Subarctic Sweden Is at the Forefront of a $100 Billion Green Tech Boom

Originally published on Bloomberg.com on February 15, 2023 as “Subarctic Sweden Is at the Forefront of a $100 Billion Green Tech Boom.”

An e-battery factory and new cultural center have put Skelleftea at the heart of an eco-urban renaissance.

Standing in thick snowfall by the frozen river that bisects Skelleftea, a visitor might easily miss the 20-story timber high-rise that, in clearer weather, looms over this small mining town on the edge of the Arctic Circle.

But when the snow tapers off, there’s no mistaking the Sara Cultural Center.

In a town where temperatures regularly plunge below -20C (-4F) in winter, and whose best days were thought to be behind it, the opening of the 1.2 billion kronor ($120 million) building was a landmark event. The Sara is 80 meters tall, controlled by AI, and is almost entirely energy-efficient; its contemporary art gallery, six stages, posh Asian fusion restaurant and more than 200 hotel rooms are powered by solar panels on the roof and Northvolt AB batteries in the basement. A giant wooden sculpture in the shape of a heart hangs in the lobby, opening when the building pumps surplus power into the grid, and closing when it needs to charge.

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Photo: Jonas Ekblom/Bloomberg