In May 2011, the Swiss government announced its willingness to abandon nuclear energy, a willingness later confirmed by the national parliament. In parallel, it has committed to reduce greenhouse gases emissions. How to do this without affecting the quality of life and the prosperity of Switzerland? Several strategies are possible.
The interactive platform Swiss-Energyscope has been developed with the aim to enable Swiss citizen to understand the challenges of the energy transition so that they can make informed decision, in particular during popular votes.
Swiss-Energyscope has been conceived by the Energy Center and the IPESE group (Industrial Process and Energy System Engineering) of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), with the support of SwissEnergy, the Canton of Vaud and the “Fonds pour l’efficacité énergétique” of the City of Lausanne.
Which energy strategy would you choose for Switzerland? Thanks to the energy calculator, create your own energy scenario and discover its implications for Switzerland.
Short presentations, developed by EPFL specialists, will allow anyone to understand the challenges and issues of the Swiss energy transition. (Available in French and German only)
Potential of renewable energy sources, risk of energy supply shortage, relevance of the electric car, 2000-watt society… all the answers to the questions you asked yourself about the energy transition. (Available in French and German only)
This book groups together the above 100 questions and answers. It is available online as an eBook and published as a pocket book. It is co-autored by François Vuille, Daniel Favrat and Suren Erkman. (Available in French and German only)
The energy transition has begun; it will continue until 2035 or 2050.
Today, our energy system is relatively simple: we import gasoline and diesel for our cars, heating fuel and natural gas for our heaters, and we produce electricity in hydroelectric and nuclear power plants.
But the situation has changed. The risks associated with climate change, the spectre of the fossil ressource depletion, the nuclear accident of Fukushima and the geopolitical risks have deeply modified the energy landscape. In this context, Switzerland endeavours to reduce its dependence on fossils fuels, while ceasing to use nuclear energy.
Whatever the strategy that will be implemented in response to these new challenges, the resulting energy system will be significantly more complex, interconnected and diversified than it is today.
The energy transition represents an essential step to further ensuring a sustainable, secure and socially fair energy supply to Switzerland, as stipulated by its Constitution.
Prof. Daniel Favrat
Project Manager EPFL Energy Center, Director of technologies
Dr François Vuille
Scientific and editorial coordinator EPFL Energy Center, Director Development
Prof. François Maréchal
Director of the Scientific Committee EPFL, Director of the IPESE group