On Wednesday, it was announced that the battery company Morrow Batteries has gone into administration.
Morrow has been one of UiA’s partners for several years, and its research and development team has been co-located with the university’s own battery research group at Campus Grimstad.
It is a shame for Agder and Norway that Morrow has now gone into administration. At the same time, there is still a great need for expertise in batteries and energy storage, as these are key technologies in the long-term energy and industrial transition, says Dean Anne Cathrine Gjærde at the Faculty of Engineering and Science at UiA.
"The ecosystem in Agder remains strong"
From the outset, the battery partnership has had a broad range of partners and has not been dependent on any single company.
"We collaborate with several industrial partners in the region, and there is a wide range of relevant businesses in Agder. Players such as Pixii, Vianode, Corvus Energy, Norner, Glencore Nikkelverk, Elkem and Å Energi contribute to a continued strong professional and industrial environment", says Gjærde.
"We have had a good working relationship with Morrow, and are open to collaborating again should new opportunities arise in the future", says Gjærde.
The consequences of the bankruptcy for UiA’s research and education in battery technology are relatively minor:
- A jointly funded PhD student employed by UiA will be able to complete their studies without disruption
- UiA and Morrow each have their own lease agreement with Ugland for the ‘battery building’ on Campus Grimstad, and the university’s research can continue there. Should any shared infrastructure cease to be available, this is something UiA can easily resolve
- No student projects, teaching or work placements are dependent on Morrow
"Europe needs a strong battery industry"
A delegation from the Alabama Mobility and Power Centre recently visited Norway under the banner ‘Come to Norway, see the future’. They visited UiA’s battery research community, as the university offers a unique programme in battery technology: taught in English, closely linked to research and industry, and with excellent laboratory facilities.
In some of the battery-related courses at UiA, up to 80 per cent of students are European exchange students.
“The bankruptcy highlights the need for long-term support for a highly skilled Norwegian and European battery industry, and education is a critical part of this,” says Associate Professor Johannes Landesfeind, who heads the Battery Coast project at UiA.
Batteries are a key part of the future energy mix, with more renewable energy, and Europe needs to minimise its dependence on others and increase its resilience in a more turbulent and unpredictable world, says Landesfeind.
There are many heated local and national debates about the battery industry in Norway.
But in the bigger picture, for Norway, the Nordic region and Europe, there will be a huge demand for batteries and battery expertise. The question should not be whether, but how we can extend Norway’s leading role in electrification to other countries. Batteries can be the energy buffer that makes the green transition possible, says Landesfeind.
He is looking forward to what lies ahead.
“Change is inevitable, and it will be exciting to see how we manage to make the most of the opportunities together with our partners,” he says.