Carl Dalhammar
Senior lecturer
Circular Economy Integration in Smart Grids: A Nexus for Sustainability
Author
Summary, in English
The increased electrification of society and the development of smart grids are often seen
as central in the transition towards a more sustainable and secure energy system and necessary
to address the challenges of increasing energy demand and limited resources. There
are many visions and ideas on what a smart grid is or could be. While most research related
to environmental impacts on the smart grid focuses on the energy and climate implications,
there is a growing interest in looking into material aspects and resource use, i.e., the Circular
Economy (CE) dimensions of the grid. It is increasingly understood that the various
technologies in the grid, such as grid infrastructure and electric vehicles, will require massive
amounts of natural resources. This research explores how smart grids can integrate CE
considerations and the current state of knowledge related to CE issues in smart grid discussions
in Sweden. The main methods employed were a literature review and semi-structured
interviews with 19 stakeholders. The results show that limited literature deals directly with
how CE issues can be integrated with smart grid development. The interviews show that
various stakeholders have started to discuss these issues, but the discussion is still in its
infancy for most of them. The interviewees also pointed to several barriers to developing a
more “circular” grid, such as regulatory frameworks, network maintenance, financing, and
cost considerations.
as central in the transition towards a more sustainable and secure energy system and necessary
to address the challenges of increasing energy demand and limited resources. There
are many visions and ideas on what a smart grid is or could be. While most research related
to environmental impacts on the smart grid focuses on the energy and climate implications,
there is a growing interest in looking into material aspects and resource use, i.e., the Circular
Economy (CE) dimensions of the grid. It is increasingly understood that the various
technologies in the grid, such as grid infrastructure and electric vehicles, will require massive
amounts of natural resources. This research explores how smart grids can integrate CE
considerations and the current state of knowledge related to CE issues in smart grid discussions
in Sweden. The main methods employed were a literature review and semi-structured
interviews with 19 stakeholders. The results show that limited literature deals directly with
how CE issues can be integrated with smart grid development. The interviews show that
various stakeholders have started to discuss these issues, but the discussion is still in its
infancy for most of them. The interviewees also pointed to several barriers to developing a
more “circular” grid, such as regulatory frameworks, network maintenance, financing, and
cost considerations.
Department/s
- The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC)
Publishing year
2024-05-24
Language
English
Pages
2119-2145
Publication/Series
Circular Economy and Sustainability
Volume
4
Issue
3
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Springer
Topic
- Environmental Management
Status
Published
Project
- Electricity transition through intermediaries? Consultants in the smart grid development
- Resource-Efficient and Effective Solutions based on Circular Economy Thinking - Phase 2
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 2730-5988