Solar Power in SMEs in Eastern Central Sweden

There is currently a major transition underway in the world and in Sweden towards a fossil-free society. Solar energy is one of the components that can contribute to the achievement of these goals, as the sun has a very large potential as an energy source. The importance and supply of renewable energy are growing in the world and solar power is taking the lead.

The Örebro County Energy Agency, the Mälardalen Energy Agency and other energy agencies are involved in the project The Future of Solar (Framtidens Solel).

Removing knowledge barriers

The project aims to promote investment in solar energy among SMEs by removing knowledge barriers such as regulations and market ignorance. It influences structures around the target group to enable investments in solar energy. Information on solar energy, for example on how a company can realise a business idea linked to solar energy, is disseminated via the means of the project.

Needs-driven organisation

The project organisation works on a needs-driven basis to closely follow new needs and trends in the market. The operational activities of the project will be mainly carried out by the county coordinators. Their tasks include carrying out: studies, surveys, information activities, knowledge transfer and much more. This means concrete actions towards companies to demonstrate the possibilities of investing in solar energy, either as a business idea, use or as an aspect to be used in marketing and branding efforts. Other target groups for the project’s actions include municipal officials and politicians, banks, and business promotion organisations.

The aim of these actions is to improve the ability of stakeholders to meet the needs of businesses in relation to sustainability issues – in this case, solar energy – and thereby stimulate increased use of solar energy in businesses.