Mundus Nordic Green News – 12 February, 2021

Sweden commissions a second hydrogen strategy

Nine months ago hydrogen was hardly a topic on anyone’s lips in Sweden. Now it has become like an industrial gold rush. And the Swedish government has commissioned its second hydrogen strategy in just weeks. We look at why in our latest Mundus Nordic Green Blog.

 

Northvolt receives another SEK 238 million for battery research in Västerås

The Minister of Trade and Industry Ibrahim Baylan announced that Northvolt will receive an additional SEK 238 million in support for the development of battery cells and the expansion of an electrification campus for battery research in Västerås. Minister Baylan advised “What we do is make sure that Västerås can be a European choice for sustainable batteries.”

 

Gothenburg company with innovative battery technology aims for the UA

Gothenburg-based Texel Energy Storage makes fully recyclable battery storage for larger use, such as vehicles and residential areas. The company is commercialising its technology for industry in the US, with an ambitious goal of eventually replacing lithium batteries for some applications. "Our technology does not contain cobalt or other unusual metals," says the company's CEO Lars Jacobsson. That and that it is up to 90% cheaper than Lithium-ion batteries makes it an interesting alternative.

 

Stena Renewable to invest SEK 4 billion in new wind farms in 2021 and 2022

Stena Renewable is in the middle of an intensive investment phase and will invest a total of SEK 4 billion in 2021 and 2022 in new wind farms around the country. The single largest investment is Vindpark Tvinnesheda in Uppvidinge municipality and Åby-Alebo in Mönsterås municipality. A total of 47 and 36 wind turbines are being built, making the park the largest wind farm in southern Sweden.

 

Norway’s Climate and Environment Minister emphasizes transition in maritime industry

Speaking at a board meeting of the Maritime Forum, Norway’s Climate and Environment Minister, Sveinung Rotvatn, underlined the transition underway in Norway. “The direction is largely set, emissions will go down, value creation will go up... We are facing a fairly extensive reorganization both in Norway and internationally, and the reorganization to eventually zero-emission shipping there is every reason to believe that it is the biggest reorganization that the industry has to go through in recent times. The good news is that it is well prepared to do so, not least in Norway. Much of this has been said before at conferences and the like, but would dare to say that this time it is a little more serious than it has been before. We know more, we want more and we know more, than we have been able, willing and said before. Firstly, it is no longer the case that we now set climate goals far in the future, that time is over. We now have binding climate targets not only ten years ahead, but for every single year for the next ten years. So we not only have climate goals for 2030, we also have for 2021, 2022, 2023, etc. “

 

Nordic countries dominate MIT climate rankings

A new report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Technology Review ranks 76 countries and territories on their progress towards building a low carbon future, ranking each country based on carbon emissions, energy transition, green society, clean innovation and climate policy. In a similar pattern to other such surveys, the Nordics did exceptionally well, taking out the top three positions, with Iceland #1, followed by Denmark and Norway. Finland was ranked #6 and Sweden #12. The top 20 positions were also dominated by European countries.

 

---