Energy issues more important than ever in 2022

“There has been an unusual amount of focus on energy issues in public debate throughout the year, and it has been important that the Energy Platform has been able to contribute to that in various ways. The war in Ukraine and its subsequent repercussions on the supply of energy came as something of a rude awakening to many. So, it’s important to have more neutral voices that are able to contribute with independent knowledge and, above all, encourage more long-term political planning.”

“We’re witnessing an important shift right now in which energy supply is moving up the agenda. We in academia are in agreement with business  on the need for more long-term strategies on energy supply and the need for a new political energy settlement.”

Throughout the year, we have also seen an exceptional number of energy researchers getting involved in public debate. You yourselves raised the profile of many colleagues in a new book, why?

“We’d already planned to produce a popular science book on energy together with Public & Science  and its release was incredibly well timed. It’s important to find new ways to share our knowledge and there were more examples during the year, such as the Energy Dance collaboration  between KTH Energy Platform and Stockholm University of the Arts (SKH). In both these projects my fellow director Christophe Duwig has been a driving force.”

“Proof that we are successfully reaching out was our ranking in the 2022 Energy Power List , which was announced on Dagens Industri’s ‘Energy Day’ in Almedalen.” 

The themes for this year’s KTH Energy Platform were collaboration and internationalisation. How have these themes characterised 2022?

“The year included events involving a large number of international colleagues, such as a joint seminar with Kyushu University , foreign trips, for example we participated on a KTH delegation to the US  in the spring, and we hosted international visitors, including researchers from seven Cuban universities .”

“This year’s KTH Energy Dialogue  also had the theme of internationalisation, which was highlighted by special guest keynote speaker Richard Pitts from ITER, as well as Tobias Krantz, chair of the European High-Level Group on Green Transition.”

“Our inclusion of fusion technology in the Energy Dialogue event was an example of how we want to promote energy investments that are made in the short and the long term. The event also included the PUSH  research centre, which works with hydrogen technologies, and SUNRISE , which is developing fourth generation nuclear reactors.”

You have also made a series of study visits this year, at which representatives from the Energy Platform meet energy researchers in their own labs and businesses. Why is this important?

“Study visits are very inspiring and provide an opportunity to build networks between KTH energy researchers to open up more research collaborations. This year, we had the opportunity of visiting a testbed for smart buildings , KTH Live-In Lab, research into a sustainable future  at the Materials Science and Engineering department, and developments in, for example, solar technologies  at the Department of Applied Physical Chemistry at the School of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health.”

“The latter visit gave further impetus to an idea we had had for some time about creating more space for deeper collaboration between KTH researchers in the field of solar technology. We plan to organise a workshop next year to take this initiative forward. We will also organise events in 2023 together with the Digitization Platform and the Materials Platform.”

“Lastly, I’d like to wish all KTH energy colleagues a restful Christmas and New Year period with the opportunity for a well-deserved recovery. We make a difference together and can look forward to a fast-paced 2023 where every one of us will have a role to play. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!”

As told to: Magnus Trogen Pahlén