The Future of Energy
The Future of Energy 2026
We would like to thank all the speakers, presenters, panelists, and moderators who contributed on stage, as well as our partners and all attendees for making this Oslo Science City Arena event a successful conference.
Information about presentations
The presentations are now available as PDFs. You can find them through the link of the speakers' titles presentation below.
Highlights from 2026
– The future is digital, but it is up to us to make it green
We have summarized some of the key highlights of the The Future of Energy conference 2026.
Frontiers of Energy: Sustainability and Digitalization, Research and Innovation
Join researchers, startups, industry leaders, public-sector stakeholders, and decision-makers in exploring how the green and digital transformation can work together to deliver tomorrow’s energy solutions.
With the theme “Frontiers of Energy” we highlight the research and innovations reshaping energy systems. It’s where experts and practitioners turn knowledge into action to build a more efficient, digitalized, and climate-friendly energy future.
The conference is held as an Oslo Science City Arena event in collaboration with leading knowledge and business partners. The University of Oslo is the organizer together with SINTEF, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), Oslo kommune, Handelsh?yskolen BI and Oslo Science city.
The Future of Energy isn’t just a conference — it’s a meeting place for the energy ecosystem of the future.
January 14, 2026: The Future of Energy is Green and Digital
09:00-10:45 Opening session: The Green and Digital Energy Transition
In this session we take stock of the energy transition in Norway and Europe. We also hear more about the government’s visions for the role of digitalization in the green and digital transition, as well as highlights from IEA's latest World Energy Outlook 2025.
Welcome and opening:
- Bj?rn Jamtveit, Pro-Rector, University of Oslo, Welcome speech
- Hallstein Bjercke, Vice Mayor for?Finance
- Karianne Tung, Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance
We will dive into the new AI centre TRUST – the Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI. First we will get short introductory talks by:
- Morten D?hlen,?Professor, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, "When Machines Think the Planet Shouldn't Pay"
- Patrick Blomquist,?Senior Advisor Data Science, Equinor, "Perspectives of Industrial AI"
Then a panel conversation moderated by Ruth Astrid S?ter, with:
- Karianne Tung, Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance
- Morten D?hlen,?Professor, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo
- Patrick Blomquist,?Senior Advisor Data Science, Equinor
Keynote by Davide D’Ambrosio, Power Sector Modeller and Lead Author of the World Energy Outlook, IEA, "Perspectives from the World Energy Outlook 2025"
The opening session is moderated by Ruth Astrid S?ter.
10:45-11:15 Break
11:15–12:30 Session 1: The Global Race for Energy Security and Resources
In this session we take a holistic view of supply security and value chains. How does geopolitics influence the energy transition, and what do the EU’s priorities — security, democracy, and competitiveness — mean in practice? Do we already have solutions to global challenges related to energy security and resources? It is time to rethink energy security.
Chair: Lars Huemer, Professor, Norwegian Business School (BI)
Introductory presentation by:
- Miranda Schreurs, Professor, Technical University of Munich, "European Energy and Climate Politics in Geopolitically Turbulent Times"
Presentations highlighting solutions to global challenges related to energy security and resources, with:
- Josefine Selj, Principal scientist, IFE, "Hybrid Solar for Resilient Systems: Improving Capture Rates and Security"
- Ole Reistad, Senior Principal Researcher at DNV and Associate professor at UiO, "Every Nation for Itself – Or Be Serious About Nuclear Power?"
- Lars Huemer, Professor, Norwegian Business School (BI), “From Competition to Cooperation: Rethinking Energy Security in the Global Resource Race”
12:30-13:15 Lunch break
13:15-14:55 Session 2: From Lab to Market – Scaling Innovation and Building Capacity
How can we move from promising research to solutions at scale? This session follows the journey from idea to impact and looks at what it really takes to bring research-based innovations into the market.
We start with cases that show how new technologies are developed, tested, and prepared for deployment. We then turn to energetic pitches from start-ups working on concrete solutions, before closing with a moderated conversation on lessons learned from scaling innovation.
Chair: Tine Uberg N?rland, Research Director, IFE, "Innovation performance relative to economic development"
Introductory presentation by:
- Tuukka M?kitie, Research Scientist, Sintef Digital, "From lab to impact - the innovation processes of upscaling".
Presentations from:
- ?yvind Blaker, Lead Researcher, NGI, "ProWind - Advancing multi-scale physical modelling and bespoke monitoring for offshore wind foundations"
- Atle Jensen, Professor, UiO, "Water wave experiments and applications"
Pitches from:
- Trygve Mongstad, CEO, Over Easy, "Over Easy Solar - A 5-years journey from prototype to 20000 square meters in 15 countries"
- Amalie Melsom, Head of Investor Relations & Strategy, Hystar, "Hystar - capturing market share as the new kid on the block"
- Martin Kirkengen, CTO, Cenate, "Cenate – finding a place in a global value chain"
The pitchers then take part in a panel discussion, where they share experiences and lessons learned from scaling innovation.
14:55-15:25 Break
15:25-16:30 Session 3: Local cutting-edge solutions for the future city
Cities play a crucial role for reaching our climate neutrality goals for 2050. While technological innovation is important, it is the integration of governance, planning, digital tools, and social engagement that can lead to meaningful progress. In this session we will hear from projects that combine infrastructure, behaviour, and governance, showcasing deployable city-level solutions for grids, buildings, transport and the future city.
Chair: Hicham Johra, Research Scientist, Sintef Community
Presentations from:
- Sabita Maharjan, Professor, UiO, "Energy Edge Intelligence for Sustainable Cities"
- Astrid Landstad, Climate and energy advisor, Oslo kommune, "Oslo: Energy transition towards a Zero emission transport"
- Kamilla Heimar Andersen, Research Scientist, Sintef Community, "From building data to city action: enabling smarter and greener cities with detailed building data”
16:30-17:00 Closing session with keynote
Announcement of the winner of the poster competition
- With Vebj?rn Bakken, Director, UiO:Energy and environment?
Closing keynote by Benjamin Sovacool,?Director of the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS) and Professor in the Department of Earth & Environment, "Critically reviewing smart home technology applications and energy digitalization trends in Europe"
The closing session is moderated by Ruth Astrid S?ter.
Meet the poster presenters
Maaike Oude Veldhuis: Going back to the roots – Embodied ways of food production at Kvitnes gard in Northern Norway
Maaike is a second-year master student in social anthropology at the University of Oslo, operating in the field of sustainability within anthropology. Her research is about multispecies life-worlds in times of climate change and changing landscapes, and specifically about food and what kind of energy is needed to grow food in post-capitalistic places of rural abandonment.
Abhijai Velluva: New generation catalysts for sustainable alkaline water electrolysis
?Abhijai Velluva is a second-year PhD student at the Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology (SMN) within the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oslo. His research focuses on electrochemistry, specifically the development of novel catalysts for electrochemical water splitting aimed at green hydrogen production. He has a keen interest in the renewable energy transition and is dedicated to developing innovative and efficient solutions to tackle challenges related to energy and the environment. Abhijai will be presenting a poster titled "New Generation Catalysts for Sustainable Alkaline Water Electrolysis" in the "Energy Transition and the Environment" section at the conference, The Future of Energy is Green and Digital.
Josef Hisanawi: Breaking the SMR Burnup Barrier: A Hybrid Fuel Cycle for Advanced Pebble Bed Reactors
Josef Hisanawi is a final-semester Master’s student in Nuclear Physics at the Institute of Physics, University of Oslo, conducting his thesis in collaboration with the Department of Nuclear Engineering at UC Berkeley. His research focuses on advanced reactor physics and fuel-cycle performance using high-fidelity neutronics and depletion simulations. This poster presents results on hybrid fuel operation in fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor concepts, emphasizing how transfer timing affects achievable burnup and overall fuel utilization.
Lutfullah Mucahit Dogdu: An Investigation of Self-Healing Polymer Coating on Silicon Nanoparticles
I am Lutfullah Mucahit Dogdu, a fourth year Bachelor’s student in Materials Science and Engineering at Gebze Technical University, Turkey. I am currently conducting my Erasmus+ internship at the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in Norway, within the Battery Department. My work is part of the Horizon Europe project SALAMANDER. The theme of my poster focuses on the methodology, material characterization, and electrochemical evaluation of polymer-coated silicon nanoparticle anodes for lithium-ion batteries. I present the solution-based polymer coating process applied to silicon nanoparticles and discuss how this approach influences material properties and electrochemical behavior.
Henrik Petlund: Stability and Selectivity of Pd-fixated UiO-67 Metal-Organic Framework (Pre)Catalysts During Gas-Phase Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction With Changing Relative Humidity
Henrik Petlund is a 4th year Ph.D Research Fellow currently working on gas-phase electrocatalytic CO? reduction in the research group for electrochemistry (ELKM) at the University of Oslo. He aims at developing novel and earth-abundant electrocatalysts and reactor designs, effectively converting CO? into value-added chemicals. In his poster presentation he shows how Pd-incorporated UiO-67 metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) perform as a precatalysts towards gas-phase electrocatalytic CO? reduction.
Tian Dai: Role of Dual-Redox Couples in Antiperovskite Li2FeSeO Cathodes
Tian Dai is a third year PhD research fellow at the Department of Chemistry and Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology. His interests are synthesis and advanced characterization of new electrode materials, and his current work is revolving around operando study of anti-perovskite (AP) cathode materials.
Polina Malinina: The Role of Flow-Based Market Coupling and Renewable Energy Integration in the Nordic Electricity Market
Polina Malinina holds a master’s in economics and is currently studying informatics at the University of Oslo. Her research interests include electricity market studies, and she presents a poster titled “The Role of Flow-Based Market Coupling in the Nordic Electricity Market”.
Rigas Karampasis: Tuvalu e-scapes: An Island Nation’s Digital Journey in the Face of Climate Change ?
Rigas Karampasis is an MPhil graduate in Social Anthropology from the University of Oslo, where his studies and thesis research were supported by the Onassis Foundation. His work lies at the intersection of digital and environmental anthropology, focusing on climate change, sovereignty, migration, everyday life and the digitizing aspirations of Tuvalu amid rising sea levels. His poster, “Tuvalu e-scapes: An Island Nation’s Digital Journey in the Face of Climate Change,” directly presents the findings of his completed MPhil thesis, drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Tuvalu, Fiji, and Australia.
Muhammad Shahzad Javed: Land-based wind siting in Norway: biodiversity-energy trade-offs
Muhammad Shahzad Javed is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oslo. His research focuses on energy systems modeling with emphasis on integrating social and environmental considerations into clean energy transitions. His poster examines how different environmental priorities affect wind power siting and zero-carbon electricity system outcomes in Norway.
Naveen Ragu Ramalingam: The future of energy is green and digital – But is it safe from submarine landslides and the tsunamis they might trigger?
Naveen Ragu Ramalingam is a postdoctoral researcher in the People-Centred Tsunami Early Warning for the Indian Coastlines (PCTWIN) project, following the completion of his PhD in understanding and Managing Extremes at University School of Advanced Studies at Pavia, Italy. He is affiliated with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo and specialises in probabilistic hazard/risk assessment and ML emulation. His poster focuses on understanding and modelling submarine landslides and also their tsunami potential, with the aim of improving hazard and risk assessment for offshore energy systems and coastal regions under the cross cutting themes of “Energy transition and the environment” and “Digitalisation”.
Iris van Dort: From Polymer Films to Functional Electrodes: A Self-Healing Binder for Silicon Anodes
Iris van Dort is a Master student and temporary researcher at the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), continuing her research from her internship at IFE on self-healing polymers in silicon-based anodes for lithium-ion batteries.
18:00-19:30 Reception Oslo City Hall
The doors open at 17:20. The event starts promptly at 18:00 and ends at 19:30.
With contributions from:
- Marthe Scharning Lund, Deputy Chairman of the Finance Committee, City of Oslo
- Christine Wergeland S?rbye, CEO, Oslo Science City
Practical information
- Date: January 14, 2026
- Moderator: Ruth Astrid S?ther
- Time:
- Registration from 08:20-09:00.
- The conference starts 09:00 and ends at 17:00.
- Evening reception starts at 18:00, doors open from 17:20, and it ends at 19:30.
- Place:
- Conference sessions in Auditorium 1,?Georg Sverdrups hus, Campus Blindern
- Evening reception at?Oslo City Hall
- Organizers: UiO:Energy and Environment and Oslo Science City.
Contact
For questions about the conference, please contact Ingvild Budal Jacobsen i.b.jacobsen@energi.uio.no
The Future of Energy is Green and Digital is an Oslo Science City Arena event developed in partnership with
The Future of Energy is Green and Digital is supported by
