From side project to TV4 news
What happens when research prototypes are shared openly with the public? For Björn Hedin, Lecturer at the department of Learning in Engineering Science, the result was national media coverage and lively public discussions about energy use.
Björn Hedin leads the project “Feel the Energy! Tactile Learning for Everyday Energy Use,” which explores how physical and digital tools can help people better understand their energy consumption and its climate implications. Over time, he developed several visual interfaces illustrating everything from household energy use to revenue flows from different electricity sources.
Last autumn, he gathered these tools on his personal website hedin.it. One visualization showed annual revenue on the electricity spot market for different power sources such as wind, hydro and nuclear. When he posted it in the Facebook group “Elpriser i Sverige”, the reaction was immediate.
A group member forwarded the post to a journalist at Dagens PS, resulting in two articles. The next day, TV4 News reached out, and within two days Björn was giving a live morning interview from his kitchen.
"I’m passionate about questioning 'established truths' about energy and climate when they don’t match the data. Sharing a more accurate picture with the public is part of my mission", Björn says.
His outreach continued to spark interest. A 3D model visualizing heating needs across Sweden gathered over a thousand likes and prompted active debate.
Björn’s experience shows how small, curiosity-driven initiatives can lead to real societal impact when shared beyond academia.