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CenSES annual report 2015
Dissemination
Exploiting global renewable energy growth – A CenSES report on opportunities and
challenges for internationalisation in the Norwegian offshore wind and solar energy
industries
Håkon Endresen Normann (left) & Jens Hanson.
In February 2015, researchers at theTIK Centre forTechnology,
Innovation and Culture (UiO) surveyed Norwegian firms
delivering products and services to the solar PV and offshore
wind power markets. Themotivation for executing the survey
was that these two industries represent large industrial
potential for Norwegian firms and high global growth in
deployment and investment levels. However, the growth
in these markets has occurred in international markets and
not domestically. The purpose of the survey was therefore to
investigate barriers and opportunities for internationalisation
by Norwegian firms in these industries.
Findings from the survey were published in a CenSES report
in December 2015. The report bases its responses from
151 solar PV and offshore wind firms, and it presents that
most firms are small, or have only minor activities in these
industries. Many of the firms have their main activities in
other industries, for instance oil and gas. Further, we found
that activities in these industries build on established and
closely related industries. More than half of the offshore wind
firms base their activities in offshore wind on experience
from the oil and gas industry, and about one-third of solar
PV firms base their activities in solar PV on experience from
industry and materials.
One key challenge identified from the survey is that firms
find it demanding to demonstrate products and services
without a home market. Three-quarters of the offshore wind
firms explained that it is challenging to internationalise
without a home market. It is particularly challenging to
compete without a home market for smaller firms. This might
represent a more fundamental barrier for the offshore wind
industry considering that many of the firms are rather small.
Nevertheless, around half of the firms reported a growth in
number of full-time equivalents dedicated to solar PV and
offshore wind over the past years. More than three-quarters
expected increased turnover from these industries in the
next three years.