Page 64 - European Energy Innovation - Summer 2014
P. 64
Summer 2014 European Energy Innovation
NORWAY
Maintaining the edge:
Energy Innovation in Norway
By Terje Lien Aasland, MP, Vice Chair of the Norwegian Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment
Acombination of
abundance of natural
resources, political will
and innovation has
made Norway a key player in the
European energy sector. Entering
the 19th century as one of Europe’s
poorest countries, the Norwegian
turnaround is closely linked to
energy and industrial innovation.
The successful and innovative
development of the Norwegian
energy sector was the result of
long term planning, both from
industry and policymakers. We
need to apply the same long
term, rational and innovation
oriented approach to the great
challenges we face in the climate
crisis. New reports from the
International Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) underline the
dramatic seriousness of ongoing
climate change and global
warming. The urgency of finding
smarter and more climate
friendly ways of generating and
consuming energy makes climate
change the major challenge
facing our generation of policy
and decision makers.
LONG TERM THINKING
NEEDED
The long term political thinking
underpinning the energy sector
growth in Norway is based on
a few key objectives: Firstly, the
energy resources (both fossil and
renewable) belong to the people,
and the people should get its
fair share of the revenues from
the harvesting of such resources.
Secondly, Norwegian actors in
the energy sector should take
part in the competence building
related to energy. This has been
a success. Accordingly, regarding
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
NORWAY
Maintaining the edge:
Energy Innovation in Norway
By Terje Lien Aasland, MP, Vice Chair of the Norwegian Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment
Acombination of
abundance of natural
resources, political will
and innovation has
made Norway a key player in the
European energy sector. Entering
the 19th century as one of Europe’s
poorest countries, the Norwegian
turnaround is closely linked to
energy and industrial innovation.
The successful and innovative
development of the Norwegian
energy sector was the result of
long term planning, both from
industry and policymakers. We
need to apply the same long
term, rational and innovation
oriented approach to the great
challenges we face in the climate
crisis. New reports from the
International Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) underline the
dramatic seriousness of ongoing
climate change and global
warming. The urgency of finding
smarter and more climate
friendly ways of generating and
consuming energy makes climate
change the major challenge
facing our generation of policy
and decision makers.
LONG TERM THINKING
NEEDED
The long term political thinking
underpinning the energy sector
growth in Norway is based on
a few key objectives: Firstly, the
energy resources (both fossil and
renewable) belong to the people,
and the people should get its
fair share of the revenues from
the harvesting of such resources.
Secondly, Norwegian actors in
the energy sector should take
part in the competence building
related to energy. This has been
a success. Accordingly, regarding
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
