Hållbar energi : - Ett initiativ till utveckling av bränsleceller i Sverige

Sammanfattning: In the world we live in today the environmental issues has become increasingly important, and we have begun to realize that we can not continue to use fossil fuels at the rate we do. When it comes to generating electricity we are constantly trying to come up with cleaner and more efficient solutions. The fuel celltechnology is one such alternative and has been around for over 100 years. Yet, it is not until now that the world has started to notice this great technology. The fuel cell has been developed in several areas and can today be used for handheld electronics, vehicles and small settlements. The technology has spread worldwide, and countries like the U.S., Germany and Japan has been working with large fuel cellprograms where collaboration takes place between universities, industries and government authorities. It is clear that fuel cell technology is about to break through. In Sweden, however, it has moved in the opposite direction and the government has reduced it's funding for fuel cell research and development. During the 2000s, a foundation company called Mistra ran an important fuel cell program, but unfortunately it came to an end in 2009. The Swedish department of energy then believed that there was no industrial interest for fuel cells in Sweden and when they made cuts in the transportation industry, they chose to completely remove all the funding towards fuel cell research. It is not until now that the Swedish department of energy reconsidered and has promised to invest 15 million Swedish kronor on fuel cells in the transportation industry over the next three years. Unfortunately, this is but only a fraction of what is needed and if Sweden does not take the issue seriously, it is likely that they will lag behind the rest of the world when it comes to the new technology. With the help of literature and several interviews, we have chosen to map the interest in fuel cells. We've chosen to delve into the different technical areas where fuel cells are being developed, look into the progress made around the world and also what competing alternatives there are. By analyzing this information, we've concluded that the fuel cell is about to break through, and therefore we discuss why it is important for Sweden to stay on top when it comes to developing the fuel cell. We will also suggest measures towards the Swedish government that could be used to resolve this issue. To begin with, the industry and the Swedish department of energy needs to meet, so that the interest in fuel cells can be mapped. If the larger companies such as Volvo and Scania clarifies their work with fuel cells, it may lead to that the department of energy takes action in the question. Sweden should also form a hub to uniteuniversities/colleges, the industry and the Swedish department of energy so that they can meet to share information and to bring forth experts in the field. It would also be a good idea to discuss the fuel cell issue in the Nordic cooperation. Sweden must also come up with a long term plan when it comes to reducing the use of fossil fuels - something that Sweden does not seem to have today.