Energy
Citizens of Europe need energy to move around, be safe and to live their daily lives. As cities expand, so does the demand for energy. Urban energy is required for everything from providing citizens with water, heating and cooling, to other community functions such as powering homes, electrical vehicles, traffic control systems and communications.
“We have an obligation to always point out the alternatives that exist to allow the customer to become more energy efficient and even more climate-smart.”
The road to electrification is within reach. An important step towards net zero carbon emissions. Many new technologies can help us both to use energy smarter and increase energy efficiency to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Magnus Lindén, energy expert at Sweco, tells us more about all the innovations he and his teams are currently working on.

Solar Energy Resilience – Emergency power from solar panels during blackouts
The first stage of building greater resilience minimises the impact of a supply crisis and increases the effectiveness of response in emergency situations. A resourceful society must, therefore, guarantee autonomous and diversified access to basic resources. A good example of this is creating greater resilience for households.
The Urban Insight study ‘Solar energy resilience: emergency power from solar panels during blackouts’ highlights the role of solar power in mitigating the disruption caused by power outages. In this study, Sweco analyses how resilience could be enhanced through the installation of residential solar-energy panels and emergency inverters.
Few people are aware that solar panels do not work during a power outage. If all new residential solar-energy installations installed from 2023 to 2028 incorporate emergency inverters, then 8% of all nine studied European country’s population could have access to electricity during power outages.

Resource-based communities, from wasteful to resourceful – optimising energy, water and food systems
In the Urban Insight White Paper ‘Resource-based communities’, Sweco experts explore the importance of collective production and the optimisation of food, water and energy supply through principles and good practices that go beyond the crisis situation and seek to generate systemic change. By presenting best practices from across Europe, experts showcase how best to strengthen supply networks and build resilient communities by optimising energy, water and food systems.

Report: Energy transition: how can you contribute?
The report “Energy Transition: How Can You Contribute?” studies the factors that can effectuate real change in energy consumers’ contribution to the energy transition. In this Urban Insight report Sweco experts team up with scientists to reveal how you can support the energy transition in your daily life.

Report: Beyond the Tipping Point: Future Energy Storage
To limit global warming to below 2°C energy storage capacity needs triple by 2050. Today, only 3 percent of the power capacity is being stored. The report Beyond the Tipping Point: Future Energy Storage explores opportunities associated with energy storage, its role in climate change mitigation, and how misconceptions affect the implementation of new technologies.

Report: Race to Electrification – Norway in Pole Position
The report “Race to Electrification – Norway in Pole Position” analyses the measures required to achieve 100 per cent electrification. The report identifies several possible measures for electrifying the transport, building and industry sectors and summarises the costs and benefits of electrification, using the ongoing electrification in Norway for illustrative purposes.

Report: Reduce, re-use and reimagine – sustainable energy consumption in the city
The report “Reduce, re-use and reimagine – sustainable energy consumption in the city” explores how different techniques can be applied to re-use energy, minimising emissions and waste.

Report: The Limits to Renewable Energy
What would a world with a 100 per cent renewable energy mix look like? And which are the limits to integrate renewable energy? The Urban Insight report The Limits to Renewable Energy explores the use of renewables today and the obstacles for further expansion.

Report: Electricity: how long could we survive without it?
The report Electricity: how long could we survive without it? explores how our cities would be affected by long power outages and how vulnerability to power failures can be reduced.
