Sweden

Official name:

Kingdom of Sweden

Region:

Northern Europe

UNFCCC Annex 1 status:

Annex 1 Party to the Convention

Sources

UN-group
Country income
UNFCCC Annex 1 status

Sweden (2013)

Energy profile

Extent of network

The Swedish electricity network consists of 545,000 kilometres of power cables, of which 329,500 km are underground cables and 215,500 km overhead lines.

Renewable energy potential

SolarThe Swedish solar-cell market is still very limited, but since 2005 has begun to grow with the aid of government funding. Total installed capacity in 2011 was approximately 14 MW. During 2013–2016, the Swedish Energy Agency will invest SEK 123 million in research into solar cells, thermal solar power and solar fuels with a view to boosting the use of solar energy in the Swedish energy system.Wind EnergyAlthough nuclear and hydropower supply most of the electricity in Sweden, over the past several years, these other two sources are on the decline or remain flat, while wind power is increasing at a very high rate. For instance, the vast majority of wind turbines in Sweden have been built in the last 10 years, with wind power generation increasing by 78% from just 2008 to 2010. 208 new wind power turbines were installed with a total capacity of 574 MW in 2010 alone. The average capacity of wind turbines in Sweden is 1.9 MW. Wind power currently accounts for about 2.4% of electricity use in Sweden. Although most of Sweden’s wind turbines are located in the southern portion of the country, which is the most densely populated, most municipalities now have wind turbines.BiofuelsThe most important domestic renewable source of energy is biofuels, i.e. fuels from the plant kingdom. These are mainly obtained from forest or farmland, although organic wastes from households and industry also make up an important share. In their various forms, biofuels can be used to produce electricity and heat, or as vehicle fuels.BiogasBiogas production is today approximately 1.4 TWh. According to the “Proposal for a multisectoral biogas strategy”, profitability is greatest for sewage sludge and restaurant and food waste the largest remaining potential exists for food waste. It is possible to enhance the collection of food waste and achieve the goal of biological treatment. Such an increased collection provides opportunities to increase the amount of food waste that is digested. However, the amount of attractive substrate is limited and corresponds to approximately 2.5 TWh. The study estimates that virtually all of the existing potential of the substrate in urban areas can be exploited at reasonable costs.HydroIn 2010 Sweden generated 67 000 GWh of electricity from hydropower, making it the biggest hydropower producer in the European Union and the tenth biggest worldwide. Sweden’s hydropower industry is mature, with a high proportion of ageing dams and stations. Hydropower production in Sweden is in most cases regulated by concessions – which are equivalent to licences for hydropower operators to use water resources – that have been granted in a court of law.GeothermalGeothermal energy is heat that is obtained from the Earth’s interior, deriving from the radioactive decay of certain heavier elements. In the bedrock beneath Sweden, the temperature rises by 10–30°C for every 1 km increase in depth (the ‘geothermal gradient’). In volcanically active regions, the temperature increase can be much greater than that. In Sweden, the best potential for geothermal energy is considered to exist in areas where there are large bodies of groundwater at considerable depths (2–3 km), i.e. areas with thick layers of sedimentary bedrock or fault zones such as the Lake Vättern graben. Areas where meteorites have given rise to fractured bedrock at great depths are also judged to be of interest, including the Siljan Ring, the Dellen lakes and Björkö on Lake Mälaren.Sweden’s largest commercial geothermal plant at present is in Lund. Drawing water at 20°C from sedimentary strata at a depth of some 700 m, the plant meets 30% of the city’s district heating needs (i.e. 250 GWh). The heat contained in the water is heat-exchanged to achieve the required temperature.

Energy framework

In 2009, the Swedish Parliament passed a comprehensive energy and climate change policy and plan. Their stated goal is to be free of fossil fuels by mid-century. Their stated reasons for pursuing this goal include: to contribute to slowing down climate change; to provide sustainable, stable, and affordable energy sources for Sweden; and to improve the long-term economic outlook for Sweden.Sweden’s plan recognizes that renewable energy and economic development are intertwined: “the world faces several interdependent challenges. The climate crisis has coincided with an economic downturn, and the way out of both these crises is an economy which accommodates the environment – an eco-efficient economy.” Like Denmark, there is a strong emphasis on energy independence (with renewable energy) not only being healthier but also creating energy jobs within their boundaries.Sweden has a comprehensive energy planning process with national targets for renewable energy and a green certificate system, both of which wind power is a part of. Each municipality is also required to create its own energy plan, which includes strategies for meeting the national targets for renewable energy.Sweden’s national energy plan sets the following goals:The proportion of energy supplied by renewable sources is to be at least 50% of the country’s energy use by 2020;Vehicles in Sweden are to be independent of fossil fuels by 2030 (which includes being fuelled by wind power); andThere will be no net emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2050.In 2009, Sweden approved a plan for wind power of 30 TWh by 2020, of which 20 TWh is to be produced onshore and 10 TWh offshore. Currently, 71 out of 1,655 wind turbines are offshore, and this represents 163 MW.Sweden has a market-based green certificate system that supports producers of renewable electricity, including wind power. Utilities must purchase these certificates in order to meet their required percentage of renewable energy. Market prices are then set by the supply and demand for these certificates.Action plan for renewable energyAs part of the integrated climate and energy policy, Sweden set in motion an action plan for renewable energies. This included a higher ambition for the electricity certificate system with an increase of 25 TWh by 2020 compared to 2002, when the system started. Sweden also put forward a national planning framework for wind power of 30 TWh by 2020 (20 TWh onshore, 10 TWh offshore) to provide orientation to municipal spatial planning proceduresSweden promotes efficient fuel use and the use of renewable energy sources in passenger cars with flexible fuel vehicles and efficient technologies, including electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, and the use of biogas, ethanol, hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) and biodiesel through a number of tax incentives and blending. In Sweden, the fulfilment of the sustainable requirements, as authorised by the Swedish Energy Agency, is a condition for obtaining tax exemptions. Under the EU Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC, only biofuels that fulfil the sustainability criteria may be taken into account for the fulfilment of targets or be entitled to state aid.Action plan for energy efficiencyUnder the integrated climate and energy policy bill, Sweden adopted comprehensive five-year energy efficiency programme for 2010-2014 with a total of SEK 1350 million (EUR156.23 million) or SEK 270 million (EUR 31.25 million) per year. The activities under this programmer aim to strengthen the regional and local climate and energy initiatives, to support green procurement by the public sector to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs to manage and audit their energy consumption, and to procure energy-efficient technology. In addition, Sweden continues the Programme for Energy Efficiency in Energy-Intensive Industry (PFE). Overall funding from the State budget in the area of energy efficiency is around SEK 530 million (EUR 61.44 million) per year.

Source

REEEP

Initial Study of Lifestyles, Consumption Patterns: Do Women Leave a Smaller Ecological Footprint Than Men?

Type:
Publication

Publication date:
Saturday 1 April 2006
Objective:
Adaptation
Approach:
Gender
What links are there between gender, consumption and sustainable lifestyles? Are the 'lifestyles' and consumption patterns of Swedish women (and those internationally) a function of the greater responsibility they take for unpaid domestic and reproductive work? This paper argues that a model of welfare in which gender equality is given greater attention would leave a smaller ecological footprint than the present one. It would also provide better access to goods and services adapted to the needs of both women and men, children and the elderly.
IWRM

Type:
Product

Technology:
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
Global Water Partnership (GWP) promotes and facilitates Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as a solution and an approach to water resources management issues. It is based on the equitable and efficient management and sustainable use of water also recognizing that water is an integral part of the ecosystem, a natural resource, and a social and economic good, whose quantity and quality determine the nature of its utilization.
Alelyckan – Pioneering Recycling Park

Type:
Product

Objective:
Mitigation
Technology:
Recycling
Alelyckan recycling park was developed as a pioneering facility, where objects perceived as waste are received, repaired, processed and sold on site.

The park includes a thrift shop, a workshop for renovating furniture and bicycles, anda store for used building materials like windows, closets, tiles, WCs and even entire porches. Apart from bringing new life to objects and materials, the facilities also offer vocational training for unemployed people.
Falu Recycling Centre

Type:
Product

Objective:
Mitigation
Technology:
Recycling
One of Falu Energi & Vatten’s businesses is Waste Management. These include the Falu Recycling Plant that takes care of all household waste and a large part of the waste from private sectors in Falun Municipality.
Björnhyttans recycling centers - mechanical sorting

Type:
Product

Objective:
Mitigation
Technology:
Recycling
Extraction of compostable soil from household waste
Umeå Wastewater Treatment Plant

Type:
Product

Objective:
Adaptation
Mitigation
Technology:
Wastewater management systems
Within Umeå municipality there are a total of 19 wastewater treatment plants. The largest, Umeå Wastewater Treatment Plant, takes care of wastewater from households and various businesses in Umeå and surrounding villages. Every year, it receives about 13 million cubic meters of waste water, containing about 3000 tons of organic material and about 80 tonnes of phosphorus. The process of cleaning water demands a lot of energy, but the plant also produce biogas which gives 23 000 kWh per day.
Dalifant- a wind energy solution on a wooden tower

Type:
Product

Objective:
Mitigation
InnoVentum gives power to the people – by providing carbon neutral wind energy solutions to individuals and businesses that want to generate clean energy with a beautiful and silent wind turbine. To offer products with the lowest possible carbon impact and superior performance, InnoVentum makes towers of wood instead of steel. Our unique wooden tower designs are bound to turn heads in our customers’ gardens.
Dali - a small wind and hybrid wind-solar solution on a modular wooden tower

Type:
Product

Objective:
Mitigation
Core Invention: the 12m wooden tower

The first InnoVentum wooden tower was created in 2011 as a result of a collaborative university competition between Lund University in Sweden and ENSTIB in France. The first prototype was installed in the same year.
Giraffe 2.0 green power station and E-vehicle charger

Type:
Product

Objective:
Mitigation
The Giraffe 2.0 by InnoVentum is a combined carport and charging station harvesting green energy from the wind and sun to power your e-vehicle.The Giraffe 2.0 is made of renewable (wood) and recycled (metal) materials bringing green power stations to the next level of sustainability. The trees used for the structure have absorbed several tons of CO2 from the atmosphere before their wood takes the unique shape of a Giraffe – all this carbon dioxide is preserved within the structure for decades, making a positive contribution to the climate.
Övik Energi Cogeneration & District Cooling

Type:
Product

Objective:
Mitigation
Technology:
Cogeneration
Hörneborgsverket, a biofuel based cogeneration plant, is the engine of Övik Energi’s energy production. Hörneborgsverket produce roughly three equal amounts of district heating, steam, and electricity. The steam is distributed to the neighbouring process industries – Domsjö Fabriker, AkzoNobel and SEKAB. Due to the industry’s need for steam, which is in demand throughout the entire year, the cogeneration plant is used to a greater extent, in comparison with power plants that only supply district heating, of which the demand fluctuates.