![Fig. 1 - Grid connected 10,9 kWp semi transparent PV-system. Apartment building in “Bo01 City of Tomorrow - a European housing exhibition”, Malmö, Sweden [Photo Carl Michael Johannesson, 2001]](images/swe01.jpg)
General Framework
The Swedish Energy Agency is the national authority on issues regarding the supply and use of energy. Its main task is to implement the energy policy programme approved by the Swedish Parliament in the spring of 1997. The aim of the programme is to establish an ecologically as well as economically sustainable energy system. One part of this is to promote the use of renewable energy sources such as hydropower, wind power and PV.
Elforsk – the Swedish Electrical Utilities' R&D Company is owned by Swedenergy – the Swedish trade association for production, distribution and sale of electrical power and the Swedish national grid. Elforsk is to conduct efficient R&D of importance to generation, transmission, distribution and utilisation of electricity.
The Swedish electricity supply system mainly consists of nuclear and hydropower. Wind power is still a small, but growing, part of the energy system. Energy from PV is negligible. There are a few grid connected PV systems but the main volume is the domestic-off-grid sector, typically recreational applications like remote cabins, campers, caravans and boats.
Today there are no market initiatives or regular subsidies directly promoting PV in Sweden. However, the Swedish Energy Agency is involved in developing a future system for promotion of renewable energy through green certificates. The Agency also provides funding for cost-shared Research, Development & Demonstration projects as outlined below.
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National Programme
In 1996 the Swedish Energy Agency together with the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, MISTRA, decided to start a new and merged programme for R&D on PV. The programme is called Ångström Solar Center (ÅSC) and is located at Uppsala University. The first phase had a total financing of 70 000 000 SEK, approximately 700 000 USD, and lasted until the end of 2000. The second phase started at the beginning of 2001 and will last until the end of 2004 with a total financing of 80 000 000 SEK. The overall goal of the Ångström Solar Center programme is to contribute to a future sustainable energy system and to the economic competitiveness of Sweden.
The approach is to start from an existing strong scientific platform and evolve progressively toward applications by scale-up, prototype manufacturing, and eventually, commercialization in three sub-programmes:
- Thin Film Solar Cells
- Smart Windows
- Nanostructured Solar Cells
Furthermore, the Swedish national co-financed programme on PV systems and applications, managed by Elforsk, is conducting its second three-year period (2000-2002). It primarily involves the energy and building industry. Architects represent new partners. This programme is complementary and to some extent linked to the Ångström Solar Center R&D programme. The main task is to perform development, objective analysis and information dissemination concerning technical issues, costs and applications of PV systems.
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Research, Development and Demonstration
- Research
The Ångström Solar Center R&D programme embraces three project areas as mentioned earlier. The main challenge for Phase II is to progress further along the line toward applications by scale-up, prototype manufacturing, and spin-off toward commercialization. The Thin Film Solar Cells project is technologically the one closest realization. The other projects should move along the same line. The Smart Windows project is currently ahead of the Nanostructured Solar Cells project in this respect, but the latter has interesting potential for niche applications.
The technical achievements from CIGS thin film solar cell research in Sweden include cell conversion efficiencies up to 17%, at the time making the breakthrough towards truly high performance thin film solar cells. In 2000, a sub module consisting of nine cells in series and having 16,6 % efficiency was fabricated. This is the present world record for a solar cell module of any thin film material. This has resulted from R&D efforts where the focus has been on CIGS film fabrication by co-evaporation. A large area deposition concept, suitable for mass fabrication, has been invented and patented.
Performance and cost goals shall be achieved by utilising processes and materials that minimize the impact on the environment. The aim is that the CIGS technology should be brought to a state where performance and manufacturability make it ready for large-scale commercialization.
![Fig. 2 - Installation of two roof integrated PV-systems in Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm (JM Byggnads AB). Total installed capacity 11,4 kWp semi transparent modules [photo - Jonas Hedström, Energibanken, 2001]](images/swe02.jpg)
- Development
The national programme on PV systems and applications is focused on system integration. It has in somewhat switched from an energy perspective towards a PV in buildings perspective. Architects represent new partners, but it still primarily involves energy and building industries.
The vision is that the market for PV will expand from stand-alone applications to power production through grid-connected building integrated and other decentralised PV systems. This expansion however, depends on PV systems and applications knowledge among the future industrial partners in the PV area. To fulfil the vision and contribute to the reduction of the critical PV system costs, the programme goal is to enhance knowledge about PV as an energy source as well as a building component, identify possible applications of PV and raise the commercial awareness concerning PV systems. The programme includes coverage of the rapid international development concerning PV systems in general and for grid-connected building integrated PV systems in particular. The programme does provide a basis for international exchange, such as the participation in IEA PVPS.
The programme performs evaluations of procurement, installation and start-ups for Swedish PV installations. It is also defines and implements a monitoring process for existing and future grid-connected Swedish PV-installations.
Efforts concerning PV niche applications are focused on cathodic corrosion protection of power pylons and remote controlled switchgear in electricity distribution systems. Previous results indicate that both applications could be cost-effective. The potential market is large and not limited to Sweden and further steps to realise applicable and improved system configurations are being undertaken.
A promising concept for increasing the amount of irradiation and thus lowering the cost of PV systems is the use of reflectors. The development of reflector and hybrid-concepts for PV-systems are important efforts within the programme. In addition, interesting synergies with Ångström Solar Center CIGS-modules have been identified and implemented through tests with prototype modules. The interest from the Swedish building industry is focused on building integrated PV systems. Recent program activities include information, education and development of tools for physical planning and design with PV in the built environment.
- Demonstration
A number of niche applications have been demonstrated. Demonstration of grid-connected PV systems is at present limited to a few smaller systems.
The awareness of PV in buildings has started to rise through demonstrations such as Älmhult (IKEA), Gothenburg, Kristianstad and The Nordic Ark. In the near future, we are to see further developed demonstrations of PV in buildings. One example is the results of an environmental competition concerning Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm’s largest residential building project. The winning contributions by NCC AB and JM Byggnads AB (see figures) as well as Familjebostäder and SBC will be realized and comprise PV-solutions. As PV is a promising energy source for the future, schools are a good base for implementing the technology. EU/Alterner has approved a Nordic PV School Programme. It will hopefully lead to several grid-connected PV systems on Swedish schools.
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Implementation
In Sweden, there are no general subsidies for PV, contrary to other renewable energy sources like solar thermal, wind, hydropower and biomass. The Swedish policies, which indirectly could promote the use of PV power systems, are taxes and fees related to energy production and environmental protection. The current levels of these taxes and fees, at current PV system prices, are however too low to have an impact on the PV market in Sweden. Instead, in the current pre-commercial state of PV, new installations of significant size would most likely be considered as a demonstration system and receive support from governmental funds. With this funding, the public support can be up to 50% of the innovative part of a demonstration project.
Since PV is a long term sustainable renewable energy technology the general view on PV in Sweden is positive and the interest from the industry has increased. The solid and steady progress, which has occurred during the recent years, has been noted and hopefully it will develop over the coming years. However, PV will probably not be utilized for large-scale electricity power generation within the next 5-10 years.
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Industry Status
The PV industry in Sweden consists primarily of four companies, Gällivare Photovoltaic AB, ArcticSolar AB, Sun Peak AB and Naps Sweden AB. Gällivare Photovoltaic AB, ArcticSolar AB and Sun Peak AB are producers of photovoltaic modules. They are all situated north of the Arctic Circle in Lappland. Together they offer a wide range of products of standard modules. The companies can also manufacture customer-designed modules and laminates for building integration and other special applications.
Naps Sweden AB is designing, marketing and selling products and systems based on PV modules. System controllers and the majority of solar modules are of their own design. Naps Systems has experience in consumer applications, industrial applications, rural electrification and on-grid distributed systems. Naps Systems Oy, a company in the Fortum Group, owns the company.
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Market Development
The total installed capacity during 2000 was 221 kWp, which is approximately the same as in 1999. The main volume of the Swedish PV market is in the domestic-off-grid sector. More than 90% of the installations during 2000 were in this category. By the end of 2000, the total cumulative installed capacity in Sweden was about 2,8 MWp.
No grid-connected system was installed during 2000. Several projects are, however, planed for the coming years, i.e. approximately 80 kWp grid-connected installations are planned in Hammarby Sjöstad. The main part of the system components is imported and the dominant fraction, around 95%, of the Swedish module production is exported. The module production was approximately 2 MWp /year (50% monocrystalline and 50% multicrystalline) in 2000, but is expected to increase to 4 MWp /year in 2001 and 12 MWp /year in 2002 when ArcticSolar AB and Sun Peak AB have expanded their capacity.
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Future Outlook
The high quality research and development that is carried out at Ångström Solar Center will continue. The ÅSC programme is highly relevant for the Swedish Energy Agency since it deals with important issues for a future sustainable energy system and potential commercial ventures beneficial to Sweden.
In the near future we are probably going to see new initiatives bringing PV closer to the commercial on-grid electricity market. These initiatives could be realized in co-operation between traditional and partly new but essential actors, such as architects and building companies, which can make a contribution to market development driven by other factors than energy prices.
This, together with enhanced user oriented knowledge, through the national co-financed programme on PV systems and applications, will form the basis for future initiatives in Sweden.
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Further reading about Sweden
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