the Climate crisis is acute. The whole of our society must be, in all areas. Wind power provides a large and immediate carbon reduction through electricity exports, while laying the foundations for a far-reaching electrification in Sweden.
unlike new nuclear power – which is not only going to be 2-3 times more expensive, but also take a much longer time to build, wind power can quickly reduce emissions. Nevertheless, weighing the benefit to the climate very easily in local decision-making processes and in the environmental assessment.
In the short term, there is no problem. The blocköverskridande energiöverenskommelsen 2016 created safe boundaries and led to extensive investments. Between 2018 and 2022 is expected that wind power more than doubled, from 17 to 35 TWh. Thereafter, development is more uncertain.
the Swedish energy agency, writes in his vindkraftsstrategi 2018 applications ”are perceived as increasingly difficult, longer, more expensive, and with very uncertain outcomes”. And the environmental protection agency and the Swedish energy agency is worried that ”there will be very few new permits and many applications are rejected or reduced down during the process”.
unlike new nuclear power – which is not only going to be 2-3 times more expensive, but also take a much longer time to build, wind power can quickly reduce emissions.
If the increase is allowed to continue at the current rate (4.7 TWh a year), we get the overall just over 70 TWh of wind power in the year 2030. It is clearly more than the nuclear power generation during the last year, and it is well in line with the Energy scenario with the 90 TWh of wind power in 2040.
The crucial question is when the large-scale deployment should take place.
One option being discussed is to shoot up the roll-out to the mid 2030’s, when the electrification is growing and nuclear power is gradually phased out.
• the Wind power reduces the immediate carbon emissions, in the rest of Europe. Nearly half, 48 percent, of the electricity supply in the neighbouring countries we are directly connected with the electricity system based on fossil sources such as coal, oil and gas. For each additional TWh of wind power, increased electricity exports, reducing carbon emissions, with around 600 000 tonnes. The more transmission and storage capacities are being expanded, the greater will be the climate benefits.
• Wind energy plays a crucial role for a climate-smart electrification of the Swedish transport sector and industry. For each additional TWh of wind power replacing fossil fuels in transport and industry emissions can also be reduced by about 600 000 tonnes. If we on the other hand elektrifierar without increasing the generation of electricity, reduced our electricity and emissions in our neighbouring countries is increasing.
With 70 TWh of wind power in the year 2030, we get, after the closure of the nuclear reactors Ringhals 1 and 2, a net increase of electricity production of 45 TWh.
This expanded electricity generation can reduce carbon emissions by around 27 million tonnes by the year 2030 – the equivalent of just over 50 per cent of Sweden’s current emissions, and (if you also count into the existing electricity exports) more than the supposed emissions in the year 2030.
If you instead let the vindkraftsutbyggnaden go on the back burner to the middle of the 2030s will be the cumulative emissions of 70 million tonnes to the year 2030 and 190 million tonnes larger in 2040. It is almost four times as much as Sweden’s total annual emissions.
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the New wind power in Sweden survive entirely without government support, because production costs have plummeted at the same time as the increased costs of coal power in Europe has pushed up the price of electricity.
The Swedish vindkraftsutbyggnaden means new jobs, tax revenue to both the state and local governments, and enhanced the competitiveness of Swedish industry through the wind power is pushing the price of electricity. It also means that electricity supply can be secured if more nuclear power, for economic or safety reasons, must be removed from service prematurely.
of New wind power in Sweden survive entirely without government support, because production costs have plummeted at the same time as the increased costs of coal power in Europe has pushed up the price of electricity.
There is an almost total consensus among the political parties. Not only the social democrats, the green Party, the Centre party and the Liberals but also Moderates, the Christian democrats and the Left party emphasises elexportens benefit to the climate.
But these stance has not yet had an impact in practice. Wind power and electricity exports are included neither in the Swedish climate targets or when the government and authorities to take decisions aimed at reducing our carbon footprint. Elexportens benefit to the climate is not mentioned in the environmental protection agency’s new climate information to the government. And still weighing the climate benefits very easy when municipalities, miljöprövningsdelegationer and environmental courts taking a position on new wind power projects.
1 Utbyggnadsmål to 2030. the environmental protection agency and the Swedish energy agency is now working out a national strategy for sustainable wind energy development. There should be a national utbyggnadsmål of at least 70 TWh of wind power by 2030, with a continued high rate of network expansion.
2 Calculate and report. the Swedish energy agency should be tasked with continually calculating and reporting which electricity now and in the future are being pushed aside of the Swedish exports of electricity and the emission reductions, this means.
3 Regional planning. the County administrative boards have been tasked by the government that by October of this year to adopt new climate and energy plans for the county. At present, only a few provinces/regions who have goals for wind power. The county administrative boards and regions should establish specific goals for the wind, and try to remove obstacles for the deployment.
4 Municipal commitment. , the Municipalities have a key role, because they in general indicates suitable areas for wind power and must approve each individual wind farm. A TWh of wind power can ”compensate” for the annual emissions for about 60 000 inhabitants of the municipality (10 tonnes konsumtionsbaserade emissions per person). To facilitate the vindkraftsutbyggnaden is likely to be the most simple and effective klimatåtgärd a municipality can make a decision on.
5 Global carbon reduction in the environmental code. the Government should urgently implement the Climate policy of the council proposal on ”bringing climate change considerations in the environmental code, portalparagraf”. In addition, should the global carbon reduction is given greater weight in the permit process by an extra addition in the environmental code (chapter 2 section. 7 §).
Klimatinitiativet Powering Past Coal Alliance, to which Sweden is a member, has ruled that coal power in the industrialized countries must be phased out by 2030 if we are to achieve Parisavtalets temperature objective. Individual EU states have already taken the decision to phase out well over half of the coal power.
Sweden has very good conditions for wind power. We have hydro power as regulating power, good opportunities to export electricity and we are a windy and sparsely populated country with very low investment costs for wind power.
The Swedish wind power can immediately reduce the emissions in our neighbouring countries, and then ensure that the electrification in Sweden are carried out with renewable electricity generation, but emissions in the neighbouring countries is increasing. For the climate and our future’s sake, we cannot afford to wait!
