SELMA - Sustainable ELectrical MAchines
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan - KTH Skolan f elektroteknik och datavetenskap |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 497 996 |
| Project duration | October 2025 - March 2026 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Venture | Cluster of Excellence for Cutting-Edge Technologies - calls for proposals |
| Call | Visions for world-leading research and innovation in strategic technology areas |
Important results from the project
The planning project SELMA yielded good results in the vision. However, the lack of information about the excellence clusters call prevented 100% target fulfillment, since company contacts and the selection of international advisors could not be fully completed. The work clarified important low-TRL projects and the critical role of copper and magnets in electrification, the increased recycling needs of electric motors, the importance of electrical steel and sustainable insulation materials.
Expected long term effects
SELMA is based on sustainable materials science and electricity use. The project deepened the understanding of decisions at low TRL levels and identified key projects for innovation. Copper emerged as a critical material for electrification, especially as electric motor recycling increased. Electrical steel and sustainable insulation materials also proved important, with challenges around mica linked to human rights. Magnets and rare earths also need to be decoupled for a sustainable future.
Approach and implementation
The SELMA planning project was based on recurring meetings and interdisciplinary collaboration around sustainability. We developed a shared view that our combined expertise can enable a systematic approach to sustainable electrical machines, which are key to an electrified society due to their widespread use in electricity generation and consumption. The work was somewhat affected by external distractions, such as high-level speculation about which proposals VR and Vinnova are likely to fund.