Sweden

Highlights in 2019
Highlights in 2019

 

High impact innovation activity triggered by MI

  • Increased efforts for connecting start-ups with investors.
  • Increased efforts on long-term, researcher-initiated clean energy research.
  • The Avoided Emissions Framework.
  • The participation in the MICalls.
  • Increased Swedish activities on heating and cooling for IC7 and relevant IEA TCP’s.

Impact of your national clean energy innovation activity

The Swedish efforts on clean energy research and innovation consist of several different programmes. One of the largest is the Energy R&I Programme of the Swedish Energy Agency; with a budget of about 1,500 million SEK in 2019. The programme is regularly reported and followed up in the governments annual budget bill; e.g. as to quality and quantity, resulting scientific papers, doctoral dissertations, pilot and demonstration results etc.

Individual programmes within the SEA activities are regularly evaluated.

The activities with Strategic Innovation Programmes have been evaluated with good results.

The efforts on innovation and product development support for SME’s were evaluated during 2019 with good results.

The general development of the Swedish energy systems is reported annually in the publication on energy indicators (Energiindikatorer).


Update on clean energy innovation policies and strategies

The Swedish Parliament has set the following goals:

  • The Swedish electricity supply should be 100 % renewable by 2040.
  • The energy use should be 50% more efficient by 2030 relative to 2005, in terms relative to the GDP.
  • Net zero Swedish emissions of Greenhouse gases to the atmosphere in 2045; negative net emissions thereafter.

An agreement between four political parties form the basis of the government, and includes action like the following:

  • Easier and more profitable to invest in renewable energy for your own use, e.g. in solar PV and solar heating, or in sea-based wind power.
  • Infrastructure for charging and for filling vehicles with fossil free fuels are to be expanded.
  • Sale of petrol or diesel-powered cars should not be allowed after 2030.
  • Taxes on work and commercial activities to be lowered in exchange for increased environmental taxes.
  • Investment support for pilot plants achieving negative climate emissions to be implemented.

The stated ambition of the Government is that Sweden should be the first fossil-free developed nation.

During 2020, the government plans to submit a bill on research and innovation policy, and a separate one on energy research and innovation policy.


Major innovation initiatives and programmes in 2019/20

Support for technology to reduce the GHG emissions of the process industry was established in 2017 with an annual budget of 300 million SEK. For 2019, the budget was increased to 600 million SEK per annum, including 100 million SEK for pilot projects to achieve negative CO2 emissions.

The Swedish National Energy Research and Innovation Programme is administered by the Swedish Energy Agency (SEA) and is focused on clean and efficient, sustainable energy solutions, products and services. The budget for 2018 was about 1.55 billion SEK; a slight increase.

The support to small and medium sized companies for product development and innovation was evaluated during 2019 with excellent results.

Contributions to the capital of the GreenTech Venture Capital Fund continues to be added.

The government Innovation Partnership Programmes will be continued and expanded.

Three R&I funding agencies collaborate on a programme of Strategic Innovation Programmes. Among the programmes are Re:Source (on solutions for circular materials flow, reducing waste and energy use) and Viable Cities (aiming to have nine Swedish climate neutral cities or communities by 2030).

Several conferences and workshops to connect innovative companies with venture capital have been arranged; among them the Swedish Sustaintech Venture Day, and the Cleantech Forum 2019.


Private sector engagement in 2019/20

The programme on energy research and innovation has, in itself, substantial collaboration and co-financing from industry and other stakeholders. The total project budgets are provided by the Swedish Energy Agency to 43% and by other stakeholders by 57%. I.e. the total amount paid out from the Programme in 2019 was 1,247 million SEK; corresponding to a total project budget of 2,900 million SEK.

The part of the programme focusing on innovation and product development for SME’s are entirely targeted on the private sector.

The investments from the Green Innovation Fund goes to the private sector.

The so-called Strategic Innovation Programmes, some of which addresses energy issues, rests on the active engagement and participation of the private sector.


Major activities in support of the Innovation Challenges in 2019/20

Sweden participates actively in IC1, IC5 and IC7; and follows the work in IC2, IC4 and IC6.

In IC5, Sweden has worked with EC to develop a global roadmap for solar fuels (in progress). An Action Plan of fundable R&D activities has been published

Sweden participates in the implementation of the MICalls and leads the work together with Austria.

Sweden contributes with the Avoided Emissions Framework project.

Sweden contributes actively to the UN global leadership group on climate transition in heavy industry.

Sweden has carried out two innovation competition in the A Challenge from Sweden programme. The second led to three winners being announced in the summer of 2019. The programme and its approach to the promotion of innovation is now under evaluation.

Robert Andrén, the Director General of the Swedish Energy Agency, is currently a vice chair of the MI Steering Committee.


Other Mission Innovation related activity in 2019/20

The Government has given the Swedish Energy Agency the special task of promoting private investments in new products, services and innovations. This has a direct relation to the MI. Partly as a result, Breakthrough Energy Ventures has invested in the Swedish company Climeon.

In February 2019, the SEA arranged the Sweden Sustaintech Venture Day with the aim of connecting innovative SME’s with investors. The event was planned for 70 investors, but more than 200 turned up.

In May 2019, the Swedish Energy Agency was the host of the Cleantech Forum. The meeting was held in Stockholm and gave the opportunity for more than 400 non-Swedish investors to meet Swedish industry as well as more than 40 Swedish start-ups.

Sweden has participated in the first year of the MI Champions programme.


National plans and priorities for clean energy innovation

In 2020, the Government will present a bill on Research and Innovation Policy for the period 2021 – 2024. A parallel bill on Energy Research and Innovation for 2021 – 2024 is also planned. Resources, focus areas, etc. will be discussed and proposed in these bills.


New Collaborations

Comfort & Climate Box
SE, EC, IT, UK, NL, FR, US, NO, KR, CH, JP, FI, AT, DE, DK, CA, BE, IEA HPT &ECES collaboration with IC7
Integrated systems consisting of heat pumps and storage are an important technological option to accelerate the use of renewable energy for heating and cooling.
Sectors: public-private
Type of collaboration: research and innovation
Start date: Q4 2018
End date: Q2 2021
Funding amount: €530 000 SE budget

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MI Call
SE, AT, DE, DK, FI, IN, UK, IT
Joint R&D call for projects on energy storage solutions
Sectors: public-private
Type of collaboration: research, development, demonstration and innovation
Start date: Q2 2019
End date: Q4 2023
Funding amount: €22.5M total, €2M SE budget

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Battery 2030+
EU Countries
SE coordinates EU Large-scale Research Initiative on battery research
Sectors: public-public; public-private
Type of collaboration: large-scale, long-term research
Start date: 2019
End date: ongoing

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SUNRISE merging efforts with CSA ENERGY-X to the joint initiative on SUN-ERGY
IC5, EC; 8 MI countries
SE participates in EU Large-scale Research Initiative on the production of fuel and chemicals from sunlight.
Sectors: public-public
Type of collaboration: large-scale, long-term research
Start date: 2019
End date: 2020 (first step)
Funding amount: €1M from the EC

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