Norway is a leading hydropower nation, thanks its vast freshwater resources. Since the end of the 1800s, Norway has generated most of its electricity from this renewable energy source. The same is true today. In fact, 96 per cent of all electricity in Norway is generated by 1 500 plants dotting the country from north to south.

Norwegian hydropower plants are especially eco-friendly. They are normally located at high altitudes with cold temperatures and very little vegetation, which minimises the release of toxic methane and carbon dioxide from impounded water. Furthermore,many plants are built on existing lakes, so there is little need to flood large land areas to create reservoirs.

Hydropower gives Norwegian industry access to stable, clean, relatively inexpensive energy. Therefore, some of Norway’s most energy-intensive industries, such as data centres, EV battery production and metal processing, have the world’s smallest carbon footprints.

Moreover, clean hydropower makes Norway the perfect location to produce green hydrogen and ammonia, which can be used as zero-emission fuels for sea and land transport, among other applications.

Norway also creates hydropower solutions for underserved areas. Companies such as Malthe Winje Infrapower and Tinfos deliver run-of-river plants to remote locations around the world. These plants do not require the building of dams, providing inexpensive, clean energy to rural areas from the Balkans to Kenya and Indonesia.

Without hydropower, Norway would not have a world-leading data centre industry. Power-hungry data centres thrive on access to 100 per cent renewable energy, which keeps costs low and the carbon footprint small.

Bulk Infrastructure, for example, is building a data centre campus located close to several hydropower plants. The campus is expected to be the world’s largest data centre site running on clean energy.

Norway’s cold, wet weather is perfect for data centres, which generate enormous amounts of heat that must be cooled 24/7, year-round. Green Mountain, an innovative data centre operator, taps Norway’s natural conditions to cool its carbon-neutral colocation centres at low cost, using “free cooling” from indirect air or its unique fjord cooling solution.

Norway’s rugged topography adds more energy-saving benefits. A great example is the Green Mountain colocation data centre in Rjukan, an historic hydropower town located in a valley surrounded by high mountains. The valley is so deep and narrow that locals have installed mirrors on the mountaintops to send sunlight to the bottom of the valley.

Other colocation data centres can be found deep inside mountains. Lefdal Mine Datacenter, one of the largest in Europe, is located underground in an abandoned mine, while a Green Mountain data centre in Stavanger occupies six two-story mountain halls, formerly a high-security NATO storage facility.

In Norway, sheep roam freely to graze in the mountains. About 2 million sheep graze in the outlying fields of Norway every summer. Norwegian sheep live a good life, feeding on lush Norwegian flora, which shows in the thickness, durability and lustre of the wool.

Sheep can endure the hard Norwegian weather, thanks to their thick wool that regulates temperature, ensuring they don’t get too warm or too cold. For this reason, it’s been said that Norwegian wool is like wearing nature. You will never get too warm or too cold in clothing made of Norwegian wool.

Norway takes pride in its world-class wool. Norwegian wool is natural and renewable, as the sheep need only sunlight, water and grass for grazing. In addition, Norway’s cool climate reduces bacteria and other pesticide problems, which eliminates the need for “dipping” in strong chemicals.

Companies such as Norilia have received the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. The wool from Norilia has a transparent value chain and uses very few chemicals. Innovative production methods reduce the use of water and electricity, and the sheep are raised according to high animal welfare standards.

Norwegian farmers use advanced technology to protect their livestock. To keep the animals safe while grazing, Norwegian farmers use intelligent tracking solutions such as OS ID and Findmy and virtual fencing such as Nofence.

About one-third of Norway’s landmass is covered in forest, so it’s only natural that Norwegians have relied on wood as a building material for centuries. Their iconic Viking Ships and Medieval stave churches are known worldwide for their beauty, sturdiness and historic value.

In this century, Norwegians continue to build with wood. One notable structure is Mjøstårnet (Mjøsa Tower), the world’s second tallest timber building. Located in Brummundal, two hours north of Oslo, the building is 85.4 metres high – about eight metres shorter than the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Moelven Limtre, which delivered the timber building materials, is headquartered nearby. The company manufactures, designs and constructs tall buildings with glulam, an eco-friendly, load-bearing and flexible material that rivals the strength of steel.

Norway’s forestry industry is among the world’s most sustainable. Regulations are so strict that virtually no tree can be felled without a commitment to planting a new one. This makes Norwegian timber buildings among the most eco-friendly buildings in existence.

Beyonder, a Norwegian battery technology company, excels in out-of-the-box thinking. Using sawdust from the forestry industry as a component, the company produces eco-friendly, energy-efficient batteries for electric vehicles. The use of sawdust, combined with Norwegian hydropower, makes Beyonder’s EV batteries perhaps the most sustainable in the world.

Moreover, wood can be combined with other eco-friendly products. The roof of the North Pier at Oslo Airport Gardermoen is built entirely of wood, while the rest of the building consists of recycled materials, climate-friendly insulation and concrete in which a share of the cement was replaced with reused waste.