Energy & Petroleum - Resources & Environment

 Energy is one of six thematic strategic areas established by NTNU in 2000. The objective was to organize multidisciplinary research and education that handle complex problems and challenges facing society, which may only be solved by multidisciplinary teamwork.

Energy was a natural choice, because energy is essential for the life of people. We are entirely dependent on energy to secure essential human needs like food, clothing, housing, transportation, health, recreation etc. We know now that we have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a minimum during this century. In the same period billions of new citizens will join the "global dinner table". Providing sufficient clean energy to ensure a peaceful and sustainable society for everybody is one of the largest challenges facing society today.

By the application of the "teamwork strategy" NTNU and our research partner SINTEF have been able to increase our energy related research activity substantially since the start-up in 2000. Today there are more than 1200 people in NTNU-SINTEF working to bring forward new knowledge, new technology and new solutions to realize our common vision:

Sufficient and clean energy for a sustainable and peaceful society

The "Energy Team" includes around 200 professors and 500 PhD students and postdocs working with basic research. In addition we educate 300 to 400 candidates to the energy sector every year. These highly qualified candidates bring with them the newest knowledge and skills, which they will utilize to solve problems and create new solutions for the society.

EPRE consists as per today (2011) of six goal-oriented multi-disciplinary research centres (NTNU-SINTEF) and three strategic initiatives

• Centre for Energy and Society
• Centre for Sustainable Buildings
• Centre for Electric Energy and Energy Systems
• Centre for Renewable Energy (with IFE as partner)
• Gas Technology Centre
• Petroleum Centre for Better Resource Utilization

Strategic Initiatives:
• CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS)
• Hydrogen Technology
• Industrial Ecology

Centres for Environment-friendly Energy Research (FME)

As a result of the Energy 21 strategy and the Climate Agreement Norway's investment in "environment-friendly energy research" has increased substantially. In 2009 the Research Council of Norway awarded eight new "Centres for Environment-friendly Energy Research" (FME). NTNU and SINTEF are heavily involved in six of these:

• BIGCCS - International CCS Research Centre
• Centre for Environmental Design of Renewable Energy (CEDREN)
• Bioenergy Innovation Centre (CenBio)
• Norwegian Research Centre for Offshore Wind Technology (NOWITECH)
• The Norwegian Research Centre for Solar Cell Technology
• The Research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings – ZEB

In addition the following centre was awarded FME-status in 2011:
• Centre for Sustainable Energy Strategies (CenSES)

Research teams within EPRE also participate in the following national Centres for Research Based Innovation (CRI):

• Center for Integrated Operations in the Petroleum Industry
• The Multiphase Flow Assurance Centre (FACE)
• Innovative Natural Gas Processes and Products

Departments

The main faculties and departments within the field of Energy and Environment are:

Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology

• Department of Energy and Process Engineering
• Department of Petroleum Engineering and Applied Geophysics
• Department of Marine Technology
• Department of Geology and Mineral Resources Engineering
• Department of Civil and Transport Engineering
• Industrial Ecology Programme

Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology

• Department of Chemistry
• Department of Chemical Engineering
• Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Faculty of Information Technology, Mathematics and Electrical Engineering

• Department of Electric Power Engineering

Faculty of Architecture and Fine Art

• Department of Architectural Design, History and Technology

Faculty of Humanities

• Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture

Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management

• Department of Sociology and Political Science

Study programmes

The following study programs (http://www.ntnu.edu/studies/allstudies) educate candidates to the energy sector:

• Energy and Environment
• Architecture
• Building and environment
• Petroleum Engineering
• Industrial design
• Industrial ICT
• Chemistry and biotechnlogy
• Marine technology
• Material technology
• Product development and manufacturing
• Engineering cybernetics
• Industrial economy
• Social science and humanities
• Interdisciplinary studies of culture
• Sociology and political science

Energy and Society
Marianne Ryghaug

Sustainable buildings
Øyvind Aschehoug

Electric Energy and System Analysis
Olav Bjarte Fosso

Renewable Energy
Gabriella Tranell

Gas Technology Centre
Hilde Venvik

Petroleum and Resource Utilization
Jon Kleppe

CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS)
Olav Bolland

Hydrogen technology
Hilde Venvik

Industrial Ecology
Edgar Hertwich

Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering
Ånund Killingtveit