![]() ![]() Biogas faces high costs and complex logistics due to the many small farms 15.įourth, domestic CO 2 capture and storage are surrounded by large geological uncertainties 16. Wood, which is important in the global decarbonisation pathways 12, 13, is confronted by forest management and preservation 14. ![]() Low wind speeds, natural landscape preservation, and population density challenge wind power. Hydropower has little room for expansion. Solar photovoltaics have the largest potential for further development, albeit at low irradiation levels. Third, Switzerland has limited domestic renewable resources 11 and depends on imported energy carriers that risk the security of supply. It needs to maintain its carbon-free electricity supply and make progress in decarbonising industry, buildings and transport 4 that have less clear emissions reduction trajectories than the energy transformation sector 10. Second, Switzerland starts from a low-carbon baseline-the country is at the Top-5 of the energy transition index 9. This entails an energy security challenge 7, also confronted by many countries aiming at decommissioning strategic energy supply assets 8. ![]() The rejection of the amended CO 2 Act has roots in the many challenges Switzerland faces in achieving its pledges.įirst, the Swiss energy strategy 6 aims to gradually phase out existing nuclear power (safety is the sole criterion for the phase-out time) that supplies 36% of the electricity today. The Swiss direct democracy revealed major societal concerns on energy transition’s feasibility and costs, which are also concealed in many countries worldwide 5. However, the Swiss voters rejected key measures included in the amended CO 2 Act in June 2021. The domestic mitigation effort in 2030 should reach at least 37.5% GHG emissions reduction from the 1990 levels-the amount of ITMOs needed to achieve the 2050 target is currently unspecified. Both targets are to be achieved using Internationally Transferred Mitigation Options (ITMOs). The Swiss long-term climate strategy 4 aims at net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2050, with an intermediate target of a 50% reduction in 2030 from the 1990 levels. Switzerland submitted its formal climate plan months before the Paris Agreement 1 and was among the first countries that met the “midnight survival deadline” 2, 3. The average per capita costs of net-zero emissions are 320–13/yr. from 2020 to 2050, depending on exploited domestic mitigation options, integration into international energy markets, and energy security ambition. We find that import independency and net-zero emissions by 2050 require an additional cumulative discounted investment, compared to a business-as-usual scenario, of 300 billion CHF 2019 in energy efficiency, negative emissions and renewable technologies. We suggest feasible technical solutions based on low-carbon technologies, efficiency, and flexibility. Here we apply a well-established techno-economic energy systems model and highlight the challenges of the Swiss energy transition under different technical, socio-economic, and geopolitical contexts. Research on these issues is relevant to the societal and political debates on energy transition worldwide. However, its transition to net-zero carbon dioxide emissions is complicated by limited domestic mitigation options, which tend to increase costs, raise energy security concerns, and trigger socio-economic barriers in policy implementation. Switzerland has one of the lowest carbon intensities among industrialised countries. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |