Smart City Sweden East

Explore eastern Sweden!

Discover smart & sustainable solutions in the eastern region.

Photo: Ola Ericson/Imagebank.sweden.se

About the region

Smart City Sweden East consists of four counties: Stockholm, Uppsala, Södermanland and Sweden’s largest island: Gotland. The region offers a long tradition of cooperation between business and academia, which has contributed to a high level of innovation and a favorable business climate.

Building smart cities require the public sector to be integrated to a large extent, which can be seen in examples in districts such as Hammarby Sjöstad and Stockholm Royal Seaport, where there has been a high focus on climate, environment and energy issues.

A wide range of platforms and corporate networks promote innovation and development in the region. One successful example is the Urban ICT Arena in Kista in the north of Stockholm, one of the world’s leading business clusters for innovation in digitalisation.

Stockholm has one of the world’s largest and most complicated district heating systems with a large number of actors who together produce and distribute district heating & cooling and electricity from hundreds of production units to millions of people. The production has the world’s largest heat pump plant, innovative energy storage, and waste incineration to recover energy from residual products from society and forestry, which contributes to a well-functioning waste management system. Uppsala and Gotland also have well-developed district heating networks with a very small proportion of fossil fuels.

Water and wastewater treatment are key functions in a well-functioning city, a service that often goes unnoticed as long as it performs as planned. Uppland, Södermanland and Gotland all have different challenges with water quality and water supply that have been solved in different ways. In Uppsala, the regional capital of Uppland, water from the passing river Fyrisån is purified through a ridge due to groundwater scarcity. At Hammarby Sjöstadsverk in Stockholm, unique research is conducted on membrane technology for more efficient wastewater treatment, which will make Henriksdal’s wastewater treatment plant one of the largest in the world to use membrane technology. On Gotland, the testbed Storsudret is testing new solutions in drinking water purification.

Social sustainability is key in urban development projects and by initiating dialogue and involvement during construction and renovation processes, the likelihood of a successful project increases significantly. Smart City Sweden East offers examples of social sustainability, such as Fryshuset, an organization that works to support and include young people in the community.


Best practice in the region

Near Infrared Sorting of Plastics from Household Waste Reduces Emissions by 75 %

Near Infrared Sorting of Plastics from Household Waste Reduces Emissions by 75 %

This plant outside of Stockholm is the first of its kind in Sweden, using the Near-Infrared Technology to automatically sort out plastics from household waste. A total of 11,000 tonnes of plastic and 2,500 tonnes of metal are sorted out each year.

Waste to Energy Facility in Högbytorp

Waste to Energy Facility in Högbytorp

In a circular economy, waste is a resource that can be recycled into materials and energy. And that is exactly what is happening in the recycling facility in Högbytorp!

Energy Evolution Center

Energy Evolution Center

The Energy Evolution Center will be an arena for innovative solutions that lead to real energy conversion, increased competitiveness in companies and ensure long-term supply of skills.

CoordiNet – Exploring the Possibilities of a Flexible Power Market

CoordiNet – Exploring the Possibilities of a Flexible Power Market

The CoordiNet project is exploring the benefits of creating a ‘power flexibility market’. When electricity demand is high, market participants can offer to reduce their electricity use or increase electricity production and sell excess power to the grid operator.

Sweden’s largest battery storage – a front-edge project to meet increasing electricity demand

Sweden’s largest battery storage – a front-edge project to meet increasing electricity demand

Many cities around the world are growing rapidly, which increases the need for electricity. In the city of Uppsala, Sweden, a possible solution is being developed, piloting one of Sweden’s largest battery storages to meet the increased demand, enable continued expansion and mitigate increased capacity needs.

Wireless electric road charges vehicles as they drive

Wireless electric road charges vehicles as they drive

Smartroad Gotland is a wireless electric road, charging electric trucks and a buses on a public road. The unique demonstration project is developed to gain knowledge and pave the way for the global implementation of electric roads.

Digital Urban Planning Process Boosts Sustainability, Efficiency and Equality

Digital Urban Planning Process Boosts Sustainability, Efficiency and Equality

Region Gotland has implemented a digital urban planning process to support case management, digital mailboxes and other aspects of administration. This is contributing to an open, gender-equal and sustainable planning and construction process.

Island of Gotland is Home to Sustainable Energy System Pilot Project

Island of Gotland is Home to Sustainable Energy System Pilot Project

The island of Gotland has been chosen as a pilot region for Sweden’s transition to a future sustainable energy system. The main requirements for this transition are a safe, reliable energy supply that is both ecologically sustainable and economically competitive.

Stockholm Innovates District Heating with New Solutions and Renewable Sources

Stockholm Innovates District Heating with New Solutions and Renewable Sources

In central Stockholm, you find one of Europe’s largest district heating and cooling systems. Close to 90% of the city’s buildings are connected to the district heating network, which uses several innovative energy sources, such as excess heat and wastewater.

Sweden’s Largest Biofuel Heat and Power Plant Is Fossil-Free Energy Hot Spot

Sweden’s Largest Biofuel Heat and Power Plant Is Fossil-Free Energy Hot Spot

Värtahamnen harbour is home to Stockholm’s largest biofuel-powered combined heat and power (CHP) plant. The plant produces enough energy to heat approximately 190,000 average-size apartments.

ReTuna: The World’s First Recycling Mall

ReTuna: The World’s First Recycling Mall

ReTuna Återbruksgalleria is the world’s first recycling mall, marking the start of a low-carbon shopping revolution. Old items are given new life through repair and upcycling. Everything sold is either recycled or reused, or has been produced organically or sustainably.

Circular Water Solutions in Southern Gotland

Circular Water Solutions in Southern Gotland

The Swedish island of Gotland has experienced a severe water crisis in recent years, negatively affecting tourism and local businesses. To address this problem, innovative circular water solutions are being tested and evaluated in the area of Storsudret in southern Gotland.

#BELOVEDCITY- Collaboration for a better city

#BELOVEDCITY- Collaboration for a better city

Älskade stad (‘Beloved City’) is a unique collaboration to reduce vehicle traffic in Stockholm city centre and inspire others to introduce more sustainable environmental initiatives for a vibrant city.

Sustainable Public Transport in Stockholm

Sustainable Public Transport in Stockholm

Trains and buses in Stockholm have been using 100% renewable energy since 2017 and the city aims to provide the most sustainable public transport in the world.

Stormwater Management Makes Stockholm Royal Seaport a Resilient Model

Stormwater Management Makes Stockholm Royal Seaport a Resilient Model

Stockholm Royal Seaport (Norra Djurgårdsstaden) has developed a comprehensive, integrated stormwater system that purifies and slows storm water and meltwater before it is released into the sea.
The system connects green roofs and rooftop gardens with ponds, open storm drain water, surface water drains and urban greenery.

KTH Live-In Lab – Sustainable Urban Development and Digitalisation

KTH Live-In Lab – Sustainable Urban Development and Digitalisation

KTH Live-In Lab is a platform for accelerated innovation in the real-estate sector with a focus on digitalisation and sustainability. The purpose of KTH Live-In Lab is to reduce lead times between research results and market introduction.

Urban ICT Arena – Testbeds for digitalisation in an urban environment

Urban ICT Arena – Testbeds for digitalisation in an urban environment

Urban ICT Arena is a co-creation hub in Kista Science City, one of the world’s leading ICT clusters, that believes in the importance of cooperation in meeting the goals set out in the UN’s Agenda 2030. Urban ICT Arena provides tools for ICT companies and the public sector to overcome tomorrow’s challenges today.

Extended Producer Responsibility in Sweden: Towards better waste management

Extended Producer Responsibility in Sweden: Towards better waste management

Extended Producer responsibility (EPR) is a governmental policy and a Swedish law that aims to better waste management and collection. The Swedish system shifts the waste management cost or physical collection fully from local governments to producers. The policy applies to different goods such as packaging, newsprint, electronic products, batteries, tires, end-of-life vehicles, pharmaceutical waste, stray radioactive products and radioactive sources.

1970s Office Block Turned into Energy-Efficient Building

1970s Office Block Turned into Energy-Efficient Building

The Pennfäktaren office block, originally built in the 1970s, was ambitiously refurbished to make it one of Stockholm’s most modern and sustainable office buildings, achieving Sweden’s first LEED certificate.

Energy-Efficient Buildings Standing Out in Stockholm

Energy-Efficient Buildings Standing Out in Stockholm

Kungsbrohuset and Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre are two examples of intelligently designed buildings that bring together a number of efficiency solutions to slash energy consumption.

Turning Waste into Energy at Högdalenverket

Turning Waste into Energy at Högdalenverket

Högdalenverket is one of Europe’s most modern facilities for extracting energy from waste, producing electricity and heat from Stockholm’s combustible household waste and industry waste. This makes Högdalenverket an important component in the district heating network of southern Stockholm.

Underground vacuum system to manage food waste

Underground vacuum system to manage food waste

A vacuum system handles the waste in Östermalm’s food market hall. The waste is transported via pipelines by means of under pressure to a storage unit, and later to a biogas installation.

Successful Renewal from Industrial Area to a Model Sustainable District

Successful Renewal from Industrial Area to a Model Sustainable District

In the early 1990s, Hammarby Sjöstad had a reputation for being a run-down, polluted and unsafe industrial and residential area. Today, Hammarby Sjöstad is one of Stockholm’s most attractive residential districts and a model of successful urban renewal.

Käppala – Turning Wastewater into Fuel and Heat

Käppala – Turning Wastewater into Fuel and Heat

Käppalaverket is one of the world’s most efficient wastewater treatment plants, treating wastewater from more than 500,000 inhabitants in Stockholm. Here, the purification proess is turning waste to new resources, in the shape of biogas fuel as well as heat.

Underground waste: Vacuum System Takes Waste Management to a New Level

Underground waste: Vacuum System Takes Waste Management to a New Level

A new, smart solution for waste management reduces the need for road transport and minimises other environmental impacts. The solution is stationary pneumatic refuse collection, using a vacuum to transport waste through underground pipes, separating different types of waste into different containers.

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