Questions about wind power and answers from us Click on a question to see the answer What does the Energy Agreement 2016 mean? ................................................................... 3 What proposals did the Energy Commission make? ............................................................. 3 What environmental objectives did the Parliamentary Environmental Assessment Committee propose? ............................................................................................................. 4 What does the Paris agreement mean? ................................................................................ 5 What does the proposal for the EU Renewable Energy Directive 2020 – 2030 involve? ..... 6 What is the EU’s renewable energy target? .......................................................................... 7 What is EU 20-20-20? ............................................................................................................ 7 Does Sweden have an action plan for renewable energy? ................................................... 8 What are the planning and development goals? .................................................................. 8 What do TWh, GWh, MWh and kWh stand for? ................................................................... 9 What is the electricity certificate system? ............................................................................ 9 What does the electricity certificate cost – and who pays? ................................................ 10 Why does Sweden have an electricity certificate system and not an auction system? ...... 11 What did Control Station 2015 contain? ............................................................................. 11 What did Control Station 2017 contain? ............................................................................. 12 What is quota duty and what quota levels apply in the electricity certificate system? ..... 13 What is a surplus of electricity certificates – and what is over-expansion? ....................... 14 Why do we have an excess of electricity certificates? ........................................................ 15 Why should wind power be expanded? .............................................................................. 15 Will wind power replace nuclear power? ............................................................................ 16 Where do we source electricity when there is no wind? .................................................... 17 How efficient is a wind turbine? .......................................................................................... 17 What is the “power issue”? ................................................................................................. 18 How much power is needed and when does a power shortfall occur? .............................. 18 Do we need to increase regulating power capacity as wind power is expanded? ............. 20 How often do wind turbines produce electricity? ............................................................... 21 Is wind power profitable compared to other forms of electricity generation? .................. 21 What is the cost of investment, operation and maintenance? ........................................... 22 What is the income from electricity and electricity certificates? ........................................ 22 Is new wind power the cheapest form of energy? .............................................................. 23 How does technological development affect the profitability of investments already made? .................................................................................................................................. 24 Are the production costs the same in all countries? ........................................................... 24 How long will the electricity certificate system be needed? ............................................... 25 How many wind turbines will be built in Sweden? ............................................................. 25 What is PPA? ........................................................................................................................ 26 How much will be invested in Sweden? .............................................................................. 26 How does wind power contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions? ........................ 27 How does the expansion of wind power affect consumers’ electricity costs? ................... 27 How large are the subsidies for wind power and other forms of power? .......................... 28 How much time does it take for a wind turbine to produce the amount of energy used in its manufacture? .................................................................................................................. 28 How does wind power contribute to employment in Sweden? .......................................... 29 How much noise does a wind turbine generate? ................................................................ 29 What environmental impact does wind power have? ........................................................ 30 How are fish and other forms of marine life affected by wind power? .............................. 30 What are rare earth metals? ............................................................................................... 31 How are birds and bats affected by wind power? ............................................................... 31 How are people affected by wind turbine shadows? .......................................................... 32 Who is responsible if an accident occurs at a wind farm? .................................................. 33 What rules apply to access to wind farms during construction? ........................................ 33 How dangerous is ice throw?............................................................................................... 34 What is the Machinery Directive? ....................................................................................... 34 What is CE marking? ............................................................................................................ 35 What are the parts of a wind turbine? ................................................................................ 36 How do you get permission to build wind power? .............................................................. 37 How do you get planning permission for a smaller wind power facility? ........................... 37 How large a proportion of wind power projects are realised? ........................................... 38 What are good wind conditions and why are they important? .......................................... 38 What is the municipal veto? ................................................................................................ 38 Why is the species conservation regulation a problem for wind power? ........................... 40 What is the Armed Forces wind power prohibition? .......................................................... 40 Why do the Armed Forces say no to radar-based technology to control aircraft warning obstacle lights on wind turbines? ........................................................................................ 41 What does the Energy Agreement 2016 mean? The Energy Agreement 2016 is an agreement reached by five of the eight parties in the Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag (the Social Democrats, the Greens, the Moderates, the Centre Party and the Christian Democrats). The goal of the agreement is that Sweden will have 100% renewable electricity production by 2040 in relation to electricity consumption. Renewables will be expanded and will gradually replace nuclear power, and enable Sweden to be a long-term net exporter of electricity. The power tax on nuclear generation will be reduced, while renewable electricity generation will be limited to 18 Terawatt hours in the period 2020 to 2030. The electricity certificate system, the support system introduced in 2003 to increase the production of renewable electricity, is to be extended. Under the agreement hydropower tax on buildings will be adapted to other power types. To the top What proposals did the Energy Commission make? In March 2015, the government decided to appoint a commission, in the form of a parliamentary committee, to review energy policy. The mission of the Energy Commission was to provide the basis for a broad agreement on energy policy, focusing on the conditions for electricity supply after 2025-2030, according to the directive (dir. 2015: 25, Energy Policy Review). The Energy Commission’s Report was submitted in January 2017 The Energy Commission proposed that • The target for 2040 is 100 percent renewable electricity generation. This is a goal, not a deadline that prohibits nuclear power, nor does it involve closing down nuclear power through political decisions. • By 2030, Sweden will have 50 percent more efficient energy usage compared with 2005. The target is expressed in terms of energy supply in relation to gross domestic product (GDP). • Sweden should have a robust electrical system with high delivery reliability, low environmental impact and electricity at competitive prices. This will provide a long-term approach and clarity for market players and will generate new jobs and investment in Sweden. • Energy policy must be based on the fact that Sweden is closely linked with its neighbours in northern Europe and aims to find common solutions to challenges in the common electricity