The combination of solar and wind energy helps reduce carbon emissions in Switzerland
A team of researchers from the University of Geneva and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA) studied different scenarios to reduce the carbon footprint associated with electricity consumption in Switzerland.
The team concluded that the combination of solar PV and wind energy is optimal to reduce the carbon footprint of electricity consumption in Switzerland, without the use of nuclear power; This scenario would enable Switzerland to reduce its contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions by about 45%.
The team explained that electricity in Switzerland is mainly generated by nuclear power and hydroelectric plants, and this production represents 2% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Urich Alert platform.
Switzerland also uses imports to meet its needs, and this represents 11% of the electricity consumed, so the electricity comes from plants with high carbon emissions.
Multiple scenarios
A scientific team from the University of Geneva and Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research developed different energy scenarios and identified the best path to take to decarbonize Switzerland and reduce the country's consumption of primary energy sources that emit greenhouse gases.
The team of researchers developed 7 different scenarios that include solar energy, wind energy and hydroelectric energy to varying degrees; All this with and without nuclear power, as Switzerland envisions a gradual withdrawal from this mode of production by 2050.
Elliot Romano, a senior scientist in the Department of Environmental and Water Sciences at the University of Geneva's Faculty of Sciences, noted that the researchers took into account the potential for supply from abroad, which is necessary to meet demand, as well as the need for residents to use electricity for transportation and heating.
reduce imports
After examining different options, the research team at the University of Geneva and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Testing and Research decided that the optimal scenario would be a combination of solar PV panels and wind generation.
This combination represents the most effective way to reduce the country's footprint, in addition to being the best alternative to nuclear energy, says researcher at the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory of the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research and first author of the study, Martin Rodisoli.
It is worth noting that the model relies on large wind energy to generate 12 TWh and on generating 25 TWh solar energy.
For comparison, in Switzerland, solar energy generated 2.72 TWh and wind energy generated 0.13 TWh in 2021.
future needs
Compared to the nuclear power solution, the proposed production mix reduces import requirements from 16 TWh to 13.7 TWh.
This scenario takes into account the future electricity needs associated with electric mobility and the thermal needs of buildings.
These two sectors will increase the carbon footprint of consumption from 89 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour (in 2018) to 131 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour in the future.
Importantly, providing electricity for these needs as a whole will eventually reduce Switzerland's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions by 45%.
The researchers emphasized that current storage facilities would only be able to partially manage summer electricity surpluses, which may result from the large capacity of solar PV plants that were in operation at the time.
Notably, the method and the unprecedentedly accurate data provided by the researchers provide concrete guidance for Switzerland's energy strategy for 2050.
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