Dalarna - Pilot region for green growth

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All reports produced within the scope of Pilot Region Dalarna that are mentioned in this brochure can be downloaded from the county administrative boards’ joint energy website at www.lansstyrelsen.se/energi. All reports are in Swedish..

”The work with energy transition in our region is a highly priori-tized area. Through successful collaboration between the County Administrative Board and our partners we have achieved much already and the work continues. Energy transition is simply a matter of Dalarna´s future and its competitiveness.”

Maria Norrfalk, County Governor in Dalarna, Sweden

Photo: Ulf Palm

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Contents

Introduction

Dalarna 4

The County Administrative Board’s role and commission 6

The Regional development Council of Dalarna 8

Energy Intelligent Dalarna 10

Dalarna’s municipalities 14

Energy and Climate Strategy 16

The Government’s appointment of Pilot regions 18

Supporting other counties 20

Activities and Best Practice within Pilot Region Dalarna

Handbook for estimating renewable energy potential 21

Method for regional energy system analyses 23

Advanced regional cooperation 24

The climate impact of land use 26

The climate impact of consumption 27

Dala pilots 28

General education and the spreading of knowledge 29

Public procurement 30

Green growth 31

Energy efficiency in the industry 34

Extensive measures for SME-businesses 36

Branch support to grocers, ski resorts and water supply and sewer system companies 38

Energy transition within the transport sector 40

Energy transition within the building sector – Building Dialogue Dalarna 41

Environmental impact assessment 44

Environmental inspection 46

Spatial planning 47

Building inspection 48

Benchmarking tool for municipalities 50

Analysis of national policy and instruments 51

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Introduction Dalarna Dalarna is a province in central Sweden that many believe to be the quintes-sence of Sweden, with Dala horses and traditional midsummer celebrations where the participants wear traditional costume.

As a region, Dalarna has contributed to what is considered typically Swedish, for example, Falun red paint and Falun sausage. A by-product from ore mining in the Falun copper mine is used to produce the Falun red paint, which is quite popular.

The archetype of the Swedish idyll seems always to include a Falun red cottage with white corners. The region offers many musical, cultural and sporting activi-ties, such as Vasaloppet (a cross-country skiing race with over 50 000 partici-pants).

Dalarna is a sparsely populated area in Sweden’s inland. The county of Dalarna is approximately the same size as Belgium.

The land-scape is com-posed of fields, forests and moun-tain regions.

The name Dalarna means “the valleys”, and refers to the long valleys along the river Daläl-ven.

Forests cov-er almost

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Three levels of government administration in Sweden National level Regional level, 21 counties County councils (Landstinget Dalarna) - Political level - Public health, culture - County taxes, government grants, charges County Administrative Boards (Länsstyrelsen Dalarna) - State government bodies - Implementing national policy, regional coordination, safeguarding the rule of law - Government grants

Local level Municipalities, 15 in Dalarna - Political level, taxes

The regional development council of Dalarna (Region Dalarna) - Constituted by municipalities in Dalarna - Regional development, infrastructure, communication, education

Facts about

Dalarna

Area: 31 151 km²

Population: 276 000 inhabitants

Seat of local government: Falun

Number of municipalities: 15 municipalities of which Falun has most residents (55 000) and Vansbro fewest (6 900).

Important private employers: ABB Ludvika: 2 600 em-ployees, SSAB Bor-länge: 2 100 employ-ees.

Important public employers: Falun hospital: 3 650 em-ployees, Swedish Transport Administ-ration): 800 em-ployees

Number of companies: 13 000

Distances: Borlänge – Stock-holm: 214 kilometers

70% of the area and lakes and rivers cover about 8%.

280,000 people live within an area of 29,000 km2.

The population exhibits a great seasonal variation due to tourism, which draws millions of visitors. This, together with the county’s basic industries, metallurgy (including mining) and paper works, makes ener-gy issues high priority.

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The County Administrative Board’s role and commission

The County Administrative Board has a unique position in the democratic system, linking people and municipalities on the one hand, and between the government, Par-liament and national authorities on the other hand. Sweden is divided into twenty-one counties; each county has a County Administrative Board and a county governor. The County Administrative Board is a coor­dinating national authority with supervisory responsibilities. The board is also a public service authority and can hear appeals.

The competence of the board cover lawyers, biologists, architects, foresters, engineers, public relations officers, archaeologists, veterinarians, sociologists, economists and many others. The County Administrative Board in Dalarna has around 200 employees.

Protecting the environment In accordance with the Swedish Environmental Code the County Administrative Board are responsi­ble for the inquiries into, and supervision of, the larger activities in the county.

The Board also works compre­hensively as a coordinator with environmental targets and health protection issues. We ensure that organizations and activities adhere to the Environmental Code and its regulations, court judgments and other decisions. We are as well responsible for supervisory guidance for the municipalities.

Environmental objectives The Swedish Parliament has decided that we must have a coherent environmental poli-cy for a sustainable Sweden. The overall objective is that coming generations will in­herit a society in which the major environmental problems have been solved.

Work on environmental objectives is based on sixteen national environmental quality objectives and seventy-two national interim objectives. The County Administrative Boards have been assigned the task of adapting, defin­ing and giving a concrete form to fifteen of the sixteen national environmental quality objectives, in order to suit them to regional conditions. The environmental objectives include bland annat climate and energy issues.

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Developing trade and industry Stimulating economic growth in the counties is vital to the welfare of Sweden. Strong regions and businesses are a prerequisite for improving Sweden’s economic develop-ment capacity and ability to compete internationally.

The County Administrative Boards contribute to the development of trade and indus-try so that employment and economic growth are promoted. This is achieved by giving financial assistance to small and medium sized enterprises that have a planned invest-ment for further expansion and also by giving grants to project initiatives whose aim is to promote economic development. We also participate in projects and often lead pro-jects for development in collaboration with other organizations.

County Governor and County Leadership The County Governor is the County Administrative Board's chief officer and is ap-pointed directly by the Government. The Executive Committee of the County Admin-istrative Board is composed of the County Governor along with a County Director.

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The Regional development Council of Dalarna

The Regional development council of Dalarna county, Region Dalarna is a co-operative body which is responsible for promoting and coordinating regional develop-ment in the county of Dalarna. This includes development planning, programmes for economic growth, project funds for regional development as well as the overall re-sponsibility for any strategic work in progress. Region Dalarna is also involved in Eu-ropean and international issues, in tourism development and in coordinating the own-ership rule of the county’s public transport.

Region Dalarna is a municipal association established in 2003, comprising Dalarna’s 15 municipalities and the County Council. The executive board is politically appointed with members from municipalities in Dalarna. Region Dalarna’s work is funded through membership fees from the municipalities and the County Council as well as other resources transferred from the government. The various projects are financed by e.g. public project funds, European structural funds and regional development money transferred from the County Council.

Some of the strategic areas for Region Dalarna is; economic growth, trade & industry, tourism industry, infrastructure & communications, education & labor supply, energy & environment, international cooperation and social development.

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The County Administrative Board’s commission regarding climate and energy issues

The County Administrative Boards are responsible for leading the regional work regarding energy and climate .

The commission of the County Boards is to promote the implementation of gov-ernment policies for energy transition and the reduction of climate impact. Over the years, the commission has been augmented and made concrete. Accord-ing to the Appropriation Directions from 2013, the County Boards are to:

Coordinate and lead the regional work of implementing government policies con-cerning energy transition and the reduction of climate impact,

Develop and implement regional action plans for the strategic work concerning energy and climate in collaboration with concerned local and regional actors,

Strengthen cooperation within the respective county board as well as between the county boards,

Conduct efforts to aid the energy and climate goals to attain an increased impact within different branches and disciplines,

Support the energy and climate work done by trade, industries and municipalities,

Work for an increased share of renewable energy,

Contribute to the government’s work with Roadmap 2050 and,

Connect energy transition with regional development work.

Since 2012, the Swedish Energy Agency has provided financial support to the County Administrative Boards for the overall energy and climate work, to an extent that amounts to a little less than 1.5 permanent employees at each County Board. Most County Boards have hired special energy coordinators.

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Several hundred par-ticipants visit Dalarna’s Regional Energy Seminar every year

Energy Intelligent Dalarna The County Administrative Board of Dalarna was one of the earliest Swedish counties that prioritized energy and climate issues within the regional work with the environ-mental objectives. The first energy program was put together already in 2005 and the work has been firmly established locally ever since then. The work with energy and climate issues is conducted using a broad approach and is an important part of the county’s environmental efforts as well as the county’s work regarding regional devel-opment.

As early as 2006, a regional collaboration called Energy Intelligent Dalarna (EID) was formed, which is a net-work organisation with about 80 participating organisa-tions.

The network has a board, with the county governor as chairperson and board mem-bers from, among others, Region Dalarna, the industri-al sector, the property sector,

Dalarna University and adult education. Energy Intelligent Dalarna has a secretariat located at the County Administrative Board.

Gathering all of the affected sectors and most important organisations in the coopera-tive forum Energy Intelligent Dalarna is a key to success regarding the work with en-ergy and climate issues in Dalarna. The fact that the organisation is perceived as vol-untary, open, positive and flexible has contributed to a broad acceptance, meaning that essentially all organisations that are active within this area today are a part of the network. The participating partners feel that Energy Intelligent Dalarna constitutes a unifying link representing coordination and sharing of knowledge.

Example of sub-processed in solar ener-gy and biogas

Websites:

Energiintelligent Dalarna www.energiintelligent.se

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A just as important key to success in Dalarna’s work has been the method of creating cooperative forums for different sectors. Work within Energy Intelligent Dalarna has been organised in several processes and networks for the various sectors within energy-related work. The joint action that has come furthest is the dialogue group for the con-struction and property sectors, Byggdialog Dalarna (Building Dialogue Dalarna).

The County Board took the initiative to Byggdialog in 2005 and during the first years also acted as host and unifying link for the network. Building Dialogue Dalarna takes a coordinated handle on the questions connected to energy transition within the building and property sectors and has gathered representatives in three groups dealing with planning, construction and management.

Areas of cooperation in different sub-processes in

Energy Intelligent Dalarna

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Partners A properly functioning cooperation with all stakeholders affected by energy transition and those who need to be involved in energy transition is a condition for achieving the objectives. The almost one hundred comments on the proposed regional climate and energy strategy that was circulated for consideration is a mark of the extensive, long-term engagement that exists for energy issues in the county.

Among the circa 80 organisations involved in Energy Intelligent Dalarna are NGOs, official stakeholders, businesses, commercial organisations, energy consultants, Da-larna’s County Council, and others. Cooperation also takes place with national authori-ties.

Some of the most important partner organisations within Energy Intelligent Dalarna, except for municipalities and Dalarna Regional Development Council are:

Dalarna University holds a key role in energy transition, both for the provision of general competence and for the coopera-tion with industry and trade concerning R&D within the spe-cialised areas of energy and environment.

Dalarna’s Educational Association is a cooperative enter-prise between regional educational associations that manage several important projects for encouraging adult education regarding energy and climate issues.

The Gävle Dala Energy Office operates in Dalarna and Gävleborg Counties. The Energy Office manages several energy projects and has a coordinating role regarding energy transition in SMEs. They also coordinate and provide support for the municipal energy and climate advisors.

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Teknikdalen Foundation manages a business incubator for SMEs in Dalarna. The foundation also has a section for Sustainable development, which manages several en-ergy projects and develops supportive tools for sustainable business development. The foundation also leads the initiative Green Business Region for the environmental technolo-gy business community. They work in close cooperation with Dalarna University.

Dala Energy Association is a non-profit association with in-formation about renewable energy and energy efficiency, and which promotes increasing knowledge through, among other things, a membership bulletin, study visits and lectures.

The Dalarna County Council is responsible for healthcare and medical care in the county, and through its extensive property holdings and progressive work with energy issues, assumes an important role as a good model.

Falu Energy & Water Company and Borlänge Energy are the two largest municipal energy companies in Dalarna. They are also responsible for technical management. Through large invest-ments in infrastructure and energy pro-vision, they act as a motor in energy transition.

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Dalarna’s municipalities

Network for local energy and climate strategists For a long time, the County Administrative Board in Dalarna has worked with supporting municipalities in their work with energy issues. The work is conducted in a joint network including all of Dalarna’s 15 municipalities and with the Coun-ty Board as the convenor. When the network was created, much of the work was concentrated around helping the municipalities develop their own local energy and climate strategies and action plans. Now that all have adopted their strategies, focus has moved to execution and implementation. The individuals participating in the network have a broad, overall responsibility.

Energy efficiency in your own activities All municipalities in Dalarna have applied for and been granted support from the Swe-dish Energy Agency to work with making the municipality’s own energy use more ef-fective, which in practice means that the municipalities now have at least one half-time position for this. The County Board has the role of guiding the municipalities in their work with energy issues.

Energy and Climate advisors The municipalities also employ energy and climate advisors who work with giving en-ergy advise to individuals and SME-businesses. Financial support for this service is provided by the Swedish Energy Agency, and the regional energy office guides the ad-visors in their work.

Spatial planning The responsibility of municipalities for spatial planning is an important tool in both energy transition and climate change adaptation. Comprehensive spatial plans can specify various environmental objectives and indicate the direction for more sustaina-ble development, while detailed development plans provide a chance to realize these in a more concrete manner when it comes to decisions about how land and water should be used. The County Board in Dalarna has chosen to emphasize the question of how energy and climate aspects are taken into consideration in comprehensive plans, since these serve as guidance for the county’s long-term development. For this, the County Board has started a network of municipal employees who work with spatial planning.

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Building inspection According to the Planning and Building Act, rational use of energy is a requirement, and this means that buildings should be designed so that energy use is minimized through low levels of heat loss, low cooling requirements, effective heating and cooling and ef-fective energy use. The County Board provides guidance for municipalities in their su-pervision of the legislation.

Environmental inspection The fundamental provisions of the Swedish Environmental Code regarding rational use of energy implies that businesses and organisations are economical in their approach to energy use, that they have a functional self-monitoring program and, last but not least, that they implement reasonable measures. Municipalities have the role of verifying that environmental regulations are followed. The County Boards and municipalities have long experience of both preventative and controlling inspections within other environ-mental areas. The County Board plays an important role in developing a uniform guid-ance and that this guidance is implemented.

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Dalarnas energy and climate strategy

Energy and Climate Strategy As one of only a few counties, Dalarna’s regional energy and climate strategy stretches all the way to 2050. The report indicates that by then, it should be possible for the county to double its production of renewable energy while simultaneously cutting cur-rent energy use by half. Dalarna can thus become a net exporter of energy.

As Pilot County for Green Growth, Dalarna has developed its strategy with connec-tion between energy transition and climate change and the development of trade and industry, sustainable consumption and sustainable production and, climate impact of agriculture and forestry.

The vision for 2050 means:

Consumers make wise decisions. Production is sustainable from a global perspective. Energy and transportation systems utilise resources efficiently. Renewable energy is used and produced largely within the county, and we export

renewable energy to regions where conditions are not as advantageous. Dalarna is well known and respected for its work with using energy and environ-

mental transition for development and growth.

More efficient use of energy Improving the efficiency of the processing industries in Dalarna by 20% by 2020 is a great challenge, above all because the fuel transition that takes place in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions sometimes causes an increase in energy use. Industries have however conducted several measures to conserve energy. The possibility of achieving a 25% reduction in other industries by the year 2020 is judged as good. Although, this requires that general, coordinated initiatives are conducted to inform and support the

Energy and climate objectives 2020

- Awareness concerning the global impact of our consumption is high and the global emission of greenhouse gases caused by our consumption has begun to decrease.

- Energy use has become 25% more efficient in all sectors with the exception of pro-cessing industries, where an increase in efficiency of 20% is expected.

- Production of renewable energy has increased by 50%.

- Emission of greenhouse gases has decreased by over 20% altogether.

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Reports:

”Energi- och kli-matstrategi för Da-larna”, Rapport 2012:20

”Annex 1 – Underliggande beräkningar energi och utsläpp”

”Annex 2 – Underliggande beräkningar syssel-sättningseffekter”

work with transition and that energy issues are included in inspections and controls. It also demands stronger measures and a faster pace regarding the renovation of existing housing, more efficient motor vehicles and a reduction in travel.

Renewable and recyclable energy The potential for increasing production of renewable energy within the county is good. In the short term, prospects for wind power and bioenergy are good, and somewhat farther along in the future, solar energy. Dalarna has a prime geographic location, with good wind conditions and large forested areas allowing for the possibility of producing more wood fuel than many other counties. Dalarna also has a large share of energy in-tensive industries with significant energy requirements where bioenergy can play a greater role in the future.

New jobs and businesses in green markets It is estimated that energy transition in Dalarna will simultaneously create over 5,000 new jobs. They will be created through an increase in production and distribution of renewable energy as well as through making buildings and industries more energy effi-cient. There is also a great potential for creating new jobs within businesses that offer new energy-intelligent and climate-smart products and services.

Energy and climate objectives 2050

- Emission of greenhouse gases caused by our consumption is less than 2 tonnes CO2-equivalent per person and year.

- Energy use has become 50% more efficient in all sectors with the exception of pro-cessing industries, where an increase in efficiency of 40% is expected.

- Production of renewable energy has increased by 100%.

- Emission of greenhouse gases has decreased by almost 70% altogether.

Employment objectives 2020 Energy transition is a lever for green growth, and employment within this sector in-creases.

Employment objectives 2050 Energy transition has created thousands of new jobs in Dalarna.

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The Government’s appointment of Pilot regions

The Government appointed Dalarna as a Pilot region for green growth in August 2010. Representatives from Energy Intelligent Dalarna had been working on receiving this appointment for several years. The counties of Skåne and Norrbotten received similar appointments at the same time.

As background and motivation for the decision, the Government emphasised the cen-tral role of the County Administrative Boards in implementing national climate and energy policies throughout the country. At the same time, the Government noted that the quality of the work by the County Boards varied. They hoped that successful coun-ties would support and inspire other counties that had not come as far, as well as share their experiences at the national level. The Government also emphasised the need to utilise synergies between climate and energy policies and the work with regional devel-opment for the purpose of creating new jobs, growth and increased competitiveness.

From the Government’s directive to Pilot region Dalarna: In close cooperation with Region Dalarna, municipalities, the County Council, private and public businesses as well as universities and non-profit organisations:

Develop and analyse different working methods and tools that further green growth. Based on these experiences, produce a guidebook for other counties.

Actively work on inspiring, supporting and sharing Dalarna’s experiences with other counties.

Complete detailed analyses of national control measures at the regional level in order to identify shortcomings, obstacles and opportunities, and needs for adjustment and supplementation of these.

Act as a regional interface and partner in dialogue for the Government and national authorities during the course of the work in order to point out obsta-cles and suggest priorities and opportunities for improvement from a regional perspective.

Act as a unifying link between various regional and local actors.

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Sweden’s King conducts a daylong study visit to Pilotregion Dalarna.

Reports:

Mycket snack och mycket verkstad, Pilotlän Dalarna, Rapport 2013:13

Youtube: ”Mycket snack och mycket verkstad”

Pilot region Dalarna Actors from Energy Intelligent Dalarna see the appointment as Pilot Region for Green Growth as an acknowledgment for their previous successful and ambitious work with energy issues. With the status of Pilot Region, Dalarna wants to strengthen its position even more as a national model for climate and energy transition and invigorate the implementation of energy and climate strategies.

The mandate as Pilot Region was completed during 2010-2013, integrated in the ordi-nary activities of Energy Intelligent Dalarna. In this way, the appointment has been able to inspire all actors within Energy Intelligent Dalarna to contribute and act as models. This means that many more measures have been completed than simply those that were financed with economic resources from the Pilot Region commission.

Vision: “Pilot Region Dalarna will, using innovative methods, a comprehensive outlook and focus on sustainable growth, engage all of Dalarna in the comple-tion of the county’s climate and energy strategy.”

The experience gained from being a Pilot Region for Green Growth has led to so many positive effects for the county and its work with energy issues that actors within Energy Intelligent Dalarna have decided to continue work as a Pilot Region even after the Government’s formal mandate ends.

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Supporting other counties

Part of the task as Pilot Region involves inspiring, supporting and providing guidance to other counties in their work with climate and energy issues. Pilot Region Dalarna regularly communicates methods, tools and results developed from the different measures. Pilot Region Dalarna provide suggestions and develop the role of the Coun-ty Administrative Boards, the internal coordination as well as the cooperation between County Boards. It is both cost-efficient and an improvement in quality to jointly devel-op methods and tools.

Energy and Climate Section of the County Administrative Boards Together, the Pilot Regions have initiated a future coordinating structure called the County Administrative Boards’ Energy and Climate Section, which with financial help from the Swedish Energy Agency started its work in 2013. Its purpose is to support individual County Boards in their work with joint development projects and coordina-ting efforts. A network of directors from the County Boards is in charge of the Sec-tion. A working group with personal from separate County Boards implement the plan of operation that has been mutually decided. The Government has commissioned all of the counties to strengthen their cooperation, both internally and between counties.

Web-based guide for County Administrative Boards In many cases, good work is being accomplished in the counties, but no documenta-tion is taking place. We see this as a shortcoming regarding efficient coordination and exchange of experience between the counties. Together with Skåne and Norrbotten, Dalarna has developed a guide in the form of an energy and climate website. Here, all of the County Administrative Boards and in particular the Pilot Regions publish good examples of methods and tools as well as other regional guidance material.

Websites:

”Energy and climate website for County Administrative boards”, www.lansstyrelsen.se/energi

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Best Practice in Pilot Region Dalarna Following is a description of some of the projects and measures taken within Pilot Re-gion Dalarna, along with results achieved and a summary of challenges and keys to suc-cess.

Handbook for estimating renewable energy potential

The County Administrative Board of Dalarna has developed a hand-book for the regional estimation of renewable energy potential. Includ-ed in the model are calculations for bioenergy (forestry, agriculture and waste products), solar energy, wind power and hydroelectric power, as well as potentialities for a few addi-tional sources of energy such as bioenergy from algae, sea-wave power and geothermal energy.

The report shows how, using rela-tively simple methods, estimates of renewable energy potentials can be calculated for a county based on official statistics and key figures. The handbook also describes methods for more advanced esti-mates of bioenergy. Synergies and conflicts for the different kinds of energy are reported together with a

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Reports:

”Bioenergipotentialen i Dalarnas län”, Rapport 2007:22

”Vindkraft i Da-larna”, Rapport 2011:15

”Solenergi i Dalar-nas bebyggelse”, Rapport 2012:05

”Underlag för potentialberäk-ningar av förnybar energi”, Rapport 2013:03

discussion on the balancing of opposing interests. The purpose of the estimates is to find a figure that can be used to compare the different sources of renewable energy as a basis for strategies and action plans, as well as for regional measures for the support of the production of different types of energy.

The estimates indicate that Dalarna can increase its production of renewable energy from its current level of 6.8 TWh to 22.4 TWh.

Challenges and keys to success

The estimates indicate that prospects are good for replacing a significant amount of today’s power supply with a combination of different kinds of renewable fuels. The challenge will be assessing which type of renewable energy will be competitive in the short and long terms, and then identifying the measures needed in order to stimulate investment in them.

Bottlenecks need to be eliminated; for example, the regional power mains in Dalarna limit the expansion of wind power. Currently, Sweden’s municipalities are planning for about 100 TWh of wind power in their comprehensive spatial plans, while national targets and the electricity certificate system only support an expansion of a little more than 10 TWh over the next decade.

Long-term national objectives are needed as well as clear economic requirements for investments in the respective types of energy.

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Method for regional energy system analyses

One precondition for the County Administrative Boards’ mission is to have good knowledge about the energy systems in their own county – energy production, distribu-tion and energy use. The basic data that is primarily available to the County Boards to-day come from Statistics Sweden’s (SCB) municipal and regional energy statistics and from the national emissions database (RUS). This data is analysed in different ways by the various County Boards.

The County Board of Dalarna has brought attention to the need for a model to facili-tate regional energy system analyses. The Board has assigned two independent consult-ants the task of developing a proposal for what such a tool might look like, what kind of input data would be necessary and how it would be gathered. The County Board is now working on developing the tool further.

Challenges and keys to success

The greatest challenge consists of limiting the scope of the tool in a functional manner. The tool needs to have enough input and built-in functions so that it offers something more than what the individual sources of the statistics do today. At the same time, the beneficiaries, primarily the energy strategists at the County Boards, have limited resources for col-lecting and updating in-put and for familiarizing themselves with and learning about a new sys-tem. There are also large differences in working methods at the County Boards as well as differ-ences in the level of the recipient.

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Projects:/initiativs, ex-amples:

Byggdialog Dalarna www.byggdialogdalarna.se

Green Business Region, www.greenbusinessregion.se

Energi- och miljö-kunskapscentrum, EMC, Högskolan Dalarna www.du.se/emc

Förnybar energi, Energieffektivise-ring och Miljö, FEM www.femweb.nu

Dialogue Platform on Energy and Re-source Efficiency, EFFECT www.cbss.org

Advanced regional cooperation

Energy Intelligent Dalarna’s organisation has progressed and representatives from trade and industry and regional development have increased their commitment and participation.

Environmental technology business communities: The initiative Green Business Region supports the development of environmental technology business communities through advice to businesses, networks and help with export. The work is conducted in close cooperation with Dalarna University.

Dalarna University holds a key role in energy transition, especially considering that Dalarna energy- and environmental excellence center, EMC, is located at the univer-sity. R&D within the area of energy has grown significantly in recent years.

Energy efficiency in industries: The County Board has initiated the formation of a forum for cooperation for energy efficiency in industries, with representatives from public organisations and other trade and industry organisations. Their role is to main-tain an overall view, coordinate and take new initiatives that are necessary in order to achieve the objectives.

Building and property sector: Building Dialogue Dalarna takes a concerted hold concerning energy transition in the building and property sector. The network was established already in 2007 and their successes are a result of both private and public actors within the sector themselves developing innovative methods and tools that cover the entire chain from planning, building and management of properties. The initiative for Building Dialogue Dalarna was taken by the County Board; however, the group has now gone on to become an independent organisation with a clearer con-nection to trade and industry and with the goal of being able to economically carry out its own activities.

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Environmentally adapted transports: A network for environmentally adapted trans-ports has been established, where the municipalities are the most important partners. This past year, several initiatives have been taken to support the introduction of elec-tric vehicles and biogas vehicles.

Wind power: A network for wind power gathers, among others, developers and grid owners for collaborations regarding the expansion of the regional power mains.

District heating: The County Board has formed a regional network for district heat-ing companies, both municipal and private, with the aim of supporting the continued development of district heating and increase the recovery of industrial residual heat.

Interreg cooperation with Norway: Pilot Region Dalarna has established collabora-tion with Norwegian counties within the project Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Environment. The project has developed energy parks for education and R&D. An energy league has been created as a meeting place for property managers and the programme called Energy Challenge teaches young people about energy.

Nordic and Baltic Sea Region cooperation: The County Board has initiated an ex-tended international cooperation between regions in the Nordic countries and Baltic re-gion, which has resulted in, among other things, the flagship project EFFECT within the Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region in which the County Board of Dalarna is a part-ner.

Challenges and keys to success

Gathering all of the affected sectors and most important organisations in the coopera-tive forum Energy Intelligent Dalarna is a key to success regarding the work with ener-gy and climate issues in Dalarna. The fact that the organisation is perceived as volun-tary, open, positive and flexible has contributed to a broad acceptance, meaning that essentially all organisations that are active within this area today are a part of the net-work. The participating partners feel that Energy Intelligent Dalarna constitutes a uni-fying link representing coordination and sharing of knowledge.

One challenge is the continued development of the organisation and working methods in order to maintain interest and vitality in the organisation.

Now that energy transition has also been made a clearly prioritised issue for regional development, the need grows for involving trade and industry to a larger extent.

With Building Dialogue Dalarna as a model, successful forums for cooperation should also be established for other sectors, such as transportation and industry.

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The climate impact of land use

The emission of greenhouse gases from agriculture equivalent to 15% of Sweden’s total emissions is primarily in the form of nitrous oxide from the ground, due to the addition of nitrogen to fields and pastures, CO2-flux from cultivated organic soils, methane from livestock digestion, as well as methane from manure storage. The ab-sorption of carbon dioxide by rough grazing pastures compensates in part the emis-sions caused by agriculture.

Challenges and keys to success

The various measures necessary differ significantly between the different regions in the country, due to the type of soil and farming methods. Because of this, each region should make its own assessment regarding necessary measures.

There is a large uncertainty regarding organic soils, especially about what greenhouse gas emissions are generated by aeration of the humus-rich soil and in what amounts.

Reports:

”Jordbrukets kli-matpåverkan – globala utsläpp och lokala åtgärder”, Rapport 2013:08

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The climate impact of consumption

Pilot Region Dalarna considers it relevant to estimate our climate impact based on our consumption and not solely on emissions within our own country/region. This view is supported by Sweden’s overall environmental objective, which is “to hand over to the next generation a society in which the major envi-ronmental problems in Sweden have been solved, without increasing environmental and health problems outside Sweden’s borders.”

In Dalarna, the project Conscious Choices has been carried out, where climate impact from services and goods have been examined from a consumption perspective for 19 households, with 63 people included in the study.

In the new energy and climate strategy for Dalarna, targets have been set for the envi-ronmental impact of consumption (see the section on Energy and climate strategy).

The Resources and Energy Analysis Programme (REAP) is a tool developed by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and it has been tested and evaluated here. Based on modelling in REAP, introductory material has been produced regarding Da-larna’s consumption and its global impact. Discussions about how Dalarna’s munici-palities can and will work with this question is on going.

Challenges and keys to success

Municipalities and others are inquiring after measures to reduce the climate impact of consumption. There are however several substantial challenges; for example, difficul-ties in estimating the climate impact of consumption when such estimates must be based on many assumptions. Other challenges are the relationship between consump-tion and growth, and that information activities within this area are not very effective.

REAP is a good tool for visualising the climate impact of consumption, but it is a great drawback that the software has not been updated so that a follow-up can be run.

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Dala pilots

The County Administrative Board has created a model for appointing local Dala pi-lots for green growth. The reasons for this were to acknowledge good role models in the area of energy and climate, and to allow them to share their experiences with oth-ers in order to inspire more actors to make active contributions. Those who are ap-pointed Dala pilots receive acknowledgement and are inspired to continue with their activities, while at the same time they accept the mission of acting as role models while sharing their experiences. Thus far, three ceremonies have been conducted and 15 Dala pilots have been appointed from a broad range of different sectors/branches.

Challenges and keys to success

The programme of appointing Dala pilots is appreciated and easy to understand for many people. The pilots appointed place great worth in the honorary appointment and are proud of drawing attention to the fact that they are Dala pilots. It has been easy for the appointment to gain media attention and the nominations and appoint-ments have not caused too much extra work.

One way of developing the concept and finding more possible candidates is to put out an announcement within the various branches, who themselves can then recom-mend those who they believe would make the best role models.

Ceremony at governor's

residence for appointment

of Dala Pilots.

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General education and the spreading of knowledge

Each year, Energy Intelligent Dalarna organises a larger regional energy seminar, which gathers 2-300 participants and is a natural meeting place for all who work with energy and climate issues.

In addition to this, a venture for general education is conducted via the county’s pop-ular educational associations and Dalarna’s study association. The project has created insights about the need for energy transition and it has motivated people to begin a personal energy transition.

During two years, 482 adult education activities were conducted such as study circles, lectures and workshops, with a total of 4,580 participants. Currently, forms for coop-eration between adult education, club activities and public actors are being developed concerning the implementation of energy and climate strategies.

This year, Dalarna’s educational association has also compiled a study compendium about energy and cli-mate issues for politicians in the municipalities and the County Council in Dalarna. The study material provides a knowledge base and many concrete tips regarding tools that the municipalities can use.

Challenges and keys to success

Many organisations feel involved in Dalarna’s region-al energy seminar, which has made the event a suc-cessful tradition, but it is also a great challenge to reach outside the traditional groups for participants.

There is a great need to reach out with more infor-mation and knowledge so that more people may gain insight to the needs and opportunities, and thus act. New ways of communicating energy issues also need to be developed in order to reach new groups.

The ventures completed can be communicated much more actively; however, re-sources and competence are often lacking.

Projects:

“Folkbildning som en del av energi- och klimatstategi”, www.dbf.nu

Reports:

”Besluta klimat-smart – grundkurs i klimat- och energi-frågor för politiker i Dalarna”

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Public procurement

Based on experience, public procurement can be a powerful tool for steering develop-ment in a sustainable direction. In Dalarna, a collective regional development effort is underway regarding public procurement. Purchasers, politicians and SME-businesses have undergone training in the procurement process and the available methods within the Public Procurement Act. A regional competence centre, or procurement board, is currently being formed, which will be able to provide guidance to purchasers.

The model for joint distribution previously established in the county in order to reduce transports and facilitate for small suppliers, the Borlänge model, is being developed further and spread to other parts of the country. Goods from different places are deliv-ered to the central facility for joint distribution to schools, preschool and housing for the elderly, which reduces transports.

Challenges and keys to success

Many have a general idea that the Public Procurement Act places great limitations on the possibility of demanding a certain quality when purchasing goods and services. However, experience shows that the legislation, in itself, does not constitute any great limitation; instead, it is the lack of competence and concrete models.

Recommendations by the Swedish Environmental Management Council fill an important function and need to be developed further regarding the stipulation of requirements for energy use and climate impact in procurement processes.

There is also a lack of resources for following up on whether the purchaser has actually received what was ordered, for example, regarding the review of quality in food purchased according to requirements of certain levels of animal welfare, etc.

Public procurement can act as a strong catalyst for influencing societal development and can help with creating a critical mass that can support production in those branches or sectors in which society wishes to develop and create profitability. For example, this might mean within environmental technology innovations or sustainable food production.

Projects:

Dalarnas region-ala servicepro-gram

Photo: S

tuart Miles, M

ostphotos

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Green growth

The Government encourages the regional level to continue work with green business development and to use environmental considerations as a means of strengthening their competitiveness. Sustainable growth is an important focus for Pilot Region Dalarna and several activities have been conducted in close cooperation with the Re-gional Development Council of Dalarna.

Business viewpoints regarding energy transition has been summarised in a joint strate-gic document. Discussions about the terms green economy, green growth and low-carbon economy reach the heart of sustainable development.

The County Administrative Board of Dalarna prioritises energy transition within pro-ject and business support, in order to help businesses lower their energy expenditures. Seminars for business developers and clusters, in order to create a consensus regarding what green growth is and how it can be supported.

Example of cluster

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Green growth has been integrated into the regional development programme as well as in the programming for new structural funds. A model for an interactive training programme on green growth has been developed for the county’s civil servants work-ing with business issues.

The effect Dalarna’s energy and climate strategy is expected to have on employment has been calculated. An overall model for growth within green markets has been de-veloped, which has improved communication.

Dalarna’s environmental technology companies have received special support and a further inventory of these has been completed. Green growth has been made an area of priority for smart specialisation in Dalarna and a process has started to create an open arena for innovation within the area of energy efficient community building.

A survey has been conducted of possible control measures at the regional and local levels that can be used to strengthen green growth, indicating that there are many tools available.

An external consultant has conducted a functional analysis of the regional system for innovation with special attention to green growth.

Model for growth on green market

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Challenges and keys to success

Models are lacking for external work regarding green growth at the regional level, and guidance from the national level is limited. The municipalities consider this an inter-esting issue and would like to see more information and concrete tools regarding how they can work with green growth in their contacts with businesses.

The question of energy and climate is not only an environmental issue, but also a high priority question for regional development. Further dialogues between different spheres of authority are needed in order to find new ways of working that bridge dif-ferent perspectives on development. One key to success found in the work with green growth is that we have been successful in presenting how the three aspects of sustain-ability are related to one another and provide support for one another. The picture we have communicated shows that:

Social sustainability is the objective Economic sustainability is the tool Environmental sustainability sets the limitations.

Projects/reports:

”Erfarenheter från arbetet med miljö-driven tillväxt inom Pilotlän Da-larna”, PM 2013:15

Industry 650 Buildings, service 1 500-2 000 Transport 290 Electrical grid 40 District heating 17 Water power 15 Biomass 1 200 Biogas 20 Windpower 900 Solar energy 70 Sum 4 700 - 5 200

+ Clean tech products

Estimated amount of new jobs from energy

transition in Dalarna

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Estimates of the effects of the energy and climate strategy on employment have been valuable in increasing interest in the opportunities for green growth.

There is a need for, and it is a challenge to express energy transition in various pro-gramme descriptions as a condition for business development, a horizontal environ-mental objective, an area for strengthening the competitiveness of businesses as well as a possible area of growth.

Energy efficiency in the industry

The rational use of energy is the most important measure for attaining the energy and climate objectives. However, the regional level has limited opportunities for influenc-ing the emissions within the larger processing industries. Measures taken in Pilot Re-gion Dalarna are thus concentrated on other industrial sectors.

After being inspired by the coordinated approach within the building sector in Dalar-na, a forum for cooperation for a more energy efficient industry has been formed, with the role of, among other things, coordinating efforts.

Reports:

”Handlingsplan för ett energieffekti-vare näringsliv”

”Arbetsordning för samverkansforum”

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A strategic action plan has been produced, which has been adopted by the forum, with an analysis of possible control measures at the regional and local levels. The action plan is also committed to, over time, phasing out the informative measures and strengthen-ing the measures that are more controlling. For businesses that do not act in spite of many chances of opportunities or information, more compulsory measures are needed.

Challenges and keys to success

In order to reach the target of a 22% more energy efficient in-dustry in 2020, a multitude of various control measures are necessary simultaneously, both supportive and more compulso-ry. The measures with the great-est potential for development are different kinds of incite-ments, where one should be able to find ways of enticing businesses to act sustainably, and where they gain clear ad-vantages from doing so. It would however be more effec-tive if these were developed at the national level.

Industry is careful in emphasising voluntarism. Essentially, however, there must be a compulsory requirement to work systematically with energy efficiency, but there should be a large amount of flexibility as to how each business chooses to work. The use of the environmental inspection of businesses that lag behind is a key to success in Da-larna’s work. One thing we have learned is that even supportive measures and control measures for energy efficiency need to be formulated and adapted according to the needs of the different branches.

Many technically possible energy management measures are never implemented be-cause the energy costs are so low that the measures are not profitable. Economic sub-vention etc., in order to make them profitable, can be a simple and socioeconomically profitable easily picked fruit. In addition, a number of profitable measures are not im-plemented. The challenge is in strengthening businesses in converting their knowledge into action.

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Several actors support industry in its work towards energy transition, among others, the climate and energy advisors in the municipalities. It is challenging to get these ac-tors together so that the work runs as effectively as possible and so that the businesses do not experience uncertainty regarding who does what. Increased coordination and smart transitions between environmental inspection, energy advisement and project support are thus necessary.

Extensive measures for SME-businesses

Extensive measures have been taken to give small and medium sized enterprises assis-tance in starting up their work with energy issues. With the help of 15 of the country’s best energy consultants, over 260 businesses were visited. The goal was to promote energy audits, and for this, the County Board of Dalarna created its own business grants, called energy checks, which cover 50% of the company’s costs for the audit.

An introductory tool has been created aimed at top management and the participating energy consultants have received training in order to complete their task better. The

Projects/reports:

”Energismarta fö-retag och Energis-marta landsbygds-företag”, PM 2013:04

Success factors for energy work in SME

• Energy knowledge

• Well established among management and staff

• Enthusiasts, personal commitment

• Resources for possible investments

• Good dialogue with renting owner

• Energy audit with clear priorities

• Goals, monitoring

• Consideration of the Life Cycle Cost, LCC

• Continuous process, systematics

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consultants have regularly turned in reports from their business contacts, which provide useful knowledge and basic data for statis-tics on the status of the energy work by the businesses. Reasons for why businesses have declined help have been mapped and are now the basis for the future work.

Follow-ups indicate that 51% of the con-tacted enterprises accepted a visit by an en-ergy consultant and the responses to the visits were very positive. Forty-five busi-nesses conducted an energy audit before the end of the project.

Challenges and keys to success

There is still a large untapped potential re-garding energy efficiency measures profita-ble for businesses to implement, and these seem not to be undertaken without external support/pressure. Project resources invest-ed in similar projects can easily produce energy savings that are considerably larger than the money invested in the project. The municipal energy and climate advisors often do not have the competence to seek out businesses.

The arguments that primarily work on businesses are those regarding reduced energy expenditures and legal requirements. The enterprises most interested in conducting en-ergy measures are those that are already in the starting block of making investments of some kind. The energy checks are an important enticement.

Enterprises have moved forward at different speeds in their work with energy issues, thus necessitating a multitude of flexible measures for meeting them at their own level. The major obstacles that need to be overcome in order to reach businesses are the shortage of time and lack of resources in SME-businesses. In the future, support to these should be provided through existing branch and business networks. Many also feel that energy issues are someone else’s responsibility. Here, method development is needed. For those who can, but who choose not to work with energy issues, environ-mental inspections should be sharpened.

Photo: Phovoir, Mostphotos

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Branch support to - Grocers - Ski resorts - Water supply and sewer companies

Energy savings in grocers The County Administrative Board has a special re-sponsibility for food shops in rural areas as they sup-ply an important service function. The shops have been offered cost-free energy audits in exchange for agreeing to complete reasonable measures on their own.

Twenty-three shops have accepted, and profitable energy measures totalling 20% of their energy use have been completed. An energy coach then helps the shops with planning their actions. General measures for food shops have been presented in an information brochure aimed at other food shops.

Energy savings in ski resorts Within the Interreg-project GREEN 2020, ski resorts in Dalarna and in Hedmark in Norway have started cooperating. In addition to training initiatives, each ski resort has been given support for different kinds of development measures, such as transition to biofuel-based local heating, energy-saving measures in holiday villages, en-ergy audits and measures to im-prove equipment, LED-lighting, energy-saving piste machines, more energy efficient lifts and, not least, more energy efficient methods of producing snow.

Photo: Mostphotos Alberto Rigamonti

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Reports:

”Energismarta handlare – så kan du sänka dina energi-kostnader”

”Energihushållning i VA-sektorn”, Rapport 2013:04

Projects:

GREEN 2020, www.green2020.info

BEE, Branschvis energieffektivise-ring: www.energiintelligent.se

The knowledge and experience gained here will now be compiled into a handbook to aid other ski resorts in their work with similar measures.

Energy savings in waterworks and sewerage The water supply and sewer system companies in Dalarna’s municipalities are cooperat-ing with Dala VA in a development project for finding joint models for energy plan-ning of Dalarna’s 100 largest sewage treatment plants and water supply plants. The County Board has supported the work and shares experiences from the project to the water and sewage sector in other counties.

The new project called Branch-wise energy efficiency (BEE) is now cooperating with several additional branches in order to save energy and reduce operating costs.

Challenges and keys to success

The drive for energy audits of food shops in rural areas has been a success and interest in implementing actions has been great on the part of the shops. That the audits have been cost-free for the shops has been extremely pivotal as to whether the audits were conducted.

The GREEN-project shows that it can be advantageous for a branch to cooperate in energy measures, even if they are competitors. The new knowledge gleaned from the project, for example in the form of more energy efficient snow production, can easily be spread within the entire branch.

The method of concentrating within one branch has resulted in such a positive experi-ence that it should be the basis for continued efforts. The tool has been able to be adapted to the relevant group, where measures suggested could be adjusted so that they were suitable, and presented in such an organised manner that others in the same branch should be able to use them.

That the cooperation concerning energy transition has worked out well in the water and sewage sector is due to the fact that Dalarna’s water and sewage sector corresponds to the more or less general keys to success the County Board of Dalarna has identified:

- Homogeneous branch with clear advantages of cooperation and a mission statement. - Business advantages, but with a desire to meet environmental challenges. - Operative advantages for participating actors – training courses, shared tools, etc. - Dialogue filled with trust and cooperation with the County Board. - An established cooperation with motivated individuals.

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Projects:

Mountain Package of Dalarna

Energy transition within the transport sector – the Mountain Package

Region Dalarna is currently implementing the Mountain Package Proposal of Dalar-na, which is three projects packaged under one banner with the goal of creating better conditions for the tourist industry in the mountains of Dalarna. The mountain resorts in Dalarna together with the municipalities are planning for continued expansion with 27 000 new tourist-beds, which is equivalent to 3 million new guest nights. If this ex-pansion takes place without also making an effort regarding alternative modes of transport, this will mean that there may be 250 000 new cars on the roads to and from the mountain regions of Dalarna, which is not sustainable in the present situa-tion.

Sustainable transportation solutions have been discussed in several workshops that have taken place, with the goal of finding solutions that everyone can support.

Challenges and keys to success

One strong aspect of the Mountain Package is that all of the important stakeholders within regional development have gathered in a joint ambition to improve the condi-tions for the tourist industry in Dalarna, in a sustainable manner.

The challenges lie in creating transport systems that can handle the uneven flood of traffic during the year. One possibil-ity is to provide more public transport, with charter busses as well as transit bus-ses between the trains and airports and final destina-tions. The system must work without visitors having to use their own cars at all.

Photo: M

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Websites::

Byggdialog Dalarna www.byggdialogdalarna.se

Reports:

”ByggDialog Dalar-na 2012”

”Byggdialog Dalarna 9 goda exempel”

”Lågenergibyggande i Dalarna mars 2012”, Högskolan Dalarna

”Dalastrategi för lå-genergibyggande – Hur halverar vi ener-gianvändningen till 2050” Projects:

Trästad 2012:, http://trastad2012.se Mount EE, Sustaina-ble building in mountain regions, www.mountee.eu/sv

Energy transition in the building sector – Building Dialogue Dalarna (ByggDialog Dalarna)

Building Dialogue Dalarna is an on-going cooperation within the building and property sector in the county, which began in 2005 at the initiative of the County Board of Da-larna. During the period 2007-2011, activities took place in the form of projects and grew substantially. Dialogue within the sector was organised into three groups: plan-ning, building and managing. Based on increased quality and fulfilment of the environ-

mental objectives, the groups were given the task of discussing how de-velopment that is necessary within the sector should be supported. The num-ber of participating businesses and institutions confirms that the work is being pursued quit broadly.

A total of 16 working groups have worked on creating comprehensive tools, prelimi-nary studies, training programmes and other kinds of support.

A final report from Building Dialogue Dalarna’s work during 2007-2011 has been compiled, together with a brochure with good examples of energy efficiency measures

regarding buildings. A survey of buildings in Da-larna indicates that Dalarna has a higher propor-tion of detached houses than is average in Swe-den.

One result of Building Dialogue Dalarna is that a new norm where the new standard production of buildings is at a level of about 30% below the current national building regulations.

Industry buildings and premises are increasingly constructed to the standard of passive houses. A number of buildings, a few blocks of flats and some detached houses, have also been built ac-cording to the passive house standards.

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The project Trästad 2012 (Wooden City 2012) was conduct- ed and completed during the same time as the Pilot Region project. Dalarna has been an active part in Trästad 2012 and won valuable experience concerning the im-portance of emphasising the cli-mate impact of the complete building process, where buildings made of wood have a great ad-vantage when compared with those made using other materials.

The European project, MountEE, Sustainable building in mountain Regions, supports municipalities in Dalarna in their efforts to build in a more energy efficient manner, helps them achieve their objec-tives and to become frontrunners.

Predators center and Wood design plaza, Orsa

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The work has built up competency, a security in building low-energy build-ings, and the county is now a fore-runner regarding the number of low-energy houses per head.

Challenges and keys to

success

The choice of methods and develop-ment of methods are the primary reasons behind the success of Build-ing Dialogue Dalarna. Clear objec-tives have been formulated using the backcasting method as a guiding star.

The objectives have been broken down and adapted to the level of the participating businesses in the form of dialogue. Successes and solutions as well as problems and shortcom-ings have been examined by a col-lected expertise so that the limits for what is possible have been moved.

The County Administrative Board of Dalarna feels that the working and networking methods of Building Dialogue should be used as a model for other similar efforts, both within the county as well as nationally.

Building Dialogue Dalarna actively cooperates with Dalarna University. The coopera-tion has deepened significantly and both partners feel that it is an important part of the future. Dalarna University has now decided to explore the possibilities of becom-ing a national centre of excellence for renovation and energy efficiency measures for existing small houses, where many new methods are needed in order to complete the energy transition.

Building Dialogue has established a regional strategy for nearly zero energy buildings with the aim of continuing the work with standardisation at levels far under the build-ing regulations set by the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning. The strategy now needs to be implemented widely among the county’s contractors and

Nine good examples of low energy buildings

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consultants in order to push development further towards a region on the leading edge.

In Building Dialogue’s network, purchasers are asking for products and services that make it possible for them to fulfil the tough energy targets. This contributes to creat-ing a market for new lines of business within environmental technology.

Building and property management processes are complex and usually include long chains of activities that succeed one another. One successful aspect is that Building Dialogue identi-fies and tries to mend points of weakness. Just as important is to have a long-term administrative perspective, where life-cycle costs are estimated during capital investment appraisals.

One conclusion from experiences of Trästad 2012 is that a national network for climate-smart build-ing is needed, where a continuation of Trästad could also be placed. This requires cooperation between academia, the National Government, mu-nicipalities and trade and industry.

Environmental impact assessment The County Administrative Board of Dalarna has begun work with developing guide-lines and routines for how energy aspects should be taken into account throughout the environmental impact assessment process, from consultation and impact assess-ment to the decision with stipulations. Methods of dealing with energy aspects in the different phases of the application process, such as the consultation application with environmental impact assessment and decision stipulations, have been identified and written down in a checklist.

The Environmental Permit Office has already established a national cooperation for the coordination and development of the work and the County Board of Dalarna has established a dialogue with these coordinating groups regarding energy issues.

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Challenges and keys to success

Since environmental impact assessments for B-classed activities were concentrated to 12 County Boards in 2012, and the Environmental Permit Office has a general task of developing the permit process, conditions are good for developing routines that bet-ter encompass energy aspects in the entire assessment process.

The County Boards need to develop the dialog between the Land and Environment Courts regarding the assessment of “requirement level” of energy aspects in consulta-tions, before the environmental impact assessment of A-classed activities.

The County Board of Dalarna feels that the Environmental Permit Offices joint-ly need to work more on finding a uniform outlook on energy issues in consulta-tion and assessment of different enterprises. A checklist is needed for what ener-gy information should be required in the assessment of B-classed activities and for consultations regarding A-classed enterprises. Standard requirements for en-ergy in running B-classed activities also need to be identified.

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Projects/reports:

”Energi i miljöpröv-ning”, PM 2013:12 ”Tillsyn över energi-hushållning – erfa-renheter från Dalar-na”, Rapport 2009:11 ”Nu är ansvaret ditt”, väglednings-broschyr för verk-samhetsutövare. ”Energihushållning är ett krav – vägled-ning till tillsynsmyn-digheterna i Dalar-na”, PM 2012:03.

Environmental inspection

The County Administrative Board of Dalarna, in collaboration with the municipalities in the county, conducted an energy inspection project between 2005-2008, in order to awaken interest for energy management and raise the level of knowledge in hundreds of the county’s larger businesses, which then conducted energy audits and identified possible measures. The project control indicates that most of the businesses did not lower their energy use more than what was due to the general development of tech-nology, about one percent per year. However, a handful of businesses with active top management did manage to reduce their energy use by 20-40% in one year.

In 2010, the County Board of Dalarna chose to prioritise the production of guidelines for the controlling authorities and information for entrepreneurs, within the frame-work of the Pilot Region mission and in consultation with the Swedish Energy Agen-cy and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

The County Board has produced a clarification of the Environmental Code’s basic regulations regarding energy management, and the role of controlling authorities in controlling whether enterprises conserve energy, successfully conduct self-monitoring or, finally yet importantly, conduct reasonable measures. Energy management does not differ from other environmental measures, which means that measures do not need to be profitable according to business economics. A brochure aimed at business-es has been produced and distributed.

The County Board has also developed its role as inspection guide for the municipali-ty’s environmental inspectors and produced a written guide for the inspection of ener-gy management.

Together with Dalarna’s municipalities, a new energy inspection project is now under-way, where a checklist for inspections and a template for information letters and in-junctions will be produced.

The County Board of Dalarna has continually informed and guided other County Boards during the course of the work, as well as worked towards the formation of joint national guidelines.

Challenges and keys to success

Society needs to both sharpen existing measures as well as encourage them to im-prove interaction with each other. Inspection is the only step which can insure that

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reasonable measures are taken; therefore, inspection needs to focus on this unique role to a greater degree.

The County Boards and municipalities have a long experience of both preventative/promoting and controlling inspections. What has been missing up to now is a clear na-tional inspection guide for energy management. This requires a good cooperation be-tween the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Agency.

Spatial planning

The County Board of Dalarna is developing methods for how energy and climate as-pects can be taken into consideration in the comprehensive spatial planning and de-tailed development planning in municipalities. The responsibility of municipalities for spatial planning is an important tool in both energy transition and climate change adap-tation. Spatial plans can specify various environmental objectives and indicate the di-rection for more sustainable development, while detailed development plans provide a

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chance to realize these in a more concrete manner when it comes to decisions about how land and water should be used. The County Board has produced a first draft for guidelines for the Board’s support regarding the drafting and reviewing of energy and climate aspects of the comprehensive spatial plans, as well as discussed the proposal in a broad network of contacts.

Challenges and keys to success

Integrating other energy and climate aspects into the comprehensive spatial plans is a challenge. For example, it is not that easy to analyse and indicate guidelines for choice of heating system in different regions in a spatial plan. The “requirement” of good physical planning needs to be adapted to local conditions, for example, situations where public transport is absent.

The network of physical planners in Dalarna has identified the following larger chal-lenges: How one can calculate and report the developed areas’ effects on the need for transport, how one plans for increased production and use of renewable energy, as-sessment of whether the structure of the developed areas increases the use of resource efficient energy systems and how the intentions of the plans are followed up.

Building inspection Energy management is a requirement according to the Planning and Building Act and means that buildings should be designed so that energy use is limited through low lev-els of heat loss, low cooling requirements, efficient heating, cooling and electricity use. The County Administrative Boards are to provide guidance for municipalities in their inspection that the legislation is followed; therefore, in 2011, the County Board of Da-larna began work with writing an inspection guide for the municipality’s building in-spection function.

An energy calculation, which provides a theoretical assessment of the building’s ener-gy consumption, is to be turned in to the local building committee in the event of new construction, rebuilding or other changes in the building. The County Board of Dalar-na has identified several uncertainties in being able to assess energy calculations, in following-up and concerning how one should proceed if it turns out that energy consumption is higher than the reported value. To prescribe a ban on use according to the law can lead to serious consequences for an individual house owner. In order to avoid such

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situations, it is important that the inspection authority works effectively with preven-tative measures, for example in the form of information and advisory services.

Challenges and keys to success

The County Board is of the opinion that the municipalities need to work more specif-ically and proactive with energy issues in the building process and the control plan by encouraging the building proprietor to add a density test as a control measure during the building process, as well as recommending the building proprietor to establish an energy agreement with the building contractor.

The County Board’s work with improving the expertise of the county’s building in-spectors has created consensus regarding the interpretation of the regulatory system and in the assessment of energy calculations. This increase in expertise has also con-tributed to a national consensus between the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, the Energy Agency, the County Administrative Boards and the munici-palities regarding how they view energy calculations in the building licencing process. These measures have also created an increase in awareness of the building proprie-tors, building contractors and consultants regarding energy calculations in the building process.

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Project/reports:

”Energiwebb Dalarna – kom-munalt verktyg för energi-statistik”,

Benchmarking tool for municipalities – Energy Web Dalarna

The County Board of Dalarna has created a data system for Dalarna’s municipalities making it possible to compare energy use, both within their own municipality and with other municipalities. In addition to energy, the cost of each kind of energy and enter-prise is reported, along with carbon dioxide emissions.

In that the municipalities’ own energy use is compiled, the question of energy efficien-cy and possibilities of energy conservation through more effective property administra-tion and improved work with energy management is emphasised. This challenges the municipalities to follow-up that the public administration and municipal companies conduct efforts that lead toward the decided energy targets.

Challenges and keys to success

Strong support and a custom of cooperation has led to 14 of Dalarna’s 15 municipali-ties joining the mutual energy control system, Energy Web Dalarna. It is a challenge to continually increase the quality of the reported numbers and to convince officials in the municipalities to prioritise follow-up controls.

The County Boards need to jointly participate in cooperating together with the Energy Agency and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions to further de-velop a national web tool for the municipalities’ energy controls.

Dala energy web

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Analysis of national policy and instruments

Regional instruments, tools and methods that have been developed and/or been used within Energy Intelligent Dalarna’s network have continually been analysed and summarised in a number of various basic reports. The County Board has also assessed the effect of control measures and national actions in association with the County Board’s statements to several national reports for comment.

In addition to this, national policy and instruments have been specially analysed in connection with activities for producing Roadmap 2050 and Sweden’s implementa-tion of the Energy Efficiency Directive. The County Board has, in these statements, emphasised which areas of development should be prioritised.

Challenges and keys to success

The great challenge lies in integrating questions concerning climate impact, energy efficiency, competitiveness, growth, other environmental objectives and societal ob-jectives in the strategic work. In order to succeed, national authorities and ministries need to coordinate and cooperate better. In a longer time perspective, other socio-economic models that can encompass all of these aspects are needed. It is particu-larly important that long-term investments in physical planning, infrastructure and industrial processes are made with consideration to the strategic objectives for 2050.

Reports:

”Färdplan 2050 -Dalarnas förslag på åtgärder och styr-medel”, PM2012:07

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Publication: Länsstyrelsen Dalarna

The brochure can be downloaded from the Dalarna County Administrative Board website; www.lansstyrelsen.se/dalarna/energi

It can also be downloaded from the Energy Intelligent Dalarna website; www.energiintelligent.se