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The role of electricity in tackling climate change

active 4 months ago

Climate change entails increased electrification in society, industry and in the transportation sector. The electricity production in Sweden is almost completely fossil-free. As the electricity demand in Sweden is expected to double by 2045, an increase in production will be needed, as well as a great expansion of electricity grids and tools for storage and control.
To maintain a robust electricity system, more actors need to assess future needs in organized form. Public actors in the region also need competence improvement on matters related to electricity.

Beyond providing renewable energy, an expansion of the region’s electricity production will also lead to creating jobs and increasing skills. Wind power (on- and offshore) has the greatest potential for rapidly obtaining more electricity. There is also a need for more plannable electricity production and possibilities to store electricity.
As regional energy agency, we have built competence in the energy and electricity supply areas over the years.
In a pre -study we have investigated this further; for exampel the electrical grid in Blekinge county is integrated with the rest of the Swedish grid but is also connected to the grid of surrounding countries. The county needs to import almost 70% of the required electricity, this means high dependence on external electricity production. We mapped the current situation in the county and connect it to; the growth forecasts, the expansion and electrification of the industry and plans for the charging infrastructure and digitalization. The goal was to increase the knowledge about electricity and the awareness about potential grid bottlenecks in the region. We also gathered all relevant actors to help us identify problems and discuss how to work proactively with preventive measures. To do this we interviewed actors working with the electricity supply in the county and studied possible forms of collaboration between these actors.

Results
To maintain a robust electricity system, more actors need to assess future needs in organized form. Public actors in the county also need competence improvement on matters related to electricity.

Beyond providing renewable energy, an expansion of the county’s electricity production will also lead to creating jobs and increasing skills. Wind power (on- and offshore) has the greatest potential for rapidly obtaining more electricity. There is also a need for more plannable electricity production and possibilities to store electricity.

We want to continue this work and is therefore searching for collaboration partners to build a project based upon this findings.

The role of electricity in tackling climate change

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