Electrification puts pressure on the electricity grid – but the challenge goes deeper
As society becomes increasingly electrified, the system is getting smarter but also more vulnerable. For the transition to succeed, we need greater capacity, but also increased security, greater flexibility, and better coordination between stakeholders.
For Lisa Löfving, Head of Strategic Research and Business Development at the state-funded research institute RISE, this is one of the most obvious shifts taking place at the moment. She can clearly see how energy systems need to evolve in parallel with electrification.
– Electrification is the hottest topic right now. The focus has shifted from how we source fuel to how we build the entire electricity system. When everything becomes electrified, the entire system must be safe and robust, she says.
A more integrated energy system
As the energy system becomes more digital, the number of connected devices also increases. Electric vehicle chargers, inverters, meters, control systems and smart building solutions can help improve control and make energy use more efficient. At the same time, technical choices are taking on new dimensions: solutions need to work, remain reliable over time and fit into an energy system where an increasing number of functions are integrated with various services.
– If you just look around your home today, you might have an electric car charger, solar panels with an inverter, a smart lock system and a smart lighting system. All of them are connected to the internet. They make the system more efficient, but can also pose a security risk, says Lisa Löfving.
She underlines the importance of security being an integral part of the client’s expertise when new systems are procured and installed.
– You need to ask the right questions before entering into a contract. Where is the data stored? In which country is the server located? What security systems do you have? Simply by asking these questions, you demonstrate that you prioritise these issues, which sends an important signal, she says.
When usage determines the outcome
The challenges are not only about the technology itself, but also about how it is used. One example is RISE’s research house in Borås, where energy-efficient solutions are tested in a building that functions like an ordinary home, but with simulated occupants. Lisa Löfving has observed there how demand-controlled ventilation can reduce energy consumption by responding to actual needs rather than fixed airflow rates.
The comparison with a sister property in Varberg, occupied by a real family, also showed how strongly user behaviour can affect energy consumption. When consumption suddenly surged, it turned out that a neighbour had helped the family adjust the heat pump.
– Instead of adjusting the heating curve to make the house warmer, they had disabled the heat pump, causing the house to run on direct electric heating. This consumed around three times as much energy as it should have, Lisa Löfving says.
She believes that the use of batteries will also increase. Prices, new business models and the need for resilience make the technology attractive in both buildings and production facilities. She also calls for solutions that work at a system level.
– I think there will be far more batteries in the energy system, in buildings and elsewhere. But I would like to see a more systemic approach to batteries.
Today, many investments are driven by local needs, electricity prices and the ability to store electricity when prices are low and sell it when prices rise. For individual investors, this may be a rational approach, but Lisa Löfving would like to see more solutions where batteries also play a role in the event of disruptions, power shortages or the need for emergency power.
– One could view it as batteries being able to cut peak demand, provide flexibility and support the system. But in that case, there must also be a financial incentive to make it worthwhile, she says.
System-wide benefits require collaboration
For property owners, producers and other stakeholders to feel confident about investing, there must be a stable framework that holds up over time. When compensation models, charges and political signals keep changing, it becomes more difficult to know which solutions make the best investments.
– There needs to be a long-term perspective. You need to know that this is what things will look like ten years from now, and that these remuneration models will still apply. These are difficult decisions to make, but without long-term commitments, things will become very erratic, says Lisa Löfving.
As conditions become clearer, the scope for testing, scaling up and coordinating new solutions also increases. For RISE, this means that research, testing and practical applications need to be closely integrated. To help various stakeholders implement new solutions more quickly in real-world environments, the institute works with test beds, verification, product development and research expertise.
– Bringing the right people together and getting them to talk to one another can go a long way. What are your needs? What are our needs? How can we resolve this? I believe these discussions are key to resolving the energy issue, she says.
Looking ahead to Elfack 2027, Lisa Löfving believes that issues relating specifically to safety, flexibility, batteries and collaboration will become even more important as electrification continues.
– These are the issues I believe are significant right now, but which will become even more so in a year’s time, she says.