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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
An assessment of energy system transformation pathways to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions in Switzerland
Contributor:
Panos, Evangelos;
Kannan, Ramachandran;
Hirschberg, Stefan;
Kober, Tom
imprint:
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2023
Published in:Communications Earth & Environment
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1038/s43247-023-00813-6
ISSN:
2662-4435
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Switzerland has one of the lowest carbon intensities among industrialised countries. However, its transition to net-zero carbon dioxide emissions is complicated by limited domestic mitigation options, which tend to increase costs, raise energy security concerns, and trigger socio-economic barriers in policy implementation. Research on these issues is relevant to the societal and political debates on energy transition worldwide. Here we apply a well-established techno-economic energy systems model and highlight the challenges of the Swiss energy transition under different technical, socio-economic, and geopolitical contexts. We suggest feasible technical solutions based on low-carbon technologies, efficiency, and flexibility. We find that import independency and net-zero emissions by 2050 require an additional cumulative discounted investment, compared to a business-as-usual scenario, of 300 billion CHF<jats:sub>2019</jats:sub> in energy efficiency, negative emissions and renewable technologies. The average per capita costs of net-zero emissions are 320–1390 CHF<jats:sub>2019</jats:sub>/yr. from 2020 to 2050, depending on exploited domestic mitigation options, integration into international energy markets, and energy security ambition.</jats:p>