How can wind power develop to meet Sweden’s growing demand for electricity? Swedish Wind Centre 2.0 has secured more than SEK 100 million in funding from the Swedish Energy Agency and participating partners. Chalmers University of Technology and Uppsala University will share the leadership of the national competence centre, bringing researchers and industry together to address the challenges facing wind power.
Stefan Ivanell, Uppsala University (top), and Sara Fogelström, Chalmers University of Technology (bottom), share the leadership of the new national competence centre Swedish Wind Centre 2.0. Stefan Ivanell is also the centre’s principal investigator. Photo credits: Daniel Olsson, Uppsala University (Stefan Ivanell), and Oscar Mattsson, Chalmers University of Technology (Sara Fogelström). Photo montage.
As industry and transport become increasingly electrified, Sweden’s demand for electricity is expected to rise substantially. At the same time, wind power needs to develop further to contribute to a sustainable and reliable long-term electricity supply.
Swedish Wind Centre 2.0 (SWC 2.0) will bring together researchers, companies and public-sector organisations to address some of the most important challenges facing wind power – from forested landscapes on land to complex marine conditions in the Baltic Sea and the waters off Sweden’s west coast.
The competence centre builds on the existing Swedish Wind Centre and will receive a total of more than SEK 100 million in funding over five years. Uppsala University will host the centre, while the two universities will continue to share its leadership.
The centre will be led by Stefan Ivanell, Professor of Wind Energy at Uppsala University, and Sara Fogelström, Research Project Manager at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology.
“Taking this step to become a national competence centre gives us the long-term conditions needed to tackle the complex challenges ahead in power systems and materials supply,” says Sara Fogelström.
Industry helps shape the research agenda
Collaboration between academia and industry is central to the initiative. Swedish Wind Centre 2.0 brings together nine universities and 13 partners from industry, regional organisations and public authorities. Participants include Energiforsk, Fu-Gen, OX2, Rabbalshede Kraft, Region Gotland, RES, SR Energy, Statkraft, Svenska kraftnät, Vasa Vind, Vattenfall, Vestas och Västra Götalandsregion.
Companies already play an important role in Swedish Wind Centre. They provide a substantial share of the funding for the existing centre and have also helped determine which research questions should be prioritised. During 2025, representatives from industry and academia took part in a series of joint workshops to identify key research questions for wind power in Sweden. Their work formed the basis of the centre’s research agenda.
“We hope companies will remain just as actively involved in the new projects as they are in those already under way. That is the strength of a competence centre: researchers and companies work closely together, making knowledge transfer much easier,” says Sara Fogelström.
To help ensure that research findings are put into practice, Swedish Wind Centre also plans to produce accessible summaries of projects as they approach completion.
Larger, longer-term research projects
Until now, funding from participating companies and the Västra Götaland Region has limited the centre’s ability to undertake longer research projects. Support from the Swedish Energy Agency will provide new opportunities for research over longer periods.
“With funding from the Swedish Energy Agency, we now have the capacity to scale up. Most projects will involve doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers. This means we can build even more expertise, not only by strengthening our existing senior researchers but also by bringing new people into larger projects,” says Sara Fogelström.
The new competence centre will also make it possible to pursue broader research projects spanning more than one research field.
“This decision is a major success for the green transition. Through SWC 2.0, we are connecting world-class research with the needs of industry. Our goal is to develop smart, sustainable solutions that enable Sweden to grow with a secure and cost-effective electricity supply,” says Stefan Ivanell, Professor at Uppsala University and Director of the centre.
Preparatory work for SWC 2.0 begins in autumn 2026. The centre will formally launch on 1 January 2027, with the first research projects expected to start during the year.
Read more
Swedish Energy Agency: Five new competence centres strengthen Sweden’s energy research (in Swedish)
Uppsala University about SWC 2.0 (in Swedish)
