Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2013
Authors
Chuan Li Heidi Rudi Eric Stockinger Cheng Hongmei Cao Moju Fox Samuel Mockler Todd C. Bjørge Westereng Siri Fjellheim Mats Höglind Odd Arne Rognli Simen Rød SandveAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
William White Anders Lunnan Erlend Nybakk Biljana KulisicAbstract
The renewable energy sector (RES) often receives financial, institutional or educational support from the government. A significant challenge for the actors in the RES field is policy consistency. When investments are carried out, a prognosis for future policies must be made. If the future is uncertain, larger risk margins should be included in the investment appraisals. Sudden, unexpected policy changes are one type of uncertainty that makes it more difficult to attract capital. In this article, we discuss the consequences of discontinuities in policy support using a case study approach. In Ontario, feed-in tariffs were introduced in 2009 and resulted in a large uptake in the programme. In 2010, the subsidies were drastically cut, resulting in the RES community losing confidence that the government would offer consistent support to the sector. In Norway, a large new biodiesel plant was opened by the Minister of the Environment only a few weeks before the government announced a major change in the bioenergy policy. As a result, the new plant was closed and restructured, and the investors lost nearly all of their investments. The government lost political credibility, making it difficult to raise private capital for new investments in this sector in Norway. We do not argue that policies should not be changed, but the manner in which policies are changed plays an important role. Our study shows that large, unexpected changes in policies increase uncertainty and may have a negative impact on investments. This topic should be further researched.
Authors
Anna Thorhallsdottir Árni Daníel Júliusson Helga ÖgmundardottirAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
Authors
Lampros LamprinakisAbstract
Valio, a well-established "national institution" in Finland, had a rich background based on cooperative tradition and extensive regional spread. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the company had to undergo a process of change and re-organization in order to address the challenges arising from the EU accession. After years of restructuring and changing in its business model, Valio remains a major player in Finland and one of the most well-known brands in the region. The purpose of this case study is to stimulate a critical evaluation of the processes Valio undertook in order to address the coming challenges. The case is especially suited as a starting point for a broader discussion on organizational change and adaptation. Teaching notes are provided with proposals and questions.
Authors
Arne SteffenremAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Emma Brunberg Rose Bergslid Kristin SørheimAbstract
NoFence is a GPS-based virtual fencing system to be used for grazing animals. Each animal wears a collar and if crossing a predefined border, the animal will get a sound warning followed by an electric shock. The aims with the two experiments reported in this report were to: 1. To test Nofence on sheep with young lambs focusing on animal welfare and learning. 2. To develop and test a learning protocol for Nofence. 3. To compare the function of Nofence when using it with and without a simple physical fence. In experiment 1, three groups with three ewes and their lambs in each group, were placed on a pasture for four days. At one side of the pasture, there was a Nofence border. The first two days, it was a physical fence outside the border. This fence was removed day 3. On day 4, the Nofence border was moved to the other end of the pasture. On day 3, when the physical fence was absent, the sheep received more shocks and spent almost 50% of the time outside allowed area. There were also many technical problems with Nofence during this trial. In experiment 2, the sheep were divided into four groups with eight ewes in each group. On day 1, the sheep were on a pasture with one Nofence border and on day 2 with two Nofence borders. In the morning both days, there were physical fences outside the virtual border. These were removed in the afternoon. After two days of trials, this trial was ended due to technical problems and learning difficulties. Many of the sheep received the maximum allowed number of shocks both day 1 and 2 and most of the sheep spent a majority of the time on the wrong side of the border in the afternoon on day 2. There were technical problems also during this experiment. There were several problems with the trials this year that made it difficult to perform the intended research. The technical problems must be completely solved before anyone aim at possibly perform any more experiments with animals. Moreover, the results this year show that there are challenges regarding learning due to the herd instinct and individual differences in how sensitive the animals are regarding the shocks. The conclusion is therefore that as it is working now, Nofence was not functioning in an acceptable way and there is a risk for reduced animal welfare.
Authors
Callum Aidan Stephen HillAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Lydia Lawless Andreas C. Drichoutis Rodolfo M. Jr. NaygaAbstract
No abstract has been registered