About the program
The Mistra Electrification (ME) programme was formulated in response to Mistra’s research call “Energy Transitions”. The program has a shared leadership between Energiforsk and Chalmers University of Technology. Energiforsk act program host, having responsibility for the overall management and administration, while scientific leadership is provided by Chalmers University of Technology with support from Energiforsk.
Vision and aims
The vision of the Mistra Electrification programme is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable and efficient energy system, through the creation of actionable knowledge for a feasible and fair transition.
The program will help to realize the potential for low-carbon electricity to decarbonize industry, heating and transport; inform decisions taken by government and industry; accelerate Sweden’s progress towards its energy and climate targets; and support mutual learning regarding the unfolding energy transition.
The program has three primary aims:
- To articulate technologically viable pathways and solutions to decarbonize the energy system, with particular focus on electrification and sector coupling.
- To examine what is required for low-carbon solutions to be deployed sufficiently rapidly to reduce emissions at the required pace.
- To understand how the energy transition can support development of the economy in a wider sense.
Since this involves a range of technical, socio-political, and economic issues, the program is interdisciplinary and will apply both technological analysis and social sciences. Conclusions on technological developments will be analyzed through the lens of socio-political and economic feasibility, increasing their relevance and impact.
We focus on electrification and sector coupling as prime enablers of the transition across the economy, rather than addressing power, heating, transport, and industry separately. Links between these sectors and to the electricity system are central research areas. We will study sector specific issues and embed them in an energy systems context so to understand how each of them can contribute to the transition.
Academic partners
The research in the program will be carried out by:
- Chalmers University of Technology (three divisions): Energy Technology, Physical Resource Theory and Division of Electric Power Engineering
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute
- University of Exeter
- Lund University, and
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU),
with the researchers involved representing a broad competence within energy and climate research.
Non-academic partners
- Göteborg Energi (regional utility)
- Nordion Energi (gas distributor)
- Stegra (steel producer)
- Stockholm Exergi (regional utility)
- Vasakronan (property campany)
- Vattenfall (national/international utility)
- Utilifeed (smart energy systems)
Programme Management Team
Programme Director and Leader of WP2
Filip Johnsson
filip.johnsson@chalmers.se
Vice programme director
Katja Åström
katja.astrom@energiforsk.se
Leader of WP1
Åsa Elmqvist
asa.elmqvist@energiforsk.se
Leader of WP3
Lars Zetterberg
lars.zetterberg@ivl.se
Co-leader of WP4
Patrick Devine-Wright
P.G.Devine-Wright@exeter.ac.uk
Leader of WP5
Bengt Kriström
bengt.kristrom@slu.se
Communications Lead
Daniel Hirsch
daniel.hirsch@energiforsk.se