West Sweden Energy Agency

West Sweden Energy Agency (Energikontor Väst) is the regional energy agency of West Sweden. The agency supports and advises public and private businesses that want to improve their sustainability. Energikontor Väst is a part of Innovatum Science Park, which supports sustainable innovations, mainly in industrial technology. 

The main target groups of the agency are the region’s 49 municipalities (with about 1,7 million inhabitants), the regional authorities, and the market actors. 

Activities 

Energikontor Väst is the regional coordinator for initiatives within the areas of: biogas, solar energy, wind power, energy efficiency and electrification (grid, supply, storage, EV charging infrastructure, and more). 

The agency also offers advice, support, and development in these areas, on municipal energy planning, and on municipalities and collaboration. Energikontor Väst also operates collaboration and development projects as well as networks. 

Projects  

The agency leads and takes an active part in projects on a regional, national and European level. Innovatum Science Park, and thus Energikontor Väst, has extensive experience with European projects and cooperation. 

The projects promote sustainable energy, renewables and energy efficiency in all sectors, in both technology and market development, as well as innovation management and regional coordination and support within sustainable energy and climate. Examples of these projects include:  

• Power Väst – a collaboration platform and knowledge bank for actors in renewable energy to contribute to national development and promote long-term sustainable electricity production. 

• Krafttag i Väst – Elsa – creating a forward-looking and coordinated energy planning across municipal boundaries that is integrated into municipal community planning. 

• IN-PLAN – strengthening municipalities’ energy planning to create better conditions for achieving a climate-neutral future in Sweden and Europe. 

• BIOZE – Increasing knowledge of bioenergy and improved governance of biomass use at the local level to promote the green transition 

Network 

With its networks and partners, the agency arranges knowledge-raising activities and network meetings to share experiences and results. In the networks, needs and opportunities are often identified, for example, through specific projects or within collaboration platforms. 

Since 1 January 2019, Energikontor Väst has been part of the Innovatum Group, which consists of Innovatum Science Park, Wargön Innovation, Innovatum Science Center and Saab Car Museum.  

Being part of the regional structure of innovation intermediaries and Science Parks Energikontor Väst strives to interlink innovative actors and actions with the public and private sector to boost the transition towards a fossil-free and sustainable energy system. 

Within the Science Park as well as on its own, Energikontor Väst has a lot of regional contacts, cooperations and networks with both leading larger industries, SMEs, and the public sector. Together with partners within research and development, it identifies, initiates, and implements strategic actions to strengthen industrial and sustainable development, for example, within the energy and building sectors.