SINTEF receives UN award for green leadership

Transcription

1 1 sur 5 04/01/ :10 SINTEF receives UN award for green leadership Published 14 December 2016 You are here: sintef.com / latest news / sintef receives un award for green leadership After winning first prize in a UN competition, SINTEF will be leading a project to promote solar-powered electric vessels in North Africa and the Middle East. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon handed over a cheque for 1 million US dollars to SINTEF CEO Alexandra Beech Gjørv, as visible proof that SINTEF has succeeded in winning an annual UN compe on held to iden fy innova ve solu ons to global energy challenges. (Photo: Johannes Berg, NTB Produc on)

2 2 sur 5 04/01/ :10 On Wednesday 14 December, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon handed over a cheque for 1 million US dollars to SINTEF CEO Alexandra Beech Gjørv. The cheque is visible proof that SINTEF has succeeded in winning an annual UN compe on held to iden fy innova ve solu ons to global energy challenges. The award is a grant offered to an individual, ins tu on or partnership based on past and current achievements in leadership and innova ve prac ces in advancing energy for sustainable development. The award was presented during a formal ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York. A total of 157 proposals competed in the contest which was organised by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Solar-powered vessels The theme of this year's grant is "Energy for Sustainable Transport". The SINTEF project "Solar Fuelled Electric Mari me Mobility" seeks to demonstrate the feasibility and the social, economic and environmental benefits of solar-fuelled electric boat transport in Tunisia and the wider region. The project will be headed by SINTEF, and project par cipants include the Tunisian Agency for Energy Conserva on and the country's most important technology educa on centre. Their goal is to convert a tradi onal Tunisian coastal vessel into a demo ship powered by a ba ery-driven electric engine. Charging at the quayside The hope is that a solar panel farm can be installed in the vessel's home region on the Tunisian coast. Using the electricity grid, the solar panels will supply the vessel with en rely green electricity when it moors at the quayside. Probably Africa's first "As far as we know, provided that the solar panels are installed, our demo vessel will be the first in Africa to be powered by solar energy", says Project Manager and SINTEF researcher Moez Jomâa, who was born and raised in Tunisia. During the next six months, the project par cipants will iden fy a vessel suited to be their demo ship, in collabora on with Tunisian authori es. According to project leader Jomâa, the converted demo vessel will be anything from a car ferry to a fishing vessel. Technology for a be er society SINTEF CEO Alexandra Bech Gjørv is very pleased and proud to receive the UN award. "We are extremely honoured to receive this grant from the United Na ons,

3 3 sur 5 04/01/ :10 rewarding SINTEF for leadership and innova ve prac ses in energy for sustainable development. Our vision is 'Technology for a be er society', and it is essen al to develop new and innova ve energy solu ons to succeed", said Alexandra Bech Gjorv, CEO of SINTEF, at the award ceremony. She added that the project in Tunisia combines many of SINTEF's research areas, like marine technology, solar energy, power systems and future transport systems. Foreign Minister Børge Brende said: "This is not only a great recogni on of one of Norway's most important technological research ins tutes. It is also an important contribu on to resolving the environmental challenges facing the world." No carbon copy from the West Norway is a pioneer in the electrifica on of marine transport. The world's first ba ery-driven car ferry is currently in service across Sogne ord. SINTEF has assisted industrial customers in the analysis and development of electrically powered vessel propulsion equipment, and is currently conduc ng research into the op misa on of mari me ba ery systems. This knowledge will be applied as part of the Tunisian project. However, Moez Jomâa emphasises that copying systems developed in more affluent parts of the world is not an op on in the Norwegian-Tunisian demo project. "The technology we will be demonstra ng will be adapted to the economies of medium-income countries", he says. Documenta on The par cipants will also be documen ng the environmental and financial impact of the project. "We'll also be dissemina ng the know-how we develop from this project to other countries, namely the sun-rich countries of North Africa and the Middle East", says Moez Jomâa. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the award ceremony that the transport sector is responsible for nearly a quarter of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. "The answer is not less transport it is sustainable transport. We need transport systems that are environmentally friendly, efficient, affordable, and accessible," he said. Acceptance speech, United Na ons, December

4 POWERING THE FUTURE WE WANT, award ceremony Alexandra Bech Gjørv, CEO SINTEF Contact person Petter Haugan Vice President, Corporate Communications SINTEF PROJECT IN TUNISIA, SUPPORTED BY THE UN Name: Solar Fuelled Electric Mari me Mobility in Tunisia and MENA* (*MENA = the Middle East and North Africa) Dura on: Three years Budget: USD 1 million Project par cipants: - SINTEF (Norway) - Tunisian Agency for Energy Conserva on (ANME, Tunisia) - Regional Environmental Center (Hungary) - European Center for Women and Technology ( Norway) - Ecole Na onale d'ingénieurs de Tunis (Tunisia) Project leader: Moez Jomâa More informa on about the $1 million 2016 Energy Grant from the United Na ons Department of Economic and Social Affair h ps://poweringthefuture.un.org/ Acceptance speech, United Na ons, December POWERING THE FUTURE WE WANT, award ceremony Alexandra Bech Gjørv, CEO SINTEF 4 sur 5 04/01/ :10

5 5 sur 5 04/01/ :10