Ocean Hyway Cluster supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
We have a particular focus on 6 of the goals.
Our sustainability work
Quality Education
Ocean Hyway Cluster is focused on ensuring equitable and inclusive education for all.
See sub-goals
4.3 - By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: We work to create connections between pupils / students, schools, and business. Every year, we organise events that aim to connect students and the business community more closely, for example Girls' Technology Day and Marine Technology Day. We collaborate with various universities to give students access to our events, including an international hydrogen conference that we organise annually.
4.4 - By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: We have had 2 trainees in Ocean Hyway Cluster, and give guidance and supervision on a selection of bachelor and project assignments. Internationally, we connect with the educational environment by giving lectures at university level. Through NORA we have helped connect students and businesses across the North Atlantic.
Affordable and clean energy
Ocean Hyway Cluster aim to contribute to making energy sustainable, accessible, and reliable for all through our work on hydrogen.
See sub-goals
7.1 - By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: By promoting renewable energy and hydrogen we help it come to market, bringing the costs down and eventually leading to universal access to clean energy.
7.2 - By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: Hydrogen is an energy carrier that complements intermittent renewables – solar, wind, tidal and wave power. Through the development and roll-out of hydrogen technology we will help increase the percentage of renewables in the energy mix.
7.3 - By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: Electrification of the global energy system will lead to an increase in efficiency compare to fossil fuels - hydrogen is part of this electrification.
7.a - By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: Collaborating and sharing knowledge internationally is a central to what we do. We are involved with university teaching in India, as well as having and active role in projects in the EU and Japan. Our annual International Conference on Maritime Hydrogen and Marine Energy brings together participants from around the world. In 2020 262 participants from a total of 21 countries participated.
7.b - By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: Local renewable energy and hydrogen production can be a game changer for developing countries and small island developing States by reducing community dependence on imported fossil fuels and enabling storage of locally produced zero carbon energy. Our work in implementing hydrogen projects in Norway will generate knowledge and technology improvements with use around the world.
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Ocean Hyway Cluster contributes to innovative and sustainable business development in our member companies through concrete hydrogen-related projects.
See sub-goals
9.1 - Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: We are working on the development of sustainable transport infrastructure in hubs. Through our HyInfra project we have estimated the 2030 hydrogen and ammonia demand at ports along the Norwegian coast.
9.2 - Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries.
9.4 - By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: Through our close collaboration with industry, research, and government, we are well placed to promote and implement sustainable industrial development. We organised two workshops lead by experts in sustainable business strategy for our membership in 2020.
9.5 - Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: Ocean Hyway Cluster has close links with numerous research institution both in Norway and internationally. We have active roles in the national research programmes FME NTRANS and MoZEES. We are a middleman between research and industry, helping to focus research topics in areas most of interest to business.
9.b - Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: Ocean Hyway Cluster collaborates with The Institute of Maritime Studies, Goa, India, where we have lead teaching on hydrogen and renewable energy.
Climate action
Ocean Hyway Cluster works to create awareness among politicians, businesses and communities for the challenges of climate change, and how hydrogen can contribute to solving these challenges.
See sub-goals
13.2 - Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: We work closely with other clusters, local and national government, and through the EU to develop strategies that will achieve climate targets.
13.3 - Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: We engage with many different groups to increase knowledge about hydrogen in the population. For example through explainer films, involvement in schools and universities, and sustainability workshops. We lobby politicians for, amongst other things, to put in place a comprehensive national hydrogen strategy.
Life below water
Ocean Hyway Cluster aims to contribute to a sustainable use of the oceans through developing vessels with zero-emission in close cooperation with our members.
See sub-goals
14.1 - By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: The only emission from hydrogen powered vessels is pure water. By reducing the demand for fossil fuels, we will also contribute to reduce chance for damaging oil spills into the environment.
14.7- By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: Local renewable energy and hydrogen production can be a game changer for developing countries and small island developing States by reducing community dependence on imported fossil fuels and enabling storage of locally produced zero carbon energy. Our work in implementing hydrogen projects in Norway will generate knowledge and technology improvements with use around the world.
14.a- Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: Ocean Hyway Cluster has close links with numerous research institution both in Norway and internationally. We have active roles in the national research programmes FME MoZEES and NTRANS; and provide input into the International Energy Agency – Hydrogen Implementing Agreement (IEA-HIA) Task 39.
Partnerships for the goals
Ocean Hyway Cluster works to create national and international partnerships and collaborations for hydrogen-related projects.
See sub-goals
17.14 - Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: Regular dialogue with policy makers to push for a coherent national hydrogen strategy.
17.16 - Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertice, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries.
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: We arrange a Hydrogen Conference annually as a platform for sharing knowledge and connecting central actors in the hydrogen industry. Our work focuses also on creating platforms to engage and connect our members both national and international to concrete hydrogen-based projects.
17.17 - Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
What Ocean Hyway Cluster does: Ocean Hyway Cluster builds bridges between the public sector, education and the private sector by collaborating and sharing knowledge with politicians, connect the industry to ongoing and up-coming research projects and work closely with universities and students.
Other SDGs that are linked to our work
First step
OHC is continuing to work on the cluster's sustainability strategy, initiating practices to become more sustainable and regularly measuring the results to constantly improve. Linking our work to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals is the first step.
Feel free to get in touch if you have questions or comments related to the sustainability work in OHC.
Karoline J Vågsholm
Communications Manager
Ocean Hyway Cluster
+47 920 55 369
karoline.vagsholm@oceanhywaycluster.no