We want to welcome Fredrik Björefors as new theme leader for Energy Storage. We also want to thank Daniel Brandell for his excellent work as theme leader these years.
Fredrik, What is your background and field of expertise?
I have a background in chemistry, and especially electrochemistry, so I think it is very fascinating to use electric current and voltage to control and analyse chemical reactions. The past 15 years at Uppsala University has been spent on improving the understanding of lithium and sodium ion batteries, often in collaboration with major companies involved in electromobility. To give some examples, the investigations have focused on new battery chemistries that may replace the commercial ones used today, and also efforts to understand why the performance of the cells slowly decays upon repeated cycling.
What do you hope to achieve as a theme leader?
I hope I can use my experiences in electrochemistry and from collaborations with companies and research institutes to continue develop the energy storage part within SEC, for example by involving new organisations. It is also impressing to see the width of the activities representing the different SEC themes, and I hope I can contribute to strengthen the connections between them even further, this is a key aspect for promoting electromobility. In some of the SEC workshops also undergraduate students have been invited to listen to presentations from industry representatives, which has been highly appreciated. We should continue to do that, it is an excellent opportunity to spread the interest for electromobility and to recruit talented people to the area.
What do you see as the most important challenges within energy storage the five next years for a wide implementation e-mobility?
From my part, I think it is more fun to think about technical and scientific aspects rather than economic factors, but from many points of view regarding batteries it would be crucial to develop and produce cells with a significantly longer lifetime. It is also crucial to develop large scale recycling of the critical raw materials required for all the components in the drivetrain in electric vehicles, and secure research funding to support the development of alternative materials. It is also very worrying to see how universities struggle with budget cuts within the undergraduate teaching. This will lead to fewer courses for the students and courses with less teaching hours, with negative consequences for the quality. We need well educated students for the green transition!
What do you like to do in your leisure time?
The children’s sport activities take quite a bit of the free time, but I also like sports and especially outdoor activities like mountain biking and kayaking. And I really enjoy woodworking to build furniture.