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Scientific publications

2026/10/30

Barriers to Electrification of the Energy System: Meeting Rising Electricity Demand from Industry and Transport

Sverige har tekniken för att möta industrins och transportsektorns växande elbehov. Men otydliga tillståndsprocesser, bristande samordning och politiska konflikter riskerar att försena utbyggnaden, enligt en doktorsavhandling från Chalmers.
2026/08/19

Mapping diverse stakeholder imaginaries: using Participatory GIS to capture the critical-spatial dimensions of social acceptance

The social acceptance of low carbon energy transitions is a dynamic process concerning different low carbon energy technologies (LCETs), differentially empowered stakeholders (socio-political, market, and community), and deployment processes occurring across different spatialities and scales (international, national, regional, local). Critical-spatial approaches to social acceptance seek to capture the underlying multi-scalar socio-spatial beliefs (spatial and public imaginaries) held by different coalitions of stakeholders, and which are invoked to legitimate, or contest, the ‘acceptability’ of LCET deployment.
2026/08/14

The Impact of Sector Coupling on Climate Policy Regulations

Deep decarbonization requires electrification of energy-related processes across all sectors of the economy. This so-called sector coupling has important implications for quantity-based regulations in the electricity sector which overlap with measures that promote electricity-based technologies in other sectors, like subsidies for electric vehicles, CO2 taxes on fossil technologies, or a separate ETS in the transport and buildings sectors.

2026/08/13

Beyond S-Curves: Phases, Models, and Metrics of Growth for Policy-Driven Energy Technologies

Debates about the future of wind and solar power are often framed around a false binary: either these technologies will continue accelerating or they are already losing momentum. Both views assume that renewables follow an ideal S-curve with near-exponential expansion followed by slowdown. Using three decades of national deployment data, we show that renewables do not follow ideal S-curves. Instead, they pass through a formative phase of erratic growth, followed by takeoff and a brief period of acceleration that ends at surprisingly low levels of market penetration. Renewables then enter a prolonged steady growth phase characterised by a  cruising speed punctuated by pulses of acceleration and deceleration.

2026/08/13

Probabilistic projections of global wind and solar power growth based on historical national experience

Despite the recent surge of wind and solar power, both technologies need to accelerate to meet climate goals. Yet, there are no robust methods to assess the likelihood of such acceleration. Here we show that renewable energy deployment follows a recurring pattern across countries with prolonged periods of relatively steady growth punctuated by growth pulses....
2026/08/13

Location, location, location: optimal placement of new electricity production in the nordic energy system amidst large-scale electrification

Renewable electricity generation is expected to play a pivotal role in the global shift toward electrification. However, the inherent variability of renewable energy sources, in addition to factors such as local weather patterns and grid limitations, poses a significant challenge in terms of determining the optimal size and placement of distributed generation units. This study tackles this issue by applying a novel, high-resolution energy systems model that is tailored to the Nordic region.

2026/06/24

Soaring Electricity Prices: Is Cutting the Cable a Good Idea?

In light of sharply rising international electricity prices, Sweden as a major electricity-exporting country has considered export restrictions to protect its domestic electricity- and export-intensive industries. We employ a computable general equilibrium model calibrated to Swedish data to quantify the economy-wide impacts of export restrictions. 
2026/04/22

Supplying the Nordic electrification – Impact of local conditions

The demand for electricity in the Nordic countries is expected to increase substantially over the coming decades, driven primarily by the electrification of the industrial and transport sectors. This thesis analyzes the transformation of the energy system, with a particular focus on how local conditions, such as weather patterns, demand magnitude and flexibility, and transmission grid characteristics shape cost-optimal electrification pathways.
2026/04/08

For, against, or on the fence? Developing a critical-spatial approach to social acceptance to examine conflict over a power line in Sweden

This study used the Munga-Hamra power line proposal in Sweden as a case study. Thematic analysis revealed how the powerline was legitimated by an ‘elite’ coalition of private and public sector stakeholders. The power line was contested by a coalition of rural stakeholders including affected landowners, residents and tourism businesses. Both coalitions legitimated their positions by ‘othering’ imaginaries held by the adversary coalition (e.g., urban vs. rural). A third set of ‘neutral’ actors strategically avoided adversarial positions.
2026/04/02

Policy-driven growth of technologies to accelerate climate action

More than 70% of climate policies target low-carbon technologies, with hopes that policy support will trigger tipping points and self-reinforcing growth. In practice, however, trajectories of policy-driven technologies remain difficult to explain and anticipate because their growth is nonlinear and often constrained by backlash, policy reversals and systemic barriers. In this Perspective, we develop a framework to explain, diagnose, and anticipate the growth of policy-driven technologies through four phases.
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