“Sharing energy should be as easy as sharing WiFi”
An increase in the amount of energy produced locally through mainly photovoltaic cells, the possibility of sharing energy and large local energy stores, together with independent electricity grids, create completely new conditions. Then add the energy sharing operator ViaEurope which creates a marketplace where energy is allocated locally, you have some of the most important elements of viaEuropa's and Jonas Birgersson's vision of a new internet-based electricity grid. At the end of 2024/25, their first energy sharing project will be commissioned at Brunnshög in Lund. It's all part of Lund's big collaboration CoAction Lund, where more than 25 organisations are working together towards the overall goal of creating a Climate Neutral Lund by 2030.
In the block at Solbjerg Road on Brunnshög there are LKF's property with offices, but also apartments and gym as well as LKP:'s mobility house with a grocery store. These two properties will have completely new opportunities to share energy between each other but also with the traditional electricity grid.
The properties at Brunnshög will produce energy through solar cells on the roof.
- There is a huge potential in putting solar cells on all roofs in Sweden, which could theoretically amount to 50 TWh per year in Sweden, says Jonas Birgersson. By sharing energy between properties, a property with less activity can then share its energy surplus to another property.
In the buildings at Brunnshög, electricity access will be secured by a standardised connector suitable for the transmission of energy through direct current. In each property, an energy exchange is installed that distributes electricity within and between the properties according to the regulations and needs of the property owners. There is also an open energy protocol, which is described as the key to making energy sharing easy.
- A new language, the Energy Protocol (EP), enables all operators to decide on the conditions under which energy is to be shared via the local marketplace. Because the new language is open, all manufacturers can build support to be able to participate in energy sharing. All parts of the ecosystem can be replaced, from solar cells to switches to the control system. Sharing energy should be as easy as sharing WiFi, explains Jonas Birgersson.
If it goes as Jonas Birgersson hopes, in the future we will see a fixed low price for all the green energy needed.
- In Lund, we will work to prove the benefits of the new electricity grid and thus potentially reduce the network charge, continues Jonas Birgersson. The new energy sharing networks could also remove transmission bottlenecks. It may seem unrealistic today, but there are technical prerequisites for us in Sweden to create a large surplus of electricity with more even and lower prices in the long term.
If many properties participate in the future, the vision is that operational security in the community would increase markedly. The national grid would remain in parallel with the local one, but if one of the schemes does not work, the others can help.
- The possibility of energy sharing and an internet-enabled electricity system make it even more attractive to form energy communities, and with local electricity generation and storage, we can have a safer local community as it will never be completely without electricity, says Markus Paulsson, project manager for CoAction Lund.
About CoAction Lund
CoAction Lund is working towards a climate-neutral Lund 2030 and is a climate collaboration between 25 actors in Lund. CoAction Lund works with sustainable mobility and tests new ways to share and control energy. The project is a pilot in Sweden and works to inspire other cities and is implemented with support from Viable Cities, Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency.
The big picture: In the block by Solbjerg Road on Brunnshög, LKF's Futurum property with offices, apartments and a gym is located next to LKP's Aurora mobility building with a grocery store. These two properties will have completely new opportunities to share energy through ViaEuropa's installation in the CoAction Lund project.
Photo: Lund Municipality