The electric grid of the future

The Precipice of Change – Enabling the Green Revolution

Currently, Sweden – and northern Sweden in particular – has a truly historic opportunity to develop technologies that can substantially reduce not just domestic, but global carbon emissions, through the emergence of its green industrial supercluster. Northern Sweden – a region with only half a million inhabitants, is the chosen location for some of the most transformative industrial breakthroughs in the green technology space – including the development and creation of fossil free steel, fossil free raw materials, fossil free batteries, and fossil free fertilizers.

there are a multitude of reasons why companies, including Northvolt, H2 Green Steel, Hybrit, LKAB, SSAB, Fertiberia, and Meta, are choosing to develop these extraordinary technologies in the same region of one small Nordic country, the single most important factor is the region’s plentiful renewable and competitively priced electricity. And that single most important factor also has the potential to curtail the rapid
development of these world-leading green industrial initiatives.

The capacity problem

Access to renewable energy has never been an issue in this region, but the size of the proposed projects by LKAB, H2 Green Steel, Fertiberia, and other large-scale industrial developments now requires the grid to deliver more power to a specific region (and exact location) than is currently possible. Without sufficient access to power, these industrial pioneers will leave Sweden and seek other regions with excess capacity, as time is
singularly important for the development of these green technologies. To further the possibilities for industrial expansion, Svenska Kraftnät has announced planned physical buildouts of the transmission grids, but the lead times of these projects requires interim solutions to increase the capacity of the grid prior to the completion of the buildout.

The Paradigm Shift – from Static to Dynamic

The very backbone of modern society, our electric grids, must evolve to confront the simultaneous challenges of an increasingly volatile climate, an expansion of renewable inputs, and an exponential growth in power-intensive green industries and consumer demand.

To successfully achieve this transformation, a paradigm shift is necessary – pushing electric grids to transform static techniques into dynamic and flexible systems through the unique combination of already existing and thoroughly tested technologies, including dynamic line rating, using excess capacity in existing subscriptions and via offerings of flexible disconnection subscriptions to customers all integrated into a central system together with grid and market data. It is possible to harness these technologies via the creation of a Dynamic Grid System (DGS) – a system that does not artificially predetermine the maximum capacity of the grid, but rather fully utilizes its potential through the continuous analysis of real-time data, unlocking a substantial increase in available capacity with minimal investment.

The Pilot for the Future

To fully realize the incredible opportunities of a DGS, a pilot installation should be tested in the coastal region of Norrbotten, with current rojections finding that 1 500 MWs of additional capacity could be made available by the start of 2025 for an approximate investment of 100 million SEK.

This single installation would deliver almost one third of the 5 000 MWs that Svenska Kraftnät has in connection applications for only an additional 1.2% of the total 8,4 billion SEK the complete buildout will cost – in a fraction of the time. Thus, access to at least 1 500 MWs in additional capacity will be available 5 years faster than originally planned, as compared to relying on the transmission grid buildout alone. Through the utilization of a DGS, grid operators can “buy time” before grid buildouts are complete, more effectively utilize the full potential of a buildout once finished, and empower, rather than hinder, Sweden’s green industrial revolution.

Dynamic Grid System – expected findings of pilot in costal region of Norrbotten

Total capacity increase:
1500 MW

Estimated cost:
100 MSEK

Expected completion:
2025

The Electric Grid of the Future – Click here to read full report (in Swedish)

Authors: Mats Brännström, CEO at MGB Energy Consulting, Simon Strandberg, Project Leader at STIMO, Chana Svensson, CEO at MindDig, and Ludwig Rosendal, Strategic Business Developer at MindDig.

If you have questions, please contact:

Daniel Enström, CEO, Mobilaris Group
E-mail: daniel.enstrom@mobilaris.se
Phone: +46 70 605 53 55