Challenge 4:
Develop a sustainable, resilient and equitable Ocean economy

Generate knowledge, support innovation, and develop solutions for equitable and sustainable development of the ocean economy under changing environmental, social and climate conditions.

Extreme environmental conditions in the remotest Arctic areas are often an impediment to the production of renewable energy, though in some cases they can ease the energy transition. The world’s most northernmost solar panels are installed at Kapp Linné, in the Svalbard archipelago. By harnessing light stored during the months of the “Midnight Sun”, annual demand for fossil fuel may be reduced by 60 percent, storing energy that can also be used at the darkest time of the year. The 360 solar panels making up the system also benefit from the “albedo” effect – the reflective power of snow and ice – and from low temperatures, which improve their efficiency.