Transforming energy systems to fulfill the needs of a low-carbon economy requires large investments in renewable electricity production (RES-E). Recent literature underlines the need to take a closer look at the composition of the RES-E investor group in order to understand the motives and investment processes of different types of investors. However, existing energy policies generally consider RES-E investments made on a regional or national level, and target investors who evaluate their RES-E investments according to least-cost high-profit criteria. We present empirical evidence to show that RES-E investments are made by a heterogeneous group of investors, that a variety of investors exist and that their formation varies among the different types of renewable sources. This has direct implications for our understanding of the investment process in RES-E and for the study of motives and driving forces of RES-E investors. We introduce a multi-dimensional framework for analyzing differences between categories of investors, which not only considers to the standard economic dimension which is predominant in the contemporary energy literature, but also considers the entrepreneurship, innovation-adoption and institutional dimensions. The framework emphasizes the influence of four main investor-related factors on the investment process which should be studied in future research: motives, background, resources and personal characteristics. / <p>Highlights</p><p>► The RES-E investor group is heterogeneous. ► Investors with no traditional background within electricity production make the majority of RES-E investments in Sweden. ► Different types of RES-E investors invest in different renewables. ► A standard economic perspective is not sufficient to understand emerging RES-E investors. ► Motives, background, resources and personal characteristics of RES-E investors matter.</p> / NYEL - Nya investerare i förnybar elproduktion

This is a master thesis performed on behalf of WSP, aiming to investigate scenarios for future energy balances in bidding zone 3 in Sweden during year 2040, based on different production alternatives and consumption scenarios. This report aims to highlight the challenges of transitioning to a more electrified energy system where a greater proportion of renewable sources, mainly from hydro, wind, solar and bioenergy, are integrated into the energy system. Increasing the share of weather-dependent electricity production, such as solar- and wind power, set higher standard on the ability to maintain system balance and guaranteeing sufficient power when consumption is high. Higher consumption will be caused by increased electrification of different sectors, and urbanization, which will be necessary in order to achieve climate goals. Production from other power sources, import of electricity from other bidding zones, and flexibility will have to be considered when the demand for electricity cannot be met by solely the production that takes place in bidding zone 3. In this study, EXCEL is used to build a model that calculates future energy balances and presents the extent that future imports of electricity and flexibility, that will be needed to supply enough electricity to bidding zone 3 in the year 2040. With four different production alternatives and three consumption scenarios, 12 different cases of future energy balances are presented.

Although energy transition is considered one of the main challenges of our time, little attention has traditionally been paid to the actors participating in this transition, such as the producers of renewable electricity. Previous energy policy literature and policy- makers have assumed that these producers are incumbent actors of the current energy system, that is to say, large utilities producing both renewable and fossil-fueled electricity. In reality, new types of producers are entering the renewable electricity production market, without much (if any) previous experience in that industry. This Licentiate thesis studies the new entrants of renewable electricity production in order to identify their motives, their responses to policies, and their ways of implementing their projects. This is conducted through the analysis of 37 cases of new entrants in Sweden. A theoretical background, a complete description of the methods, and an overall presentation of the findings are presented in the first part of the thesis, and in the second part of the thesis, four scientific papers studying the new entrants of renewable electricity production from complementary theoretical approaches are presented. Results show that the new entrant group is heterogeneous in several ways. They have different motives, they are affected by different drivers and pressures, and they are faced with different challenges during their entry processes. Despite that, their share of investments represents the majority of those currently being made in renewable electricity production in Sweden. Based on these results, policy implications are drawn and, in particular, the need for policy-makers and energy policy literature to acknowledge the particularities of the new entrants is highlighted.

Increasing amounts of solar power connected to the low-voltage network will adversely affect the performance of the network. The two impacts that will most often set the limit are overvoltage with the customers and overloading the distribution transformer. In this work, alternative methods have been studied for determining when a transformer is overloaded, to allow more solar power to be connected to the low-voltage network, i.e., increasing the hosting capacity for solar power.A limit-based method on the highest temperature inside the transformer (the hotspot temperature) and a method based on the loss-of-life of the transformer insulation due to hotspot temperatures above the design temperature are those alternative methods in this study. These methods are known as "dynamic transformer rating", a technology proposed in the literature but with very little practical experience in distribution networks.Two models were developed and implemented in MATLAB: a thermal model of the transformer calculating the hotspot temperature for a given time series of loading and ambient temperature; and a model for the loss-of-life of the winding insulation for given time series of the hotspot temperature. These models have been applied to existing distribution networks: measured consumption patterns with high time resolution (10-minute time step) for nine different distribution transformers for 1.5 years (network operator); measured ambient temperature (SMHI); and solar-power production calculated from satellite measurements (Renewables Ninja).For these nine distribution transformers, the time series of the hotspot temperature and the loss-of-life over the 1.5 years have been calculated for different values of the solar power installed capacity on the low-voltage side of the distribution transformer. The resulting time series are used to estimate the hosting capacity for solar power of a 200 kVA transformer. Using the existing design methods, the hosting capacity is 200 kW. Once that value is reached, the further connection of solar power should be stopped until a larger transformer is available. According to IEC design methods, the hosting capacity is about 270 kW using a limit to the hotspot temperature. This value somewhat depends on the loading patterns of the transformer before the connection of solar power. Once that value is reached, the further connection should again be stopped. Even for installed capacity exceeding 270 kW, the loss of life of the transformer insulation is still small and acceptable. This allows for further connection of PV without the immediate need to replace the transformer. Even values up to 350 or 400 kW may be acceptable, but a limit based on loss-of-life will require a detailed risk analysis as the pre-solar loading of the transformer is shown to play an important role.This work has shown that dynamic transformer rating allows more solar power to be connected to a distribution network than using classical rating methods without unacceptable risk for transformer loss-of-life.