Renewable energies

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Challenges on the way to full supply.

In the long term, it is inevitable that the global energy supply will be largely or even completely secured with renewable energy sources. Fossil fuels are limited and must be replaced for reasons of climate protection. The expansion of renewable energies must therefore be driven forward quickly. From today's perspective, the imminent restructuring of the energy supply cannot be completed until the end of this century at the earliest. The higher the energy consumption, the more difficult this transformation will be. Increasing energy and material efficiency and developing renewable energies are complementary approaches that must be pursued in equal measure.

It is crucial for the economy and society that there is always enough energy available. In principle, the potential of renewable energies in Switzerland is also large enough to meet demand. However, the energy density of these energy sources is usually low; in addition, solar and wind energy in particular are produced irregularly. The potential of the various energy sources suggests that the majority of the future energy supply will be in the form of (fluctuating) solar and wind power. This requires demanding adjustments to the energy supply. However, technical improvements are only a necessary, but not sufficient prerequisite for the successful market penetration of new renewable energies. Funding for research projects through to demonstration plants must therefore be increased.

The expansion of renewable energies cannot be left to the market, but also requires government support. Due to the high level of investment, the development of energy systems requires a lot of time and requires an adjustment process that would not be initiated in time by market forces alone. Investors (the energy sector, homeowners and industry) and the state must provide significant funding. In order to avoid costly undesirable developments, an economically and ecologically optimised funding strategy is required. To this end, the funding instruments (subsidies, feed-in tariffs, quotas, application regulations, etc.) must be periodically reviewed for their effectiveness.

With the exception of large wind farms and hydroelectric power plants, renewable energy is currently mainly generated in a decentralised manner and is primarily used for local and regional supply. A significant continental or even global market does not yet exist. Significant imports of electricity from renewable energies and biofuels can only be expected in a few decades at best.

The development of renewable energies is not only a technical and economic task, but also a social one. Without the active participation of the population, the path to full supply with renewable energies is not feasible. As voters, consumers and investors, citizens decide on the future of energy. Credible and comprehensible information is needed to highlight the possibilities, but also the problems.

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