Ongoing Research projects

Being an island, Gotland is one of the regions in Sweden experiencing capacity shortage in the electricity grid, which means using the grid more efficiently is crucial to enable electrification and increase she share of renewables. Against this background, the overarching aim of the project is to investigate the need and potential for flexibility in the energy system on Gotland, as well as the resulting implications for a rapid energy transition. Two PhD students will address this societal challenge from two different, but highly interdependent, perspectives as part of Uppsala University Graduate School in Sustainability Studies (GRASS).

Project period: August 2025 – July 2029

Project manager: Simon Davidsson Kurland, Department of Earth Sciences

Main funder: Uppsala University Graduate School in Sustainability Studies (GRASS), Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering and Management and Department of Earth Sciences

Project participants and partners: Energicentrum Gotland

Resource-efficient buildings require commitment from electricity consumers, but attempts to influence them in this direction are often based on simplified analyses, assuming, for example, that electricity consumers are similar in their motivations, including how they are affected by price signals. An alternative is to see the electricity market as a system of niches, differing in what they need to do, how they are impacted by price signals and the drivers and barriers they face. In the project, we use statistical algorithms to identify niches of consumers based on electricity consumption data, to determine in each niche i) the best measures that each niche can take for increasing flexibility and to promote resource-efficient buildings ii) how existing price signals affect the niches; iii) what driving forces and obstacles exist, and iv) at what stage they are in terms of changing their behavior in the desired direction. Policy measures can then be better tailored to the situations.

Project period: mars 2024 – december 2028

Project manager: Peter Juslin, Department of Psychology

Main funder: Swedish Energy Agency as part of the program “Resurseffektiv bebyggelse” (Resource-efficient built environment)

Project participants and partners: USER and Göteborg Energi

The purpose of the project is to develop and test communication and control technology as well as combined parking and charging tariffs and a related mobile app for public smart charging and V2G. Development and pilot tests are carried out in a laboratory and on a charging station at Uppsala University. The subsequent field tests are carried out at a mobility house with smart charging poles, solar cells and energy storage. As part of the development process, the aim is also to increase knowledge about economic, social-psychological and legal factors that influence EV drivers' inclination and opportunity to engage in smart charging and V2G. The development is inspired by user-centred design and the questions are addressed interdisciplinary with a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The project is carried out in close collaboration between academia, the private and public sector. The goal is to pave the way for EV drivers as suppliers of flexibility in local power grids.

Project period: January 2025 – December 2027

Project manager: Cajsa Bartusch, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering

Main funder: Swedish Energy Agency as part of the program “Hållbara transportsystem” (Sustainable transport systems)

Project participants and partners: USER, Department of Electrical Engineering, Department of Law, Department of Chemistry – Ångström Laboratory, RISE, STUNS Energi, Uppsala Parkering, ChargeNode

The research program “Resistance and power – On smart grids for the many people” addresses social science questions related to the electricity system and its transition, and contributes to the development of new strategies, regulations, and policies. During the second phase of the program, the home is the main focus and starting point for studies on everyday electricity use, incorporating social, technical, economic, and political perspectives. The research conducted by USER within the program addresses price signals and policy instruments for increased demand-side flexibility, as well as the goal conflicts that arise in this context. The primary policy instruments for this purpose are dynamic grid tariffs and electricity trading contracts. In the wake of the energy crisis, consumer awareness and motivation to be part of the solution have increased. However, there are factors that risk slowing this development—for example, conflicting price signals from capacity tariffs and spot prices, as well as a lack of standardization across several areas. At the same time, electricity consumers form a heterogeneous group with varying needs, conditions, and willingness to participate. Against this background, we address, among others, the following research questions:

How can we design an effective price signal that reflects both the real-time capacity of the grid and the current spot price?

How can we develop standardized solutions and pricing models that increase demand flexibility while being tailored to different segments of electricity consumers?

How do electricity consumers perceive the roles and responsibilities of different actors in the energy transition and in the climate-smart energy system of the future?

Can a new actor - in the form of a local, non-profit, and independent “flexibility coordinator” - help activate flexibility resources among different groups of electricity consumers?

Read more about the program here: Resistance and power – on smart grids for the many people - Linköping University

Project period: January 2025 – December 2027

Program management: The program is jointly led by Cajsa Bartusch, Uppsala University; Cecilia Katzeff, KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Ulf Melin and Harald Rohracher, Linköping University; Jenny Palm, Lund University; and Björn Sandén, Chalmers University of Technology.

Main funder: the Kamprad Family foundation as part of the program Resistance and power – on smart grids for the many people

We are facing several crises simultaneously: We have not yet seen the end of the effects of the pandemic, we are in the middle of a climate crisis and now we also face an energy crisis as a result of the war in Ukraine. The Swedish energy system is a well-built system with a high resilience, but can be vulnerable when parts of the system collapse. In case of a crisis, it is possible that the amount of available energy quickly drops. How vulnerable is our system in case of a crisis? How much energy can we save by reducing our level of comfort? And how willing are people to sacrifice part of their comfort to support the energy system in times of crisis? Researchers from the Swedish Defence University and Uppsala University will collaborate in an attempt to answer these questions in four different crisis scenarios. The results of this project will support in building a more resilient electricity system in Sweden, with better preparedness for future energy crises.

Project period: January 2024 – December 2026

Project manager: Vera van Zoest, Swedish Defence University

Main funder: Swedish Energy Agency as part of the program “Framtidens Elsystem” (Electricity systems of the future)

Project participants and partners: USER and Swedish Defence University

Demand flexibility plays a key role in the transition toward a more sustainable power system, where flexibility on the demand side can create value in multiple ways. Today, electricity prices are mainly used as the control signal for consumers who wish to contribute flexibility, while the grid tariff is rarely made visible to the customer. This can make it difficult for electricity consumers to contribute to increased flexibility. This project serves as a preparatory study for a larger pilot project. Its aim is to develop a unified economic incentive that promotes greater demand flexibility through an hourly price signal that accounts for both grid and electricity market benefits. The development of this price signal will consider how forward-looking and residual costs can be allocated based on the consumer’s grid usage, degree of flexibility, and use of technologies and services such as microgeneration and energy storage.

Project period: March 2025 – December 2025

Project manager: Cajsa Bartusch, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering

Main funder: Energiforsk as part of the program “Elnätens hållbara teknikutveckling och digitalisering” (Sustainable technological development and digitalisation of electricity grids)

Project participants and partners: USER, Sala-Heby Energi, Sweco and Ngenic

This project aims to synthesize existing research concerning the public acceptance of measures aimed at the decarbonization of buildings. Whether these policies pursue energy efficiency or demand flexibility, their success or failure ultimately depends on the extent to which their subjects approve and engage with them. The study will be based on two pillars – 1) A synthesis of public acceptance concerning energy-related interventions in buildings 2) A review of methodological approaches from various studies of public acceptance that can be applied in the context of energy-efficiency in buildings. The first pillar aims to identify and highlight gaps and research questions for future studies while the second aims to provide a “toolkit” that could aid future research in the study of these questions. In combination, both these tasks aim to provide a foundation for studies on how to foster public acceptance of policies aimed at improving the energy performance of buildings.

Project period: January 2025 – December 2025

Project manager: Fouad El Gohary, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering

Main funder: Swedish Energy Ageny as part of the program “Resurseffektiv bebyggelse” (Resource-efficient built environment)

Project participants and partners: Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering and Department of Psychology