Working together for a brighter future
We can look back on an extremely challenging spring term. The corona pandemic has changed all our lives and presented us with a new reality. A reality for which we have all been equipped differently and have dealt with in different ways. This is why it is more important than ever that we look out for each other and ensure that our networks, collaborations, and joint initiatives take us forward.
At the same time, it is important to stress the need for our work, our knowledge, and our expertise. In the wake of this crisis, we can expect a situation in which many companies, industries, and sectors will need extra support to get restarted. The energy sector faces a number of major decisions that will need to be taken more rapidly than planned and that will have long-term repercussions for the entire energy sector.
This is where we - through the KTH Energy Platform - have a key role to play. Our extensive knowledge base is poised to provide the basis on which decisions can be made. KTH’s Energy Platform connects more than 450 researchers in 30 research groups and five competence centres in 17 research areas.
We can help in many different ways. One way is through more active participation in relevant reports and investigations. KTH needs to act as a reliable referral body in all areas of energy, regardless of department or authority.
During this term, we have contributed to two referral responses, one of which was in co-operation with deputy principal Göran Finnheden with special responsibility for sustainable development. Experiences from this project show us that it is possible to develop KTH’s processes as a referral body. My proposal to the principal is that we make ourselves available to contribute to all referral responses in the energy sector and I’m now awaiting a response. This would enable us to best contribute to better and more long-term decisions based on knowledge from research.
Another way to help is through active participation in international forums and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the World Energy Council, (WEC), which is a broad, global, politically independent network that focuses purely on the energy sector. WEC works across the entire energy sector and represents companies and organizations in almost 100 countries.
WEC has a number of well-researched publications and tools that we as researchers can benefit from in our work. It offers relevant, fact-based scenarios and data that we can use on a daily basis. You can read the WEC annual report here: World Energy Issues Monitor 2020 . In my capacity as a member of the WEC standing programme committee, I recently received a new assignment with specific responsibility to update the sections of the report relating to Sweden. I would welcome your feedback on this!
During the spring, the Energy Platform contributed to the extra call made by all research platforms to support initiatives during the corona crisis. Christopher Duwig, Energy Platform deputy director, will tell us more about these internal calls in upcoming newsletters after the summer break.
We had hoped to repeat last year’s Almedalen success this year. Instead, I welcome you all to attend a new webinar on June 16th, between 1pm and 2pm, co-hosted again this year with Sustainable Innovation. Register for the event by clicking here .
And don’t forget KTH Energy Dialogue, which will be held on November 19th. We hope that we’ll be able to meet at Tekniska museet itself in Stockholm to celebrate energy research with a packed programme of great dialogue and discussions.
I wish you a wonderful summer and I look forward to seeing you again in the autumn.
