Join us in nominating Bærum’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2025!
Award ceremony from Årets Gründer 2024
Nominate your candidate for Bærum’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and help shine a spotlight on those building the business landscape of tomorrow.
Energy Valley is part of the jury for “Årets gründer i Bærum 2025” (Entrepreneur of the Year 2025) for Bærum Næringsråd and we’d like your input. Do you have any candidates in mind for nomination?
The prize, which will be presented on 20 November, is awarded to companies that stand out for their innovation, drive, and commitment to sustainability. It honours entrepreneurs who have established themselves in Bærum within the past five years. Entrepreneurs are hardworking and courageous individuals with a product or idea they believe in—contributing to innovation and value creation.
If you know someone who deserves to be celebrated, we’d love to hear from you as soon as possible. Please send all nominations to Vibeke Østlyngenno later than 27 October (so we have time to pass those nominations on!)
To learn more about the criteria, take a look at the article (in Norwegian) on Bærum Næringsråd’s website.
The event was focused on “Hydrogen: From ambition to reality” and was aimed at expanding professional networks within the hydrogen space as well as building on NEW members’ understanding of the green hydrogen opportunities and challenges, technology, and value chain.
CEO Vibeke Østlyngen was in attendance and had this to say about it:
It was a powerful afternoon at Worley Rosenberg last week when 80+ women gathered to discuss the green hydrogen opportunities and challenges, technology and value chain.
Main takeaways:
We need common policies and regulations to standardise
The European hydrogen market is growing — slowly but steadily
Cost must come down, and it must be more expensive to pollute – CO2 pricing will be a gamechanger
Special thanks to Oriana Duran and Worley Rosenberg for hosting the event and to the NEW initiative for organizing, together with Women in Green Hydrogen.
➡️ The New Energy Women (NEW) initiative is a cooperation between ABB and some of the energy clusters in Norway: H2Cluster, Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster, Energy Valley, and Fornybar Norge.
Additional takeaways
H2Cluster also took part in the event and had these key points:
🔺 Trust among stakeholders is critical to mature projects.
🔺 Concerns around the slow pace of project development in Europe.
🔺 Global momentum is strong: Brazil, Australia, North Africa, China, and the Middle East are moving fast.
🔺 Chinese electrolyzer OEMs offering CAPEX benefits that may outweigh European subsidies.
Want to get involved?
Stay tuned for the next New Energy Women gathering coming up as we will visit Rystad Energy in Oslo.
Recap in pictures
Did you miss the event? Here are a few of our favourite pictures from the event:
Event participants ahead of the two panel discussions
Together with Capgemini, Energy Valley was proud to host an event focused on the electricity crisis and its impact on industry at this year’s Arendalsuka.
The problem: Norway’s electricity grid doesn’t have the capacity to meet the demand from new industries, electrification, and the green transition. This is resulting in delayed investments, high prices, and — in the worst cases — power outages.
Multiple reports (including Riksrevisjonen’s “Kapasiteten i strømnettet“) have confirmed: we need more capacity, a better grid, and smarter solutions. But how do we get there?
The hour-long event was split into two panels and took a look at the situation surrounding Norway’s power system, tackling topics such as:
What the authorities are doing to ensure sufficient grid capacity
Whether digital control, local production, and battery technology can give industry greater flexibility
Whether small, modular reactors are part of the solution… or merely a distraction
How software, data, and AI can be used to optimize energy usage
During the lively event, participants delved into what was more than just a debate. It was a conversation about the future of Norwegian industry, technology, and green growth.
Key takeaways
Energy Valley’s Knut Linnerud wrapped up the event with a summary of some of the key points made:
Firstly, the session clearly demonstrated that the challenges in the power system are significant… but they are NOT insurmountable and the solutions are already well known.
Yara emphasized that expanding the grid is absolutely crucial for continued industrial development.
At the same time, Morrow highlighted how battery technology can contribute to power balance and flexibility within the system.
A key starting point for Norway is that we already possess a form of “battery capacity” through our water reservoirs, which is equivalent to millions of car batteries. This gives us a unique opportunity to further balance power in collaboration with Europe, ensuring more stability and affordable access to electricity.
Effective power balancing is the key to succeeding in the transition to renewable energy and securing sufficient electricity. Everything is interconnected (as Gro Harlem Brundtland notably said in the context of climate challenges) and the ability to execute is critical.
Coordinated, concrete plans and actions are required between industry, the energy sector, and government.
We’d like to issue a big THANK YOU to all who participated in the event and those who came out to watch it live. If you missed the event (or would like a reminder of it) take a look at the slideshow below.
Participants
Gry Helene Pettersen – Vice President, Capgemini Invent
As we ramp up for the second half of 2025, we’d like to inform you of changes to the Energy Valley team.
Perhaps the biggest change is that Bjørn Ottar Elseth has decided to pursue new opportunities and will be stepping down as the CEO of Energy Valley from 15 August. Having first held the role as VP Strategy and Operations, Bjørn Ottar has been leading the way at Energy Valley for nearly two years now. He has brought with him a wealth of experience from the aerospace, communications, and energy industries and been instrumental in the cluster’s growth.
In order to ensure a smooth transition, Bjørn Ottar will continue supporting Energy Valley part time through September.
“It has been a true pleasure and honour to have served as the CEO of Energy Valley. As I now embark on new opportunities in the high-tech sector, including exciting energy projects, I look forward to staying in touch with the exciting companies, organisations, and good people in Energy Valley,” says Bjørn Ottar.
Going forward
For the interim period, Head of Projects and Administration, Vibeke Østlyngen, will step into the CEO role. Having been with Energy Valley for over a year and a half, Vibeke has brought with her more than 25 years of experience from within the shipping and maritime industry. She has an extensive background in operations, strategy, and market intelligence, and has played a key role in growing Energy Valley. We’re confident the Valley is in great hands during this transition period!
The chair of Energy Valley, Kathrine Ryengen, emphasizes the importance of a strong Energy Vally to contribute to the success of the members of the network:
“We’d like to sincerely thank Bjørn Ottar for his contributions in driving the Valley’s journey forward and wish him all the best in his new endeavours! The board is very glad to have Vibeke taking the interim CEO role as the recruitment process for a new CEO has already started.”
Comms support
We are also happy to welcome Leila Asdal Danielsen to the team! Leila joined Energy Valley in June as a part-time Communication Advisor. With an extensive background in all things marketing, communication, and brand, Leila brings with her over a decade of experience from the energy industry.
Returning from abroad
Finally, we are pleased to welcome CCO Preben Strøm back to Norway. Preben has been representing Energy Valley from his base in Singapore for the last two years, but will once more be based in Norway from August. Having more than a decade with Energy Valley directly, Preben has been an integral part of the Valley as it’s developed, changed, and grown over the years. We’re looking forward to having him in the same time zone again and the continuation of great collaboration!
On the left: Leila Asdal Danielsen; On the right: Preben Strøm
We are here to make a difference
As always, Energy Valley keeps our members first and foremost in focus. We’re ready to support you, so don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything you’re wondering about or any way we can help. We’re looking forward to an exciting and productive rest of 2025, so keep an eye on our news for more info.
At Energy Valley, we are ramping up our strategic efforts to help members explore and secure EU funding. Whether you’re aiming for Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, or the Innovation Fund, we’re here to guide you from idea to action.
With increasing demand for innovation and green transition, the EU offers major funding opportunities for the energy sector. Energy Valley is strengthening its position as a gateway to these programs – supporting project development, building strong consortia, and preparing members to compete on a European stage.
As EU Advisor, Knut Linnerud provides dedicated support to member companies and partners – from identifying the right calls to building applications and partnerships.
What we’ve done so far this year:
February 28 | Webinar:Positioning for EU Funding in Hydrogen, CCS, and Energy Storage With €3.4 billion available via the Innovation Fund and €184.5 million through the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, we explored the scope, synergies, and success criteria with insights from Enova and Innovation Norway.
April 10 | Workshop:Offshore Wind Collaboration (Copenhagen) Together with Energy Cluster Denmark, we gathered stakeholders from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark to explore EU funding instruments and build consortia for cross-border collaboration in offshore wind.
May 21 | Seminar:Innovation & Funding In partnership with Akershus County, Bærum Chamber of Commerce and others, we held a practical workshop at Aker Tech House on how to access public and private financing, including EU instruments.
Spring 2025 | TechThursday Series:Thematic Deep Dives & Funding Outlooks Through four targeted TechThursday events, we highlighted CCS/CCUS (TT#2), Renewable Energy (TT#3), Energy Carriers (TT#4), and Subsea (TT#5). Each session included insights into relevant EU funding opportunities, with tailored follow-up to help participants identify calls and build initial ideas. By connecting domain-specific knowledge with EU strategy, we aim to stimulate funding-relevant initiatives across the energy ecosystem.
Coming up after summer:
September 25 | Workshop: “EU Projects & Innovation Funding” Focused on Horizon Europe and Digital Europe. We’ll facilitate matchmaking, early-stage idea development, and preparation for a Brussels delegation trip.
Late October / Early November (Week 44/45) | Delegation:Trip to Brussels We are organizing a targeted visit to the EU capital to meet relevant stakeholders, better understand funding programs, and create real matchmaking opportunities.
These events are part of Energy Valley’s broader ambition to strengthen member visibility and competitiveness in the EU funding landscape – and to build lasting partnerships that accelerate innovation.
Interested in EU funding opportunities? Let’s talk!
If your organization wants to explore funding possibilities, get started with proposal development, or join our Brussels delegation, feel free to contact Knut Linnerud (knut.linnerud@energyvalley.com)
