The pressure to move away from fossil fuels is high. And this has been the case not only since the latest IPCC Assessment Report 2021/2022 and not only since the war in Ukraine. The electrification of mobility and buildings, of industry and digitalisation increases the demand for sustainably - i.e. renewably - produced electricity.
If Switzerland wants to continue to produce electricity nationally or - in view of the European environment - even increase this production, especially in winter, it can do so without natural gas in the future: with Alpine ground-mounted photovoltaic plants, naturally combined with a simultaneous solar offensive on the Central Plateau.
The study "Alpine Electricity Now!", which AlpEnForCe and the Institute Cultures of the Alps prepared in collaboration with post-doctoral researchers from the ETH and the University of Lucerne, shows from a technical, legal and economic-political point of view that this is not just one option among many, but also an opportunity for the mountain region.
The projects from the Valais (Gondo, Grengiols, etc.) clearly concretise this window of opportunity. At the same time, a certain scepticism is forming, especially from the perspective of landscape and environmental protection. In the discussion, we will look for approaches to solutions in the area of tension between biodiversity protection, security of supply and efficient decarbonisation.
The event is organised by Stiftung Alpines Energieforschungscenter AlpEnForCe, in cooperation and with the support of the Energy Science Center of ETH Zurich and the Uri Institute Cultures of the Alps at the University of Lucerne. We look forward to your interest and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
The conference is aimed at all those who are interested in possible variants of Swiss energy policy and in a differentiated overall view in view of challenges such as CO2 reduction, biodiversity, security of supply and the development of mountain regions.
If you register at veranstaltungen@kulturen-der-alpen.ch, you don't need to pay any entry fee.