RESPONSE TO: Secured Power Supply - A Part of Crisis Preparedness
Our CEO Staffan Stymne responded to an article in the magazine Aktuell Säkerhet, in which Coromatic's strategic advisor for power and communication, Åsa Lindahl, highlights the importance of considering a secured power supply as part of crisis preparedness. It is an incredibly crucial issue, and Åsa addresses many important aspects.
The expansion of solutions for temporary power supply involves long-term investments meant to endure for decades. Therefore, it is crucial that these investments simultaneously support the development towards an energy-circular, fossil-free, and resource-efficient society. While there is both technology and demand for these solutions today, unfortunately, they are often a significantly more expensive alternative.
Therefore, I would like to direct the following appeal to our politicians and decision-makers:
Support the installation of backup power solutions based on future fuels and technology so that they can compete with conventional alternatives. Installing hydrogen fuel cell solutions today is at least 10 times more expensive than conventional diesel generators for backup power purposes. By increasing demand for fuel cells, mass production will commence, and prices will rapidly decrease, much like what has occurred with solar and wind power. With these installations, demand for hydrogen increases, opening a market for local hydrogen production, setting the ball in motion.
Encourage simultaneous utilization of produced electricity and heat. At least as much high-quality heat as electricity is produced when backup power runs in a data center. Backup power thus has great potential to cut heating peaks, relieving oil-based peak production in district heating plants and easing the load on distribution networks when needed most. It is also an effective way to reduce the fixed fee in the district heating cost for property owners.
Reward energy-circular solutions with high resource utilization. By using the same investment for various sector needs, the utilization rate can be increased. For example, by co-locating backup power, hydrogen production, computer power, and batteries near the need for electricity, heat, and IT, a range of synergies is released between digitization, electrification, security, and climate.
There is currently a window of opportunity to create a future energy-resilient society with decentralized and circular solutions that support the green transition. It is now up to our decision-makers to ensure that the conditions are in place for this to happen.