WHAT IS THE
Status of the Swedish heating sector?
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Climate changes is one of the greatest challenges of our time. The work to limit and manage the consequences is affecting all of us. In Sweden, 22 different business sectors show how Sweden’s competitiveness can be increased by becoming fossil-free or climate neutral by 2045. The business sectors are gathered within the national initiative Fossil Free Sweden. During the year of 2018 a roadmap for a fossil-free heating sector was developed and has since been signed by over 100 companies and organisations.
By 2045, Sweden is to have zero net emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and subsequently reach negative emissions. The heating sector’s vision is fully in line with this goal, as it states that the sector will become fossil fuel-free by 2030 and constitute a carbon sink by 2045.
The roadmap for a fossil-free heating sector (Färdplan Uppvärmning) is in many aspects a unique effort. It unites the whole sector i.e. heat customers, energy companies, technology suppliers, municipalities, trade associations and others. Activities and measures to implement the roadmap’s vision will mostly take place locally by the different stakeholders. A national innovation platform, Utvecklingsplattform Uppvärmning (U2F2) provides a unifying arena that focuses on the continued work with and fulfilment of the roadmap. The project is the sector’s common platform for coordination, inspiration and exchange of experience about current topics with connection to the roadmap, commitments and exhortations that the roadmap contains, i.e. the transition to a fossil fuel-free heating sector that contributes to a competitive welfare society.
The long-term goal of U2F2 is to contribute to achieving the heating sector’s vision to become completely fossil fuel-free by the year 2030 and to provide a carbon sink for the rest of the society by 2045. The goal is also to spread the knowledge even further, both in the heating sector and to other sectors.
Short about the heating sector
The heating sector in Sweden contributes to the society with secure as well as resource and cost-effective heating and cooling and is a large part of the energy market. The sector currently has a turnover of more than 100 TWh, half of which consists of district heating and half by individual and small-scale heating. In 2019, the direct emissions from the district heating and the individual heating in homes and premises amounted to just about 3 Mtons CO2e-emissions.
The heating sector was historically characterized by a large dependency on individual fossil oil heating but is today dominated by district heating, heat pumps, electric heating and biofuels. The sector is already well on its way to phasing out the use of fossil fuels and has excellent opportunities to contribute with negative emissions, for example by capturing and storing biogenic carbon dioxide from combustion of biofuels and waste. Several district heating companies already have far-reaching CCS plans.
To proceed with the roadmap the sector is working on e.g.:
Measures to decrease the energy and efficiency demand in buildings.
Wide measures along the entire value chain to reduce the amount fossil plastic that goes to energy recovery (waste depositing is prohibited since many years ago and energy recovery is the main waste treatment method).
The opportunity to capture and store biogenic carbon dioxide (BECCS) and hence contribute with negative emissions.
The progress since the roadmap was launched
A lot of work has been done since the roadmap was handed over to the government of Sweden in March 2019. Three important examples are highlighted below:
The phase-out of fossil fuels is rapid. Around 80% of the property owners have already phased out all fossil fuel boilers. Many district heating companies have also completely phased out fossil fuels, and others are aiming towards total phase-out in the next few years. The small volumes of fossil fuels that remain in the district heating sector (1% of energy supplied in 2020) are primarily used as support fuel during extremely cold days or as starting fuel and in other rare operational cases.
Increased focus of reducing plastics to energy recovery. Reducing incineration of plastics is highly prioritised for energy and energy recycling companies, municipalities, and property owners. New sorting plants for plastics are built in e.g. Linköping and Stockholm and a plastic recycling plant in Motala. Another example is Akademiska Hus who includes measures to reduce plastic waste in cooperation agreements with their tenants.
The district heating sector are approaching towards negative emissions. Capture and storage of biogenic carbon dioxide (BECCS) is an interesting solution to reach the sector’s goal to become a carbon sink by 2045 and several development and pilot projects are underway in the district heating sector. Stockholm Exergi is leading the way with concrete plans to have a BECCS plant with the capacity to capture 0,8 million tonnes of biogenic carbon dioxide in operation from 2025. Pilot plants for testing carbon dioxide capture are running in e.g. Stockholm and Växjö. Several other district heating companies also have concrete plans to capture and store carbon dioxide from the combustions of biofuels or waste.
The roadsmap’s vision:
The heating sector shall be fossil fuel-free by 2030. In 2045, the sector shall be a carbon sink that helps reducing the total Swedish greenhouse gas emissions. Cooperation is important in achieving the transition.
The sector’s challenges
Even if the heating sector is well on its way of reaching the goals/ vision of the roadmap, work and challenges remain. The sector’s actors strive in their work to reach the vision but to get there, collaboration and commitment from other parts of the society are crucial. Two clear solutions that the heating sector cannot solve on their own are reaching negative emissions though BECCS and phasing out plastics in energy recycling.
Incentives for negative emissions. The heating sector has good opportunities to contribute with negative emissions through BECCS. In this way the sector can contribute to Sweden’s climate goals. However, BECCS requires large investments and today, negative emissions are not associated with an economical value. Negative emissions by BECCS benefit the whole society and not only the stakeholder who makes the investment. It therefore requires both short- and long-term incentives. In the short term in the form of financial support to make the technology competitive and established. In the long term, a market-driven demand for negative emissions will likely replace governmental support completely or partly.
Cooperation to reduce plastics. The phase-out of plastics to energy recycling also requires a wide commitment throughout the society. Sorting measures and differentiated gate fees at the combustion plants don’t suffice to reduce fossil carbon dioxide emissions from energy recycling of waste. Other stakeholders earlier in the value chain must contribute through for example using renewable or recycled raw materials, increased reuse, material recycling and other measures to reach a more circular plastic handling. Efforts need to be made through the entire stakeholder chain for extraction, production, design, purchases, use, sorting and waste treatment.
Figure 1. Direct emissions of greenhouse gases from district heating and individual heating. The current emissions from district heating production almost exclusively origins from combustion of plastics in waste, whereas in the 1990’s they were dominated by emissions from combustion of fossil fuels.