USER– Uppsala Smart Energy Research group
USER - Uppsala Smart Energy Research group – is highly interdisciplinary, combines applied and theoretical, as well as qualitative and quantitative, approaches and engages in extensive collaboration with the industry and other universities.
In light of the recognition that a smart grid will never be smarter than its users, the overall aim of USER is to increase general knowledge on electricity consumers’ and prosumers’ role in bringing to fruition the vision of future smart grids. The research focuses mainly on user behavior and sociotechnical aspects of flexible demand, but also decentralized generation, storage and electric vehicles as well as products and services associated therewith.
The financial platform of the research group consists of funding from the program STandUP for Energy, which is part of the Government's investments in the strategic research area energy. Other funders are presented in the descriptions of the individual research projects.
Column: The energy crisis may lead to greater efficiency
The energy crisis has the potential to spawn more active and flexible electricity consumers and thus a more efficient electricity market and use of the grid. That said, there are factors that may counter this positive development. So writes Cajsa Bartusch Kätting, researcher and leader of USER - Uppsala Smart Energy Research Group.