The excursion led us around the Stavanger/Sola area on May 25-26. Representatives from Stavanger Development and Storhaug Unlimited began by introducing us to initiatives and issues related to strengthening future sustainable urban development and citizen wellbeing around the city, while a peak into the Vindmøllebakken sustainable collective offered us an example of how future housing could look. We continued to Felleskjøpet, where representatives discussed with us potential options for re-use of waste heat from the heavy industry process, in relation to the Positive Energy District vision.
We ended the day with a lively discussion moderated by rector Klaus Mohn, UiS. Representatives from Storhaug Unlimited, Pådriv Stavanger, Nordic Edge, Klimapartnere Rogaland, Rogaland County, as well as school board member Professor Per Gunnar Røe, UiO, offered insightful and engaging perspectives on future urban and regional development in the Stavanger region.
On day two, we left the city centre to explore introductions of new technologies at Forus Industrial Park, Atea, Avinor, and Risavika harbour, to increase levels of self-sufficiency and energy efficiency while reducing carbon emissions. The day ended with presentations from Lnett and Norseagruppen on energy assessments and renewable industrial development in the region. A keynote by Dr. Timothy Moss (Humboldt University) unfolded the idea of past proofing energy futures by mobilising usable infrastructures of the past to ground speculative futures. Professor Harriet Thomson (University of Birmingham) concluded the week with an interactive keynote on inclusive energy futures, and exercises of collective reflections on the many inputs we had been introduced to.
The excursion offered great insights into not only the plurality of actors engaged locally and regionally, but also the many ways they are initiating new projects to translate global ambitions for a sustainable future into the local context. In my work, I examine framings of yet-to-come energy technologies, so it was inspiring to see concrete and established projects along with the planned ones.
In addition, it was encouraging to see how aspects of justice and broader understandings of citizen wellbeing make up the foundation for a good part of the projects. The hands-on presentations by local stakeholders offered a good balance to the keynotes that left me reflecting upon how desirable sustainable futures were presented, how they could look, and how the infrastructures and experiences of the past ought to be mobilised in anchoring speculative futures.