Speaker
Helena Loner
(Switzerland)
Description
Thanks to its secure, affordable and environmentally sustainable domestic electricity supply, Switzerland has been rated at the top of the World Energy Council's worldwide Environmental Sustainability Index. With electricity production based on hydro (58%) and nuclear (36%, in winter up to 45%) Switzerland has earned a Triple A Index in the Energy Trilemma (security, equity, sustainability). However, the Swiss pole position is at risk: Shortly after Fukushima the Swiss government made a U-turn and switched from nuclear new-build to a nuclear phase out. New renewable energy is now meant to replace nuclear while energy saving and efficiency measures should reduce overall energy demand. At the same time CO2-emissions are expected to be cut drastically. The unavoidable gap between the country's electricity needs on the one hand and domestic production without nuclear on the other cannot be filled by unreliable stochastic energies as suggested by the Swiss government’s roadmap "Energy Strategy 2050". This strategic roadmap seems to be unrealistic as Switzerland would have to build gas fired power plants and/or import base load from the European Grid which usually is mainly fossil based. Both options will torpedo Switzerland's climate protection goals, in addition to ignoring the Swiss population's will to not increase the country's energy dependence from foreign countries. The last pristine landscapes would be strongly affected, not to mention the Swiss economy. The main goals of our poster, therefore, are: Illustration of the current power generation situation; Life Cycle Assessment data regarding environmental effects of electricity production in Switzerland, esp. CO2; illustration of potential scenarios without nuclear and, instead, new renewables in the Swiss electricity supply/use. And we want to raise our voice to the Swiss energy minister with a petition signed by as many WiNners as possible.
| Country or International Organization | WiN Switzerland |
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Primary author
Helena Loner
(Switzerland)
Co-authors
Ruth Williams
(WiN Switzerland)
Sara Tania Mongelli
(WiN Switzerland)
