Associate professors Laura Tolnov Clausen and Mikaela Vasstrøm at UiA have previously carried out several studies on wind power in Norway and abroad.
They have also carried out preliminary studies on the challenges and opportunities linked to the regional offshore wind deployment in Agder. Among other things, they have examined what the different stakeholders think about the consequences of offshore wind development (Norwegian only).
They will now receive NOK 12 million in funding from the Research Council of Norway for a four-year research project.
Research partners are the University of Oslo, the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Edinburgh.
Together they will explore challenges and opportunities for fair energy in regional transitions with relation to the deployment and operation of offshore wind farms.
Developing new policies
The social scientists believe that the development of new policies is just as important as technological innovation in order to succeed with offshore wind.
“A key challenge is how benefits and burdens are to be distributed between the developers, regional stakeholders and the local population. All parties should benefit from the development of offshore wind,” says Clausen.
She will lead the research project WINDREG - Offshore wind and regional futures: challenges and opportunities for energy justice in regional transitions.
Clausen and Vasstrøm will conduct further research into how large-scale offshore wind development can affect local and regional development and will use the Agder region as an example.
27 projects receive funding
UiA's social research on wind power is one of 27 projects to receive support from the Research Council to research environment-friendly energy.
A total of NOK 300 million has been allocated to research. Five of the 27 projects concern wind energy.
“The projects will contribute to the use of new environment-friendly energy and make us better able to meet the challenges that the energy transition entails for our society,” says Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland in a press release from the Research Council.