Articles and blog posts on Energy and electrification

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 product…

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 (S…

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 be…

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 …

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 lea…

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 Re…

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."Wha…

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 develo…

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 intensifyin…

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 doe…

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.

In 1989, the Berlin Wall came down and the digitalisation of society accelerated. But as the security situation tightens, we need to rethink how we protect our information systems. It is not security à la new wall that is needed, but rather the properties of the blade of grass that lead us to resil…

Almost everything sold in the EU could soon need a so-called digital product passport. This will place new demands on manufacturers and importers in terms of sustainability data. But the new requirements could also lead to entirely new business models.

Alfa Laval, global provider of products in the areas of heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling, has been part of the Application Center for Additive Manufacturing at RISE since it started. Eager to accelerate their adoption of additive manufacturing (AM), they frequently utilize the centre t…

The rapid digitalisation of recent years has opened new doors for cyber criminals. Nätkraft Borås (formerly Borås Elnät) works actively to find them.  "We now have a process for managing different types of crisis situations," says CEO Lars Hedendahl.  

The Swedish reduction mandate that obliges fuel suppliers to blend in biofuels to lower emission has been the hightest in the EU. In 2024 the mandate was drastically reduced to 6%. However, in August 2024, the government announced that the reduction obligation will be raised again in 2025, but to 1…

Measuring the temperature of a material's surface is not optimal. Despite that, the need for surface temperature measurements is great in many industries. Patrik Broberg, researcher at RISE, works to ensure that the measurements are as good and reliable as possible.

Among the materials we need most for the sustainable transition are those that are rare or difficult to extract. And while our need for them increases, so does everyone else’s. The EU’s need for rare earth elements is projected to increase sixfold, by as early as 2030. The need for lithium will dou…

In the spring of 2023, Nordholms on the Swedish westcoast, hesitantly opened their eyes to the potential benefits of additive manufacturing. A speedy implementation came to completely revolutionize their production. What happened?

How hot is the water? What temperature is the meat? Does the child have a fever? Temperature is one of the most common measurements in our everyday life.

Energy gases such as hydrogen, biogas and biomethane, and methods for storing and using carbon dioxide play an important role in the climate and energy transition. Different areas of use have different requirements on the quality and composition of the gases, which requires chemical analyses and qu…

The ongoing electrification process highlights the need for automated systems to counter cyber attacks. Today, the mobile devices and rolling data centres that used to be called cars are potential targets for hackers. 

Climate change poses many new challenges for agriculture. The transition to a more sustainable and fossil-free agriculture must take place at the same time as food production in Sweden should increase. How can this be done while maintaining or increasing profitability?  

Measuring is about acquiring a basis for decisions. But how can we know that our measurements can be trusted? When it comes to rapid changes and dynamic events, it can be difficult.

By using our electricity grids smarter, we can reduce the environmental impact and achieve more production of renewable electricity faster. The key is more flexibility, such as producing less electricity when it is windiest.

At RISE, around 3,000 problem-solvers are tackling some of society’s most pressing challenges. Some of the practical work takes place in RISE’s innovation workshop in Uppsala, where Tomas Reilander and his two colleagues produce 40-50 new innovations a year – everything from small tools to autonomo…

Bio-based raw materials have tremendous potential in replacing fossil-based products. The problem is that with just one planet, the collected bio-based raw materials are not enough. Johanna Mossberg, head of the biorefinery and energy unit at RISE, explains how smarter, more efficient use can give …

In June 2022, the first sod was cut for what will become a new pilot hall in Örnsköldsvik for future biorefinery facilities. The hall will be a centre for RISE's biorefinery activities. At LignoCity in Bäckhammar outside Kristinehamn, a plant is being built for the production of odourless lignin. N…

The energy transition will require huge investments in grids and production over the next few decades. As new stakeholders establish themselves, the existing energy companies need to understand their roles, many of which are new to them. – “As an energy company, we have to be involved in push…

Politicians have hammered out the targets and goals, but which policy instruments work best to achieve them? A complicated municipal case reveals several conflicting objectives; how can they be comparably evaluated? A company faces its biggest ever investment decision, but does the data truly addre…