6. ENERGY TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION
research-funding government agencies are also being conducted. These government agencies include the Swedish Research Council, Sweden's Innovation Agency, Vinnova, and the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS).
ETRDI activities are prioritised in collaboration with all the relevant agencies (e.g. the Swedish Energy Markets Inspectorate, the Swedish National Grid and the National Electrical Safety Board). Activities should be designed so that they also may contribute to other policy areas and the several government initiatives related to energy. These include the Swedish export strategy; the National Strategy for Sustainable Regional Growth and Attractiveness 2015-20; the eight Swedish regional structural fund programmes; and the National Regional Fund Programme 2014-20. The latter includes the Genentech Fund, smart industry (a strategy for new industrialisation for Sweden), the work of the National Innovation Council, and the governmental collaboration programmes, in particular, the programmes on a circular and bio-based economy, and on smart cities.
Research areas in more detail
The government proposes guidelines for ETRDI every four years, in parallel with the proposals for general R&I policy. The latest such proposal was submitted to the parliament in 2016, and the parliament accepted the proposals in March 2017. The guidelines apply to the four-year period 2017-20.
The following is a description of the focus of the nine areas of the ERIP programme, and the changes in relation to the periods up to and including 2016.
Sustainable power system and renewable energy resources
The power system area includes non-fuel-based electricity production technologies (e.g. hydropower, wind power, photovoltaics, wave power, etc.) as well as smart grids, grid flexibility solutions, and all system aspects that influence the power system including user behaviour and market aspects.
As the costs of wind power and solar photovoltaics (PV) have declined enormously in recent years, the focus has broadened from cost reduction to integrating high shares of renewables and to consumers, new services, and system aspects.
For wind power, the research focuses on resource efficiency in the Swedish conditions, the environmental and societal impacts in Sweden and the integration of wind power into the system. For solar PV, the focus now includes prosumer perspectives and PV in the built environment. For wave power, which is further from the market, the focus remains on cost-efficiency and export opportunities.
For smart grids, the focus is on increased flexibility, the digitalisation of the power system, and on security of supply. The integration with other sectors – heat, transport and industry – is increasingly included, although there is less focus on large-scale demonstration projects (three projects were funded previously but the results are yet to be reported).
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6. ENERGY TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION
Bioenergy
The bioenergy area includes studies on the supply of biomass for energy as well as on certain conversion technologies.
Research on biomass for energy supply focuses on a few specific energy crops, such as Salix, Populus, reed canary grass and by-products from the forest industry, such as branches, treetops and stumps. Research on the environmental consequences of utilising biomass fuels for energy has also been a long-term priority. There is still room to improve the cost-efficiency and sustainability of production. The use of waste for energy is also included.
At the same time, as the demand for biomass is projected to increase as Sweden develops the market, or ‘bioeconomy’, new applications will require an increased biomass availability and resource efficiency. The focus 2017-20 will comprise:
All types of biomass, not just forest and agricultural, e.g. also aquatic biomass, such as algae and waste from the fishing industry.
A holistic perspective on the role of bioenergy in society and the whole value chain of biomass production, including ecological and sustainability aspects.
Holistically considering how biomass could contribute to both energy and other products, as biomass is seldom produced only for energy purposes.
Making Sweden the world leader in minimising and utilising waste. For that, new technical methods, business models and processes are needed.
On biomass conversion, ETRDI focuses on how to increase the efficiency of electricity generated from biomass, and on the combined processes of electricity generation together with, e.g. district heating and cooling, industrial products and/or liquid biofuels. It also focuses on how to meet the uneven demand for biomass from co-generation1 plants, and the development of small-scale co-generation plants. Hence, the focus is on:
The role of power generation from biomass in a 100% renewable and sustainable energy system.
Integrating electricity and heat production.
Developing new and existing technologies to transform biofuels and waste into electricity and heat. These technologies should be resource-efficient, cost-effectiveness, robust, flexible and have a reduced environmental impact.
Transport system
Given the ongoing increase in resources used for travel, transportation and the production of vehicles, the Swedish government set a policy target of a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from fossil fuels in transport sector by 2030. Efforts in the ERIP are designed to support these goals.
The future transport system will probably include various modes of transport and types of vehicles (e.g. electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, vehicles with internal combustion
1 Co-generation refers to the combined production of heat and power.
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engines for renewable fuels and near-zero emission). As the vehicles themselves become more energy efficient, GHG emissions from their production becomes more relevant. Future technology solutions also need to be ecologically sustainable.
The activities of the ERIP in the sector are directed towards zero emissions of both local air pollutants and GHGs from fossil fuels.
Industrial processes
Swedish energy R&I in this area has focused on energy efficiency in intensive industries of importance for the Swedish economy. Focus will now be increased for 1) zero GHG emissions, 2) sustainable business and 3) energy and climate smart materials and products (such as bio-based materials and products, and the circular economy), although energy efficiency will still be a prioritised area. Activities and resources for international collaboration in this subsector will also be increased.
Buildings in the energy system
This area comprises the energy use in the building sector during the entire life cycle and includes the energy use of households.
During 2017-20, there will be an increased focus on:
renovation and reconstruction
financial and social aspects
human aspects; the influence of the resident on energy consumption, their commitment to energy savings and the effects of the indoor environment on health
connecting research and market actors.
General energy system studies with social and interdisciplinary perspectives
Energy systems are regarded as sociotechnical systems in which people and organisations, institutions (societal and political organisations), values and laws, and technology (including infrastructural systems) interact and are intertwined. Energy systems research aims to increase the understanding of the complex dynamics between people and actors, societal factors and technology in the energy systems, and to attain synergies and identify conflicts of interest between the actors.
The research area is characterised by a diversity of scientific and societal perspectives and issues on energy and climate, and it is often based on sociologically and politically oriented system studies, including economics. The research will for the period 2017-20 be focused on:
complex dynamics between actors, institutions and technical solutions
actors and their actions, politics, policy, economic factors, laws and rules connected with energy issues
transformations, pathways, historical events and future visions and scenarios for energy systems and energy issues development
finding sociotechnical alternatives for the energy systems.
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