The Swedish government has appointed Gotland as a pilot region for the energy transition in Sweden – Energipilot Gotland. With this in mind, Region Gotland’s Energicentrum has initiated a pre-study1 that will lay the foundation for a larger implementation project that will help facilitate the energy transition on the island. The purpose of the implementation project will be to actively engage citizens, companies and organizations on Gotland in the transition process as well as to facilitate the creation of new, local community energy initiatives in the different parishes (socknar) on the island.
The purpose of this report is to supply the project developers at Energicentrum with information from research on local energy initiatives that can be used for the creation of the implementation project. The research topics covered in the report focus on so-called community energy initiatives and how establishment and development of such initiatives can best be facilitated e.g. with the help of intermediarie actor or be applying new renewable energy business models.
Wind energy is an important field of development for the island of Gotland, Sweden, especially since the island has set targets to generate 100% of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. Due to the variability of wind conditions, energy storage will be an important technology to facilitate the continued development of wind energy on Gotland and ensure a stable and secure supply of electricity. In this study, the feasibility of utilizing the Middle Cambrian Faludden sandstone reservoir on Gotland for Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is assessed. Firstly, a characterization of the sandstone beneath Gotland is presented, which includes detailed maps of reservoir thickness and top reservoir structure. Analysis of this information shows that the properties of the Faludden sandstone and associated cap rock appear favorable for the application of CAES. Seven structural closures are identified below the eastern and southern parts of Gotland, which could potentially be utilized for CAES. Scoping estimates of the energy storage capacity and flow rate for these closures within the Faludden sandstone show that industrial scale CAES could be possible on Gotland.