Articles in system innovation

How do you prepare an educational organisation for a future characterised by rapid change, technological development and uncertainty? For Folkuniversitetet, Region West, the answer was to look beyond traditional planning and strengthen the organisation's future-readiness, with support from RISE.

We are now accustomed to charging stations refuelling our cars with energy, but what if the growing fleet of electric cars could also feed energy back into the grid when needed? So-called vehicle-to-grid technology could be a future solution that both contributes to a more stable electricity system and offers a number of advantages for households.

In order to break the cycle of decline in residential areas, various stakeholders from the business community, public sector, academia and civil society must collaborate. While this is easier said than done, positive development has been achieved in Tynnered thanks to the strong commitment of many stakeholders.

Sweden's food supply system has been designed for efficiency, not crisis management. However, climate change, pandemics and geopolitical unrest have exposed the fragility of the system. It is not only a question of what we will eat if the worst happens, but also of whether we are prepared to deal with it.

Can innovation contribute to a better life for people while also creating a sustainable society? Innovation expert Dennis Pamlin explains why we need to abandon the 'fossil-free typewriter tactic' and innovate with people at the heart of it. Seniortorget in Umeå is a prime example of this approach in action.

On match days at Eleda Stadium, huge volumes of people, food and drink move efficiently through the stadium. Malmö FF is now the first football club in Sweden to receive environmental certification.

Climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and intense, even in cold countries like those in the Nordic region. This creates new challenges for our buildings, which are designed to retain heat rather than release it. RISE is addressing this pressing issue from several angles.

When regulations change rapidly, it can be difficult for companies to keep up. For the outdoor brand Silva, joining the Chemicals Group at RISE provided both expertise and structure. The result is a more systematic approach to chemicals that supports sustainability while also strengthening competitiveness.

There is much to suggest that society as a whole is in the midst of a transformation that will sweep away our institutions, norms and social systems to make way for something entirely new. Scary, according to some. Exciting, according to the experts at RISE. Here they explain why a caterpillar is a better source of inspiration than a machine, and why organisations should be seen as projects with an expiry date.

Questions about long-term conditions, market development, and innovative solutions are central when RISE brings together stakeholders from across the energy sector to discuss the future energy system.

Water is essential for human life, social development and economic growth. Despite this, access to clean water is often taken for granted - especially in countries like Sweden, where water supplies have long been stable, secure and affordable. But in an era of climate change, geopolitical turmoil, growing investment debt and digital vulnerabilities, the water sector faces new and complex challenges.

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology allows energy from an electric vehicle to be sent back to the grid. This can benefit businesses and individuals, as well as society as a whole. The challenge now is to get all the technical solutions and new business models in place to enable commercial deployment.

If Sweden needs to generate more energy, improving efficiency is the cheapest, fastest and most environmentally friendly way. Perhaps a successful concept in Switzerland could encourage more Swedish companies to replace energy-hungry machinery and outdated lighting?

.Two major global crises in a short space of time. The coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine have highlighted the need for greater food security. This is to ensure that we can all put food on the table even when global transport chains are disrupted. And striving for greater self-sufficiency can bring new business even in normal times.

As the green transition accelerates, the need for energy storage is increasing. Hydrogen storage and batteries are seen as particularly important technologies. Building an energy storage facility is a big investment - but there are also opportunities to save and make money.

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. 

Test and demonstration environments open previously closed doors - in more ways than one. They test the solutions of the future, while bringing together players from different industries and sectors. – For the green transition to gain momentum, several actors from different disciplines need to work together," says Per Lindquist, acting CTO at RISE.

Reducing the demand for electricity can both strengthen the competitiveness of businesses and save money for households. "There are a number of quick fixes that can be taken, but to really make a difference, energy efficiency improvements are needed at the system level," says Sara Bargi, project manager at RISE.

European households are rapidly phasing out fossil fuel heating, and one of the key pieces of the puzzle is heat pump technology. In Sweden, the technology is already being used in record numbers of homes. Heat pumps are also a way to create more flexibility in electricity use – something that an electrified society will need.

There is great potential for district heating companies to strengthen their sector-coupling to the electricity grid by participating in ancillary service markets. In addition to profitability for the district heating companies, this contributes to a better and more stable electricity grid.

The consequences of climate change, such as wildfires, torrential rain, and floods, can be very costly. The possibility is now being investigated of introducing so-called climate resilience certificates, a system that shows the climate risks linked to a property, and which can help property owners reduce their vulnerability and allow banks and insurance companies to better assess risks. 

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.

Local electricity markets where you get paid to be flexible is one way of contributing to solving the energy challenges of the future.

Protecting one's business against future threats is difficult because no one knows exactly what will happen, or when it will happen. But with the help of the interdisciplinary field of foresight, it is easier to both look ahead in time, and to determine the decisions that need to be made in order for that future to be as favourable as possible.

When facing major societal changes, new innovation tools are required. System demonstrators constitute such a tool, and they are used to understand what it takes to bring about a transition – by considering all the aspects required to solve a problem at the system level. There are myriad examples within social care, healthcare, and welfare of how system demonstrators can provide an overview of complex challenges.

Allowing tenants to hire the property company’s vehicles, which are otherwise not being used, seems like an obvious solution in a time when we need to make significantly better use of our resources. Current regulations, however, impose too high a threshold to even attempt such a solution. In a research project, RISE now wants to test how this car sharing model could work, along with what relaxed regulations could entail. “The current legislation is very outdated,” says Thomas Axelsson from Ezeride, one of the participating companies in the project. “Sweden is basically the only country in Europe that still has a regulated car rental market.”

Large parts of the wind power expansion in Sweden are being funded by a new kind of stakeholder. A trend that is expected to grow stronger as large global capital flows seek green net zero investments. – “We’re very much in a position to accomplish something that the rest of the world can benefit from,” says Jonas Bergqvist, Focus Area Manager Energy Systems of the Future at RISE.

Sweden needs to increase its electricity production by the equivalent of about 300,000 electrically heated houses. Each year. An increase that is guaranteed to rattle electricity market producers and consumers alike. – “Permit processes, market models and price areas may all need to be overhauled to create the right conditions for this increase,” says Jan Djurström, Unit Manager Electrical Power Systems at RISE.