Wind turbines generated nearly a third of Sweden’s electrical output in November 2024 — a new record in a country that’s long relied on hydro and nuclear plants for its power needs.
The context: As recently as 2010, wind made up just 2% of Sweden’s electricity generation, with hydro (45%) and nuclear (39%) providing the bulk of the nation’s electrons at the time.
But ambitious decarbonisation targets, coupled with sharp declines in the cost of wind energy and a favourable climate for the technology, have unleashed a wind energy boom in the Scandinavian country, which shut its last coal-fired power plant in 2020 and hasn’t needed to switch on its remaining fossil-powered backup plant all year.
Renewable energy subsidies also helped to get the wind industry off the ground in the early days, though they were phased out three years ago.
The latest: Wind comprised 31% of Sweden’s electricity mix in November 2024, according to data collated by research group Ember. Nuclear’s share dipped to 28%, down three percentage points from a year before, and hydro’s share retreated to 38%.
Bioenergy and solar accounted for the remaining 4%, with zero fossil fuels in the mix. Aside from having one of the cleanest electricity systems in Europe, Sweden also had the continent’s lowest wholesale power prices in November, Ember data shows. The average day-ahead spot price was €40.07 per megawatt hour.
“Sweden is adding even more clean electricity generation to an already clean grid powered by renewables and nuclear,” says Nicolas Fulghum, senior data analyst at Ember. “The increased and consistent wind generation means more flexibility for Sweden’s hydro resources and more resilience against droughts.”
Home to 11 million people, Sweden has been a net exporter of electricity since 2011, thanks in part to the rising contribution from wind, according to the International Energy Agency.
More to come: The country had 17GW of wind generating capacity as of mid-2024, according to the local wind industry association, which sees capacity reaching close to 20GW by the end of 2026.
Beyond then, the country is gearing up for an offshore wind boom, with 100GW of potential projects in the pipeline, per the association.
However, significant hurdles are emerging. Grid connections are increasingly difficult to secure, and some municipalities and communities have opposed projects, leading many to get delayed or canned.
Project approval processes “must be reformed to increase predictability and legal certainty,” the wind energy association wrote in a recent report.
Further, the wind energy boom is also driving down power prices — often into negative territory — and this could discourage new investments. And Sweden’s new government, formed in late 2022, plans to subsidise new nuclear projects, which would give that technology an advantage.
One Response
Shouldn’t we be concerned about “And Sweden’s new government, formed in late 2022, plans to subsidise new nuclear projects, which would give that technology an advantage.”?
Not only is nuclear by far the most expensive technology available, there are still numerous concerns about it? I appreciate you don’t necessarily wish to get into a debate about nuclear, but it’s an issue we cannot ignore as the nuclear lobby, and right wingers, often push its agenda. Possibly often for no purpose other than delaying safer, renewable alternatives.