anna-karin hatt ■ “Often, these sOlutiOns have been wOrked Out at the municipal level, resulting in gOOd, cOmprehensive sOlutiOns that can be applied in Other cOuntries. we’ve nOw integrated this intO Our strategy, which includes dem- Onstrating swedish sOlutiOns within Our ‘symbiO city’ cOncept” ■ One of Hatt’s secretaries of state, Daniel Johansson, points out that Sweden took up the environmental cause early on by expanding its district heating and electricity resources, and that this know-how can now be exported. He also points out that this expansion has been achieved in close cooperation with the Swedish people. “Often, these solutions have been worked out at the municipal level, resulting in good, comprehensive solutions that can be applied in other countries. We’ve now integrated this into our strategy, which includes demonstrating Swedish solutions within our ‘Symbio City’ concept,” he explains. Meanwhile, energy derived from waste is an important aspect of the Swedish energy system and will continue to be so. “In all likelihood, waste will continue to play a major role. We have combined heating and power plants that provide much of our energy and heat from waste incineration. In this regard we’re ahead of many other countries, where it’s still common practice to dump waste in landfills.” The state secretary also emphasizes other forms of waste management: “Even more exciting is the role that waste and residual products can play in the development of new fuels, such as biogas made from household 24 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN waste that powers municipal buses and trucks. I believe this role will increase in the future,” he says. One important issue on Anna- Karin Hatt’s agenda is how to increase cleantech exports. A strategy has been put in place for the period 2011 to 2014 and under this strategy, all Swedish ministries and authorities dealing with exports and technological development are to cooperate. This includes the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with agencies like the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova), Business Sweden, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Energy Agency, and the Center for Environmental Technology (Centec). In addition to cooperation between different cleantech stakeholders and between government agencies, Daniel Johansson believes that the most important part of this strategy is taking a holistic approach to the entire value chain. “It’s not just about different stakeholders cooperating. In reality, the strategy involves initiatives that cover the entire value chain–from concept and innovation to finding a market and establishing a product. The broader initiative also aims to identify the challenges that companies face,” Johansson says. In addition, the state secretary points out that some of the efforts have been very concrete and well timed. “We are now seeing targeted export ventures aimed at China, Russia, India, the US, Turkey, and Brazil,” he adds. The 400 million Swedish kronor being spent to help Swedish cleantech companies enter the world market are being combined with research into renewable energy. Anna-Karin Hatt has described the main purpose of state-funded energy research as helping Sweden to achieve its energy and climate goals. Because new knowledge and new technology are so important, energy research is a natural and integrated part of Swedish energy policy. “We’re now investing heavily in energy research; spending SEK 1.3 billion per year starting this year and SEK 1.4 billion per year from 2016,” wrote Hatt in a blog post dated January 22, 2013. In the same posting, Hatt also mentions a company working within cleantech that combines several of the factors that she considers to be important–renewable energy and export opportunities. The company is Nlab Solar AB. Nlab Solar develops solar cells that can be integrated into
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