Technical Report by Pleurat D Asllani - KONTEXT 2

Energy in Switzerland (1st Daft, without feedback)

Abstract
It’s a well-known fact that energy is the most important input that makes possible technology to
work which is vital for development. The demand of energy increases significantly everyday
that’s why the production must meet this grow. The objective of this report is to inform the
reader about the overall electrical energy production in Switzerland, how it developed over the
years and which methods did Switzerland’s power industry follow to achieve such a modern
energy system. The objective of this report is to inform the reader about the overall electrical
energy production strategy in Switzerland, how it developed over the years and which methods
did Switzerland’s power industry follow to achieve such a modern power generation system.
Introduction
Based on the latest United Nations estimations Switzerland has a population of about 8.5 million.
The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE,2017) statistics show that the energy consumption in
2017 was 78.6TW/h where 31.6 % of the overall production was used in household where the
other part mostly in industry. However, the energy demand is even higher so that a part of energy
is imported, mainly from Germany, France, Italy and Austria. Electricity in Switzerland is
produced in different ways, where hydropower accounts 56 %, nuclear energy with 37 %, about
4% is generated from fossil fuels and the left 2 % comes from sources such as geothermal power
plants and photovoltaics (PV). As for the industry structure, there are about 1200 electric
utilities, many of them small to very small municipal or local providers.1 In the subsequent
sections we will describe further details about each of the mentioned methods of power
production
Hydropower
Thanks to its ideal topography and high level of annual rainfall, Switzerland provides ideal
conditions for the application of hydro energy. According to the Schweizerischer
Wasserwirtschaftsverband or SWV (Swiss Water Management Association ,2017) in the early
1970 hydro plantations generated almost 90 % of the overall energy demand, but due the
industry development the demand increased significantly so by 1985 hydro energy covered only
around 60% of the needs. Where in 2018 hydropower covered 56 % of the total requirements.3
As the Global Energy Network Institute (GENI 2017) shows today we can find 650 hydropower
plants and each has a capacity of at least 300 kilowatts. Roughly 63 % of the hydroelectricity are
generated in the mountain cantons of Uri, Grisons, Ticino ,
Valais and Bern. However, Climatologists claim that in
a near future the hydro energy industry is expected to
increase thanks to the melting glacial, which will significantly
more water flow in the rivers.
 Technical Report by Pleurat D Asllani - KONTEXT 2

Nuclear Energy

The SFOE argues that in Switzerland, nuclear energy is generated solely for peaceful purposes,
for example such as producing electricity and for application in industry, medicine and research.
Switzerland’s 5 operating power plants provide 37 % of the total energy production which is
above European countries which in average produce 33 % (SFOE, 2017 b).
More details for all Nuclear Power Reactors (World Nuclear Association, 2017)
o Beznau I and II, the oldest operating power reactors in Switzerland since 1969 and
provides 365 MW per unit and it is located in Aargau.
o Leibstad (1984) which is the largest nuclear power reactor generating 1200MW, located
in canton Aargau.
o Gösgen I and II (1979) with a capacity of 1060 MW together and is in canton Solothurn.
o Mühleberg I and II (1972) creating 355 MW together. Its running time will end in 2019
for an undetermined period.

Fossil Fuels Power Plants

The SFOE states that in Switzerland coal was the main energy source until the middle of the
twentieth century and it was mostly used in the form of primary energy. Through a process of
gasification, coal was also transformed in a secondary energy called coal gas or town gas. From
1950 onwards, coal has been rapidly replaced by oil, which is easier to transport, store and much
eco-friendlier. By 1973, the proportion of coal to Switzerland's gross energy consumption was
lower than 5%. (SFOE, 2017 c)
The researches done by the Trading Economics (T.E, 2016) actualities that Switzerland imports
nearly half of its crude oil from Africa 39 % the remaining part comes from Mexico 18 %, the
United States 12 %, Kazakhstan 8 % and other countries.

Geothermal Energy
Thermal energy is contained in the rocks and fluids beneath Earth’s crust. It can be found
from shallow ground to several miles below the surface, and even farther down to the
extremely hot molten rock called magma (National Geographic’s, 2013)
According to the SFOE the potential for geothermal electricity production in Switzerland is very
high, but there is still a great deal of uncertainty regarding the associated costs and feasibility.
Nonetheless, this inexhaustible, clean and constant energy source offers a variety of highly
attractive advantages: it is CO2-free, yields base-load energy and requires very little space.
Experts from the SFOE anticipate that, by 2030, around a dozen geothermal plants will be in
operation which will produce a combined total of 800 GWh of electricity. In the longer term it is
 Technical Report by Pleurat D Asllani - KONTEXT 2

conceivable that a significant proportion of the electricity consumed in Switzerland could be

produced at geothermal power plants (SFOE, 2017 d).

Conclusion
This paper has given an overview on the development and current trends on the Swiss power
market and the way they manage the power industry. The high share of hydropower clearly
differentiates Switzerland from most of the European electricity markets, which is a huge
advantage not only in economical aspect but as well in ecological point of view. In addition, the
good distribution between renewable and un-renewable energy is very balanced which is result
of a well awarded and developed country.

Sources:
Climate Change Post, 2015

3. https://www.climatechangepost.com/switzerland/energy

Global Energy Network Institute, 2017

4. http://www.geni.org/globalenergy/library/renewable-energy-resources/world/europe/hydroeurope/hydro-switzerland.shtml

Swiss Federal Office of Energy, 2017

1. http://www.bfe.admin.ch/index.html?lang=en#

5. http://www.bfe.admin.ch/themen/00511/index.html?lang=en

7. http://www.bfe.admin.ch/themen/00486/00489/index.html?lang=en

10. http://www.bfe.admin.ch/themen/00490/00501/index.html?lang=en

Swiss Water Management Association ,2017

2. https://www.swv.ch/Fachinformationen/Wasserkraft-Schweiz/Kraftwerkspark

Trading Economics, 2016 8. https://tradingeconomics.com/switzerland/fossil-fuel-energy-consumption-percent-of-total-

wbdata.html

National Geographic’s, 2013

9.https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/geothermal-energy/

In the next pages please find the corrected version

Energy in Switzerland
Introduction
 Technical Report by Pleurat D Asllani - KONTEXT 2

It is a well-known fact that energy is the most important input that makes technology work and
is vital for development. The demand of energy increases significantly every day, which is why
production must meet this growth.
The objective of this report is to inform the reader about the overall electrical energy production
strategy in Switzerland, how it developed over the years and which methods Switzerland’s power
industry followed to achieve such a modern power generation system.
Overview About the Power Industry in Switzerland
Based on the latest United Nations estimations (UN, 2018) Switzerland has a population of
about 8.5 million. The Swiss Grid Institute data shows that the energy consumption in 2017 was
78.6TW/h where 31.6 % of the overall production was used in household and the rest in industry.
(Swiss Grid AG, 2017, a)
The Swiss Grid AG data displays that the energy demand in Switzerland is even higher, so every
year nearly 6TW/h electricity is imported that mainly comes from Germany, France, Italy and
Austria. (Swiss Grid AG, 2017, b)
According to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE, 2016) statistics which display that the
energy in Switzerland is produced in different ways, where hydropower accounts 56 %, nuclear
energy covers 37 %, about 4% is generated from fossil fuels and the remaining 2 % comes from
sources such as geothermal power plants and photovoltaics (PV). As for the industry structure,
there are about 1200 electric utilities, many of them small to very small municipal or local
providers. (SFOE, 2016 a, p. 3).
In the subsequent sections e further details about each of the mentioned methods of power
production are presented.
Hydropower
Thanks to its ideal topography and high level of annual rainfall, Switzerland provides ideal
conditions for the application of hydro energy. According to the Schweizerischer
Wasserwirtschaftsverband (SWV, Swiss Water Management Association ,2017) in the early 1970
hydro plantations generated almost 90 % of the overall energy demand. Due to industry
development the demand increased significantly, so by 1985 hydro energy covered only around
60% of the needs. Where in 2017 hydropower covered 56 % of the total requirements.
As the Global Energy Network Institute (GENI 2017) displays
that today we can find 650 hydropower plants in Switzerland and each
has a capacity of at least 300 kilowatts. Roughly 63 % of the hydroelectricity
ia generated in the mountains of canton Uri, Grisons, Ticino
, Valais and Bern.
However, climatologists claim that in a near future the hydro power industry is expected to
increase thanks to the melting glaciers, which will provide significantly more water flow in the
rivers. (Climate Change Post, 2015)
Fig.1 Shows the main Hydro Plants. Source: Global Energy Network
Institute (GENI)

Nuclear Energy
 Technical Report by Pleurat D Asllani - KONTEXT 2

The SFOE argues that in Switzerland, nuclear energy is generated solely for peaceful purposes,
for example such as producing electricity and for application in industry, medicine and research.
Switzerland’s 5 operating power plants provide 37 % of the total energy production which is
above European countries which on average produce 33 % (SFOE, 2017 b).
Switzerland’s Nuclear Power Reactors (World Nuclear Association, 2017) are the following
o Beznau I and II, the oldest operating power reactors in Switzerland since 1969 and
provides 365 MW per unit and it is located in Aargau.
o Leibstad (1984) which is the largest nuclear power reactor generating 1200MW, located
in canton of Aargau.
o Gösgen I and II (1979) with a capacity of 1060 MW together and is in canton Solothurn.
o Mühleberg I and II (1972) creating 355 MW together. Its running time will end in 2019
for an undetermined period.

Fossil Fuels
The SFOE states that in Switzerland coal was the main energy source until the middle of the
twentieth century and it was mostly used in the form of primary energy.
From 1950 onwards, coal has been rapidly replaced by oil, which is easier to transport, store and
much eco-friendlier. By 1973, the proportion of coal to Switzerland's gross energy consumption
was lower than 5%. (SFOE, 2017 c)
A research done by the Trading Economics (T.E, 2016) actualities that Switzerland imports
nearly 40 % its crude oil from Africa, the remaining part comes from Mexico (18 %), the United
States (12 %), Kazakhstan (8 %) and other countries.

Geothermal Energy
Thermal energy is contained in the rocks and fluids beneath Earth’s crust. It can be found
from shallow ground to several miles below the surface, and even farther down to the
extremely hot molten rock called magma (National Geographic’s, 2013)
According to the SFOE the potential for geothermal electricity production in Switzerland is very
high, but there is still a great deal of uncertainty regarding the associated costs and feasibility.
Nonetheless, this inexhaustible, clean and constant energy source offers a variety of highly
 Technical Report by Pleurat D Asllani - KONTEXT 2

attractive advantages: it is CO2-free, yields base-load energy and requires very little space.
(SFOE, 2017 d).

Experts from the SFOE anticipate that by 2030, around a dozen geothermal plants will be in
operation which will produce a combined total of 800 GWh of electricity. In the longer term it is
conceivable that a significant proportion of the electricity consumed in Switzerland could be
produced at geothermal power plants (SFOE, 2017 d).

Conclusion
This paper has given an overview on the development and current trends in the Swiss power
market and the way they manage the energy industry. The high share of hydropower clearly
differentiates Switzerland from most of the European electricity markets, which is a huge
advantage not only in economical aspects but as well from an ecological point of view. In
addition, the good distribution between renewable and non-renewable energy is very balanced
which is result of a developed country.

Sources:

Climate Change Post, 2015 Retrieved from:

https://www.climatechangepost.com/switzerland/energy

Global Energy Network Institute, 2017

http://www.geni.org/globalenergy/library/renewable-energy-resources/world/europe/hydro-europe/hydro-
switzerland.shtml

National Geographic’s (2013) Retrieved from:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/geothermal-energy/

Swiss Federal Office of Energy. (2016 a). Magazine: Schweizerische Elektrizitätsstatistik

Retrieved from:
http://www.bfe.admin.ch/themen/00526/00541/00542/00630/index.html?lang=en&dossier_id=00765
 Technical Report by Pleurat D Asllani - KONTEXT 2

Swiss Federal Office of Energy. (2017 b). Nuclear Energy , Retrieved from:
http://www.bfe.admin.ch/themen/00511/index.html?lang=en

Swiss Federal Office of Energy. (2017 c), Coal. Retrieved from:

http://www.bfe.admin.ch/themen/00486/00489/index.html?lang=en

Swiss Federal Office of Energy. (2017 d). Geothermal Energy. Retrieved from:
http://www.bfe.admin.ch/themen/00490/00501/index.html?lang=en

Swiss Water Management Association ,2017 Retrieved from:

https://www.swv.ch/Fachinformationen/Wasserkraft-Schweiz/Kraftwerkspark

Swiss Grid AG (2017 a) Retrieved from:

https://www.swissgrid.ch/en/home/operation/grid-data/generation.html#energy-production

Swiss Grid AG (2017 b) Retrieved from:

https://www.swissgrid.ch/en/home/operation/grid-data/current-data.html

Trading Economics (2016) Retrieved from:

https://tradingeconomics.com/switzerland/fossil-fuel-energy-consumption-percent-of-total-wb-data.html

UN statistics (2018) Retrieved from:

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/switzerland-population/

World Nuclear Association (2017) Retrieved from:

http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-o-s/switzerland.aspx
 Technical Report by Pleurat D Asllani - KONTEXT 2

Figure 1. http://www.geni.org/globalenergy/library/renewable-energy-resources/world/europe/hydro-
europe/hydro-switzerland.shtml