By 2030, almost a third of all the energy consumed within the EU must come from renewable sources, according to binding targets agreed in 2018. Sweden is helping lead the way and is for the third year in a row ranked number one in the global Energy Transition Index.
Today, 54 % of Sweden’s power comes from renewables. As well as targeting 100% renewable electricity production by 2040, the country is transforming homes into highly efficient ‘prosumers’; buildings which both produce and consume the vast majority of their own energy.
With plenty of moving water and 63% forest cover, it is no surprise the two largest renewable power sources are hydropower and biomass. And that biomass is helping support a local energy boom.
Heating is a key use of energy in a cold country like Sweden. In recent decades, as fuel oil taxes have increased, the country’s power companies have turned to renewables, like biomass, to fuel local ‘district heating’ plants.
