A Energylab for developing local expertise about the green transition
About this good practice
The platform addresses two core challenges around energy transitions in rural Norway. First, access to relevant lab facilities for renewable energy research and teaching. Second, to stimulate new collaboration across established networks and learning arenas. This involves new patterns of interaction between involved actors, development of shared goals and materialisation of this collaboration towards an energy lab that serves as a learning arena for students and industries in the region. The learning arena provides equipment for research and teaching in the field of rural energy transitions, and it is a physical arena for networking, knowledge sharing, and joint collaboration between public and private actors.
The core of this initiative is that the collaboration networks and ambitions of several actors in the local community have been identified, synthesized, and addressed towards the development of the Energy Lab. The practices involved in the establishment of this lab have served as important groundwork for further work on developing a localized STEM ecosystem supporting energy transitions in the local community. This involves research and teaching on renewable energy, new project collaborations among involved actors, and to further stimulate public-private cooperation around energy and, particularly, H2.
Main stakeholders: Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), Sognekraft, Holen Installasjon, municipalities of Sogndal, Vik and Luster and Sogn Næring.
Resources needed
The energylab is managed by HVL, in collaboration with Sogn Næring, the regional actor for business development. The lab was established with financing from local banks, local business and internal resources from HVL and Sogn Næring and local electricians. The total budget is NOK 1 600 000.
Evidence of success
The initiative is considered a good practice because the Energy Lab is an example of how a new collaboration has materialised into physical facilities that are beneficial for further expanding the local and regional work towards energy transitions. The lab has been used to teach 41 students from Teacher Education and Bachelor in Renewable Energy. The energylab is used to facilitate education across different faculties at HVL. The lab har also been used to teach 80 highschool students (age 16.18)
Potential for learning or transfer
This novel platform is of interest for other regions as it exemplifies how new actor constellations, networking activities, and facilitation of joint ambitions towards a physical test/learning arena can be achieved. This forms the basis for further local/regional development within the field, and, hence, the practice exemplifies strategies for localized action towards rural energy transitions. Central aspects of this work will be of interest to other actors/regions, particularly through showcasing how to network across established collaborations towards achieving aims of localized energy transitions. Furthermore, the set-up of the Lab and the equipment that has been purchased is of interest to similar initiatives elsewhere, as the equipment in the Energy Lab has been carefully selected to cater for teaching, research, and R&D-industry collaborations.
Further information
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Good practice owner
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