Wind Energy, Arvin | I was hesitant to even express an opinion about the wind farm, especially if I had any opinion about the positive impacts. Simply put, it has become easier to keep my mouth shut

Do we need more wind turbines?

From the loss of pastures to oil spills and the death of vultures, the debate over wind energy has become negative and full of conflict. The Vossen case has finally been solved – but will we be able to move forward?

I grew up in Brasøy and today live in Granmoen outside Mosjøen. Two natural gems of Helgeland, each with its own unique charm and climate. I've always loved nature. I respect it very much and use it as much as I can. I'm currently sitting in the living room of my house in Granmoyne, where I have a view of a beautiful mountain and several wind turbines. They slowly swing and rotate, ahead of the sun, as it makes its way to the horizon. Personally, I think there is something beautiful and majestic about it all.

Before the wind farm was built, I, like many others, was a bit skeptical about how it would happen. Should Øyfjellet be demolished just so German pension funds can make money? That was kind of the gist of what I found in social media. At the time, I was working at Helgeland Kraft, and my husband was working at Alcoa. I gradually learned why the wind farm was important from a societal perspective. So that people can still work at Alcoa. So that we who live here can get cheap electricity. To continue developing the community. To solve the climate crisis. So there were not only negative consequences, but also many positive ones.

But I noticed that I was hesitant to express an opinion about the wind farm, especially if I had an opinion about the positive impacts. It simply became easier to keep my mouth shut, and there weren't many areas where I could get information about this. Except on Facebook, where there was a lot of information that was a good mix of real, unreal, and pure bullshit. Only the negative consequences were highlighted, and none of the positive consequences were highlighted. Professionals were absent. It became difficult to know what to believe.

Having worked in the energy field for a few years, I realized how important natural resources and renewable energy are to Helgeland's development. The time when we started building hydroelectric and electric power networks changed our lives. This meant we didn't have to wash clothes in the river. We got outside lights so going out to get firewood in the winter is less scary. Many have found a predictable, well-paid job in industry. Maybe the body felt better at that time, and we were ready to do what had to be done, for a modern and better life. Today, views are somewhat different. Have we lost the close connection between renewable energy, society and our lives? maybe. But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. For me personally, it was easier to accept the changed outlook, when I realized how important new renewable energy is to Mosgoen's future.

Thanks to our natural resources, we have great potential to contribute further to the energy transition. Northern Norway has half of the country's wind resources on land and 80% of Norway's marine areas north of the Arctic Circle. But the high level of conflict makes it difficult to realize the potential of these resources.

At the heart of the climate crisis is the fact that we cannot continue as we do today. We must change the way we live. We must get rid of fossil fuels and replace them with renewable energy sources. It will have consequences for all of us. I think we need to talk more about solutions together. Because we humans are created in such a way that to accept something we have to understand it first.

We need more safe spaces where opinions are allowed. Where you and I can come and get answers to our questions. Learn about the positive and negative consequences of the necessary energy transition. Which solutions are good and which are less good? And how everything is connected.

One of these arenas will be Arven. Arven will become a national knowledge center for renewable energy, located in Helgeland. Here, where the links between industry, renewable energy and society are so clear that we can actually use the whole region as one big demonstration example.

But to succeed in establishing Arvin, we need politicians who understand that communication, openness and engagement will be absolutely essential if we are to succeed in the energy transition. The fact that the Fossen case has been resolved does not mean that it has magically become easier to continue developing northern Norway. The topics are still full of conflict, and we need more transparency and more knowledge. So together we can see what Helgeland and Northern Norway will be like in the future.