Articles and blog posts on energy and electrification

So-called island mode operation, whereby buildings or entire electricity systems can function independently, is not just a future scenario; the technology is available today. For example, Ludvika municipality secures the electricity supply for its critical infrastructure through green energy production and storage.

Do you own or manage a building? Perhaps you are responsible for energy use in a large organisation? If so, you are affected by the EU's stricter energy efficiency requirements. These requirements create new challenges, but also opportunities to cut costs and contribute to climate change mitigation.

En ny modell gör att prissättningen av elanvändning förändras i grunden. Plötsligt kan någon enstaka effekttopp påverka hela månadspriset – och det blir komplicerat att övervaka kostnaderna. Nu skapas en lösning som gör det möjligt för organisationer att hantera komplex övervakning och smart styrning.

Common grass could become a new contribution to the energy transition – and a new source of income for Swedish farmers. Lantmännen is well on its way to successfully extracting protein for pigs and poultry from forage crops.  "This could generate profitability for our farmers and make production more sustainable. And we will become less dependent on products produced far away. We are killing several birds with one stone," says Pär-Johan Lööf, R&D Manager Agri at Lantmännen. 

Electric vehicles are developing fast. But they need to develop even faster – to cope with the climate change and to meet market demands. "We need to make something technically even better, but also cheaper," says Martin Gustavsson, head of research at the Swedish Electric Transport Laboratory (SEEL).

Are charging stations delivering the right amount of energy? OKQ8 partnered with RISE to verify their charging stations in a unique project.

Around 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from our cities. At the same time, 85 percent of Europe's population is expected to live in cities by 2050, and 93 percent in Sweden. These figures make it clear why drastically reducing emissions is a must. In Malmö, system innovation is being used to meet the challenge.

Sweden produces a lot of electricity, but most of it is produced far from the majority of consumers and industry. The result? Failure to start new businesses due to energy shortages in many places, costing society large sums of money in lost revenue. – The site needs to think more proactively, but then we need to review policies and regulations, says Jan Djurström unit manager at RISE.

Our energy system needs to be transformed. We need to move away from fossil fuels towards more sustainable solutions. To reach the set targets, several different solutions will be required - and to find out which ones are most effective, an energy system analysis can be an important tool.

Around the world, people are struggling to cope with the effects of climate change. Can AI help us tackle one of the great issues of our time? "High-tech AI is unlikely to be the whole solution. But it can improve low-tech solutions and make them more efficient," says Olof Mogren, research leader at the Centre for Applied AI at RISE.Here's how it could work.

What is the single most important factor in Europe's transition to a climate-neutral energy system? The answer: cooperation. – Innovation and development happen when people, companies and nations come together, share knowledge and help each other, says Henrik Svenningstorp, Manger Strategic Research and Business Development at RISE. 

Since May 2024, the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act has been enforced across the entire union. The goals are ambitious: within a few years, the EU aims to increase its self-sufficiency and recycling of critical metals and minerals, while simultaneously reducing reliance on individual countries."What remains now is the "how": learning from each other and balancing different interests," says Christina Jönsson at RISE.

Quantum mechanics has long been a natural part of metrology and has already revolutionised how we measure and realize physical units. The development of quantum technology is rapid which create opportunities for new measuring instruments while placing new demands on metrology to support this development.

Last year, one million Chinese-made electric cars were sold in Europe. Chinese car manufacturers have an overproduction of electric cars and are therefore filling all available carriers to sell them in Europe at a higher price than in China. With new carriers being built, competition is intensifying further. What can the European automotive industry do in this situation?

We find ourselves in a pivotal era, where we are fundamentally reconsidering our approach to material usage. This shift demands a move towards a significantly more efficient utilization of the Earth's resources. To ensure genuinely sustainable outcomes, numerous factors must be considered. What does the material need to withstand? And for how long must it endure?

What role do Swedish innovation companies play in global change? An important one, according to several studies. RISE's Henrik Bagewitz and Leif Lyckebäck, who have met hundreds of innovative small companies, explain the key factors that increase the chances of success.