Programme manager and owner
Swedish Energy Agency

Programmes
Biomass Programme - Sustainable Supply and Refining of Solid Biofuel
Small-Scale Heat Supply using Biofuels
KME - The Consortium for Material Technology for Thermal Energy Processes
SGC - Development programme for gas fuel technology
Energy System Programme
Värmeforsk’s basic programme
TPS’s programme for energy plants

Facility Programmes
Växjö Värnamo Biomass Gasification Centre
Ethanol Research and Development Plant
Competence Centre for Black Liquor Gasification

Background

The Swedish Energy Agency is the national authority responsible for implementing practically all the government’s energy related policy decisions. The mission of the Swedish Energy Agency is to promote the development of Sweden’s energy system so that it will become ecologically and economically sustainable. The Agency:

• works to ensure that energy matters are automatically taken into account in relevant social sectors
• supports the achievement of the national climate targets
• promotes an energy system that is economical on resources and energy efficient, and that uses an increasing proportion of renewable energy sources
• works to ensure that there is a safe and reliable energy supply
• works for efficient energy markets in which customers have a strong position.

The Swedish Energy Agency is also responsible for providing the government with analyses of policy-related measures, short and long term supply and demand prognoses, etc.

Research administration

The Swedish Energy Agency is responsible for implementing short and long term R&D actions. There are clear requirements for the results of research to find implementation in industry and society as a whole. Work should also be concentrated on areas in which Sweden has the greatest potentials. Greater importance is therefore attached to working with industry and other intended users of the results.

The Swedish Energy Agency takes instructions from, and report to, the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications. Swedish authorities have a unique independency from their ministries and with regard to energy R&D. For example, the Swedish Energy Agency independently defines and decides on R&D priorities, the choice of instruments, as well as all individual project funding decisions. The ministry’s steering of the R&D is done solely in the form of policy and budgetary decisions.

The Swedish Energy Research Programme

The Swedish Energy Research Programme has a total budget of more than 85 million Euros annually. Various undertakings are financed within the Programme, including basic and applied research and the technical development and demonstration of new technology in the energy sector, as well as the commercialization and utilization of the results. Work is conducted in six theme areas:

• Fuel Based Energy Systems 
• Energy System Studies
• the Building as an Energy System 
• the Transport Sector 
• Energy Intensive Industry 
• the Power System.

Technologies related to renewable energy sources, and particularly to bioenergy, belong to the theme area Fuel Based Energy Systems, which is a prioritized R&D area. Targets for research in the Fuel thematic area are: 

• increasing the availability of biomass fuels
• improving the cost and resource efficiency of the entire biomass fuel chain from raw material to finished product 
• increasing electricity yield 
• commercialisation of the technology

For every theme area, there is a unit known as a development platform. This consists of about 15-20 people and brings together both external expertise and experts from the Agency. The development platforms identify the needs of end users and ensure that the work has the full support and understanding of the clients concerned. They also provide business intelligence analysis.

Within each of these areas, research is organised mostly into specific programmes, the number of which can vary with time, depending upon identified research needs. During 2006, about 40 programmes have been running. In addition to them, a number of individual projects are also in progress.

Contact Point
Åsa Karlsson
Swedish Energy Agency
P.O. Box 310
631 04 Eskilstuna
Sweden
Phone: +46 16 544 2342
Fax: +46 16 544 2099
E-mail: asa.karlsson@energimyndigheten.se

For general information: http://www.energimyndigheten.se/ (English version available)

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