Switzerland–What's Left from the Glaciers in the ALPS?

Abstract

STRUCTURE OF PRIMARY ENERGY SUPPLY AND POWER GENERATION The Swiss structure of primary energy use has been very constant for many years with fossil fuels (oil and gas, practically no coal) dominating (56%) and hydropower (including minor contributions by renewables from wood, solar, wind and waste, together 20%) and nuclear fuel (24%). The Swiss energy market is a 16 billion Euro per year business with a large domestic industrial complex and international trading involved. The electricity production is also very constant in its mix from 55% domestic hydropower, 40% nuclear power (in 5 domestic power plants, the first one dating back to 1970) with now a total of 3 GWe and only 3% in fossil power and cogeneration. The main hydropower plants take advantage of both our relatively wet climate (average 1,000 mm rain per year, alpine regions with 2,000 mm rain per year) and the high altitude mountains in the alpine massive up to 4,500 meters over the main populated areas with 300 meters above sea level. Since the early 20 th century hydropower had been used in smaller industrial electricity plants. After 1930 a systematic industrialscale hydropower development took over both in massive alpine dams with highpressure systems and flat river dams. After 1970 a levelling-off could be monitored because all the larger reservoirs had been tapped and an increasing resistance from NGO and natural defence organisation hampered the further building activities. The hydropower production is now between 30 and 42 TWh/a depending on rain conditions. The heavily hydropower based Swiss power plant park has with its large production capacity of 15 GWe and its seasonal storage facilities of some 9 TWh/a a pre-eminent role in the European Union for the Coordination of Transmission of Electricity grid. Switzerland is the second largest exporter or importer in the Union for the Coordination of Production and Transmission of Electricity. This is also based on large hydro and nuclear turbine facilities that can provide a constant 4-5 GWe export load. The international grid crosses the Alps and leads both to and from France, Italy, Germany, and Austria with a very considerable capacity. New renewable electricity production from biomass, solar power, wind, wastes, etc., has lately expanded, but still covers only 1 TWh/a (1.5%). Switzerland has in Europe the highest foreign exchange of electricity compared with its domestic