Swiss renewable energy production on track to meet 2020 targets
Switzerland has met some of its short-term green energy goals but faces challenges to become climate neutral by 2050.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/gw
Total energy consumption in 2019 was 18% lower than in the reference year 2000, meaning the country reached its target of a 16% reduction by 2020, according to a monitoring report released by the Federal Office of Energy on Thursday. The Swiss also exceeded their 2020 reduction target for per-capita electricity sales, which were 8% lower than in the reference year 2000.
Hydropower accounted for around 36,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity. In order to meet the 2035 benchmark, production would need to be ramped up by 79 GWh per year. New renewable energies accounted for 6.2% of all electricity produced in 2019 (just under 4,200 GWh), meaning the target of 4,400 GWh for 2020 has almost been reached.
Energy consumption in Switzerland has declined by an average of 1.4% in the last ten years. But to reach the 2035 goal of reducing consumption by 43%, the annual average decrease in future should be 2.2%.
To achieve the ultimate target set out in its Energy Strategy 2050 to reduce net carbon emissions to zero by the middle of this century, Switzerland will need to continue expanding domestic renewable energies. The energy office has developed four possible scenarios. In one, consumption continues as before, which means the country will emit 32 million tonnes of CO2 in 2050, just a 30% reduction from current levels and far short of the net zero target.
The energy law sets out indicative targets for the development of renewable energy and the reduction of energy consumption for the years 2020 and 2035. The third annual monitoring report takes into account the situation at the end of 2019. Any impact of the coronavirus pandemic on energy consumption was for the most part not included in the report, the energy office stated.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland to become climate neutral by 2050, says government
This content was published on
Switzerland should become climate neutral by 2050, the Swiss government has declared. It has tightened its target based on new IPCC findings.
This content was published on
Last year three-quarters of the electricity from Swiss sockets came from renewable sources, with 66% from large-scale hydropower plants.
This content was published on
Switzerland’s energy consumption is getting greener, with 68% of it coming from renewable sources in 2017, compared with 62% the previous year.
Switzerland must ramp up green energy efforts to meet targets
This content was published on
On Thursday, the Federal Office of EnergyExternal link released its second report that monitors national energy consumption and its effect on the climate. Renewable energy sources accounted for 6.1% of net electricity production at the end of 2018 – some 3,877 gigawatt hours (GWh). This needs to be increased to 4,400 GWh by the end…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.