SUES-DIGIT Strategic development of multi-stakeholder comprehensive plans due to the societal transformation and electification focus in Skaraborg region – leveraging digitalisation

A transformation of society is underway. Breaking our dependence on fossil fuels to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Electrification is one way to contribute to the transformation with a basis in renewable sources. There are also other fossil free energy sources.

Energy from all these types of sources are produced and distributed in energy systems impacting muntiple actors on many societal levels.

Processes for work with comprehensive plans are will increasingly have to face challenges of electrification and there is complex situations to deal with. There is currently a risk that the available electricity will not suffice in all parts of the country.

Therefore, it is vital to create possibilities for more production of electricity and distribution of said electricity to users such as industries, houses and charging stations for electrical vehicles.To ensure the development needed planning is vital.

This planning needs to be coordinated with other planning, for instance of where new houses should be built, industries located, and roads or railroads be constructed.

This coordination is not working as seamless as required today.In order to be able to make decisions a decision basis is needed. It is difficult to describe energy systems and understand what impacts different decisions and plans have.

Using computer programs digital models of energy systems can be established, and different pathways for development tested and evaluated.

This approach is common in manufacturing industries where ”virtual factories” are used to create efficient manufacturing processes with shared information infrasctucture and collaboration in clusters.The project SUES-DIGIT will utilize methods from the industry to create basis for decisions making it possible to develop energy systems along with other development such as housing, charging/grid connection, solar-/windparks and industrial estates.During a period of thirty months the project will develop and apply methods in practice in order to address development of energy systems and spatial planning in two municipalities in a an area of Skaraborg in west Sweden and concerned energy companies.

When the project is finished the aim is to establish plans like that in all Skaraborgs municipalities and beyond.

This will enable the transition, new investments, more jobs and cars and trucks being run on electricity rather than petrol and diesel.

Together with benefits for the climate and valuable digital transformation there is a huge potential for societal innovation.