Mundus Nordic Green News – 11 December, 2020

Nordic Council releases two new reports on the climate transition

The Nordic Council, a forum for exchanging political and socio-economic ideas in the Nordics released two new reports. The first, “Optimising the impact of Nordic climate policies”, assesses the effect of domestic policies on Nordic emissions and also the degree to which they will affect emissions in other countries. This policy brief provides recommendations on how the Nordic countries can optimise the overall impact of their climate policies. The second, presents the results of an analysis of the links between the green transition and social sustainability in the Nordic countries. The analysis examines what a socially sustainable green transition means in practice, and makes a number of recommendations to the Nordic countries.

 

Electric truck-manufacturer Volta Trucks receives its first large order

The Swedish-British startup-company, Volta Trucks has received its first large order, with French company Petit Forestier placing an order for one thousand electric trucks to be delivered by 2022. Volta Trucks has previously secured orders from large actors such as Swedish post service Bring and the Norwegian post service. However, Petit Forestier's order is by far the largest to date. "We are overwhelmed and thrilled. We believe this to be the biggest deal ever for electric vehicles within Europe," says Rob Fowler, CEO of Volta Trucks. As Paris has placed a ban on diesel trucks in the inner city by 2024, the young company has targeted the French capital as one of its main future markets among London, which expects similar regulations. "Regulations for diesel vehicles in Paris and London are approaching at a high pace. Obviously, those cities are where we see the biggest demand from our customers," Fowler says further.

 

NOK 120 million for NorthWind, a new research center for environmentally friendly energy

The Research Council has decided to invest NOK 120 million over 8 years in a new research center for environmentally friendly energy. Research in NorthWind will ensure that the environmental impacts are minimized. The centre will also engage in a knowledge-based debate on wind energy development, where all perspectives on wind energy are highlighted. The concept is that the new center will help to create export opportunities for Norwegian business and industry and ensure that the environmental impacts from future wind power development are minimized. SINTEF, NTNU, the University of Oslo (UiO), the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and the Norwegian Institute for Natural History (NINA) are all partners in the centre.

 

Orsted and Amazon ink Europe’s largest PPA for offshore wind

Amazon has entered into a ten-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Ørsted, for 250 MW of the total capacity from Ørsted's planned offshore wind farm Borkum Riffgrund 3 in Germany. This PPA will contribute to Amazon's goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030 as part of the company's goal of being CO2 neutral by 2040.

 

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