GREEN SOLUTIONS

enewable energy
We can build a sustainable electricity system in Sweden using solar energy,
biomass, wind, and currently available hydropower. And it could be completed
by 2030, according to a report from the Swedish Wind Energy Association
(Svensk Vindenergi). The report argues that there are no technical or
economic barriers to transitioning to fully renewable electricity production
in Sweden. Rather, what is lacking is the political will.
Sweden Can Achieve Fully
Renewable Electricity Production
‘ ‘ E
ven so, we cannot
ignore the fact that the
first nuclear reactors
are approaching the
end of their life spans. Even if nuclear
power were politically acceptable, it is
highly doubtful that anyone would
want to invest. Recent numbers from
projects in several countries show that
new reactors are becoming increasingly
more expensive,” says Annika
Helker Lundström, CEO of the
Swedish Wind Energy Association.
There is excellent potential for
renewable electricity in Sweden.
Merely the wind power projects
already licensed could produce 30
TWh of electricity, which equals about
half of last year’s nuclear power
generation. But a renewable electricity
system presents challenges. It has to
handle both when there are strong
winds and when there is no wind at all.
According to the report, simulations
from the Royal Institute of Technology
show that hydropower can balance the
varying wind conditions for 30 TWh of
wind power.
“New studies also show that hydropower
produced in 2008 had more
hourly adjustments than would be
required to meet the same variations
caused by 55 TWh of combined wind
power, solar power and electricity
consumption,” explains Helker
Lundström.
So there is good potential for a
renewable electricity system. But it
requires a thoughtful approach to be
done cost-effectively. “The grid needs
28 | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
to be refurbished and improved and
trading capacity with our neighbors
increased. It requires investing in
‘smart grids’ that enable all consumers
to become more active on the electricity
market, while providing new
opportunities to manage the variability
of renewable electricity,” she says.
According to the report, the
Swedish National Grid’s first move
should be to develop an action plan for
the grid that allows it to meet the
Swedish Parliament’s goal for 30 TWh
of wind power by 2020. “It also
requires in-depth analysis of how we
can best tackle the issues of balancing
power, load leveling, and energy
storage,” says Annika Helker Lundström.
The report also notes that demand
curves in the electricity certificate
system also need adjustment. Previously,
the Swedish Energy Agency
estimated that only just over 11 TWh of
wind power would be built by 2020,
based on the existing goals. “We are
likely to reach that level in 2014. We
then risk a slowdown unless grid
improvements are accelerated and
ambition levels increased,” Helker
Lundström argues.
She also argues that the Swedish
government should press for greater
cooperation with other EU countries.
By allowing other countries to pay for
credit for the relatively cheap renewable
electricity that can be made in
Sweden, Swedish electricity customers
get a lower electricity price without
having to pay for the grid expansion.
“With a strong investment in
renewable electricity and continued
improvement of the grid, we can build
a sustainable electricity system. This
opens the option of closing ageing
reactors and for a more secure power
supply if new nuclear plants do not
materialize,” says Helker Lundström.