through research projects and responsible development.

6. New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYC EDC) which is instrumental in driving the growth of equitable, sustainable neighborhoods to diversify the city's economy.

7. Offshore Wind Innovation Hub, which leverages the New York City hub to foster growth in the US offshore wind industry, harnessing the entrepreneurial capabilities of startups and the local community.

The seminar featured a dynamic program designed to provide valuable insights into the offshore wind industry and its potential for collaboration between Norwegian and American stakeholders:

Knut Høiland of Rosenberg and Muk Chen Ong from the University of Stavanger opened the meeting, before Sam Jung, Vice President of Renewable Energy Industry Development at NYC Economic Development Corporation, presented an update on New York's renewable energy initiatives, including insights into the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Egil Aanestad, Managing Director of Energy Transition Norway, introduced the delegation to the members, activities and industrial energy projects of the Norwegian energy transition cluster.

Bruce K. Carlisle, Managing Director of Offshore Wind at Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, provided updates on the offshore wind industry in Massachusetts, including information on the IRA, before Knut Høiland and Torgeir Olsen, Business Specialists at Rosenberg Worley AS, shared the historical journey of Rosenberg and its strategic initiatives for the future.

Per Nystrøm, Technical Director at IKM Ocean AS, discussed offshore wind activities within the IKM Group before Atle Blomgren, Senior Research Scientist at NORCE, highlighted the ImpactWind project which aimes at streamlining permitting processes on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

Finally, Muk Chen Ong, professor and leader of the Ocean Technology Innovation Cluster Stavanger (OTICS) at the University of Stavanger, delved into different offshore wind concepts, engineering challenges, and software development.