Blog
The SCCER-SoE launched its new blog in order to regularly provide exclusive insights and opinions on current developments in the field of geo-energy and hydropower in Switzerland.
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# 11 Can renewables fill the power gap?
April 2018 - by Christian Bauer
Sooner or later Switzerland must get by without nuclear power plants. This has been determined by the adoption of the Energy Strategy 2050. But how can the power gap be filled? Is there enough space and acceptance for photovoltaic installations and wind turbines in Switzerland, or will we have to import electricity from abroad? How much will the alternatives cost and what effects will they have on the environment? The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) has recently attempted to answer these and other questions for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE).
#10 New models of Switzerland's subsurface
February 2018 - by Thomas Driesner
Most people probably struggle to imagine what Switzerland's subsurface looks like at depths of hundreds or thousands of metres. Yet it contains some key resources. Groundwater, gravel and sand have long been exploited, but deeper underground there is much untapped potential in the form of geothermal heat and porous rock layers. Computer models make the subsurface visible, enabling us to plan uses of geo-energies.
#9 Small hydropower and happy fish?
November 2017 - by Philipp Meier and Katharina Lange
Globally, the construction of small hydropower plants is booming. This fuels further habitat fragmentation and degradation, putting even more pressure on freshwater biodiversity. Biodiversity, especially genetic diversity, is one of our greatest assets to combat impacts from global change, allowing organisms to adapt to altering environmental conditions. Careful planning can support us in finding hydropower sites that offer highest electricity production at the smallest cost for biodiversity.
#8 Weather-sensitive hydropower
June 2017 - by Manfred Stähli
No year resembles the other regarding electricity production from hydropower. This is principally due to weather conditions, what often is neglected in the discussion about the targets of the future energy production. However, for the domestic electricity supply, these weather caused fluctuations may be a greater challenge than the long-term capacity increase through existing and new hydropower plants – especially in winter.
#7 What future for small hydropower in Switzerland?
February 2017 - by Cécile Münch-Alligné
Small hydropower provides 5 % of our electricity produced in Switzerland and has great potential to grow. The fact that it had its revival and could advance in the 90s has to be linked to the support measures by the confederation. Nowadays, is this support sufficient to ensure that small hydropower retains its place in our future energy mix? Which role can research play?
#6 Geothermal storage for our cities
December 2016 - by Ueli Wieland
For thirty years, geothermal probes and heat pumps have provided an effective alternative for heating houses with oil. Switzerland is a frontrunner in this field. I have used a geothermal probe at home for seven years and had nothing but good experiences. Despite their success, the sales of geothermal probes have stagnated for the first time since 2015. This is due to the interference of multiple probes in close proximity. So what now?
#5 How can we deal with sediments to keep hydropower sustainable?
November 2016 - by Robert Boes
Hydropower is the most important source of renewable electric energy worldwide, but it’s not uncommon that it has to face a serious challenge: sediments that get deposited in storage lakes or increase the erosion of hydraulic turbines. Many countermeasures can be taken to minimize these negative effects, but they need to be optimized site-specifically. To keep hydropower plants operational for as long as possible, researchers are developing new methods of monitoring sediments in real time, while also expanding their knowledge on how sediments are transported, deposited, and removed and how machinery is subject to sediment-induced wear.
#4 Geothermal Energy – A Community Effort
October 2016 - by Michèle Marti and Stefan Wiemer
How to use the Earth’s interior heat in an environmentally friendly, economically successful and sustainable way? Switzerland is considering this question in its Energy Strategy 2050, and it’s far from alone – the wider European community is also making sure geothermal energy is part of the future energy mix. The international project DESTRESS will evaluate methods and feasibility.
#3 Does Switzerland need more dams and reservoirs?
August 2016 - by Anton J. Schleiss
The facilities and production of future hydropower projects must be more flexible in order to successfully face an uncertain market and to increase the security of supply in Switzerland. This can be accomplished by enhancing existing power plants, expanding existing reservoirs by dam heightening, and constructing new pumped storage facilities.
#2 Hydropower in Switzerland – meeting the challenges of the future?
July 2016 - by François Avellan
The collapse of the wholesale electricity market in 2015 is bringing pressure to bear on the economic model of our power stations. This happened at a time when there was never a greater need to exploit and develop the use of our main source of primary energy: hydropower.
#1 It’s time to go geothermal!
June 2016 - by Domenico Giardini
Swiss authorities and society at large are actively discussing the national future energy strategy. We have still not solved the basic problem: how will we produce the electricity we need in the near future after the decommissioning of our nuclear power plants?