ELECTRA
Electricity markets and trade in Switzerland and its neighbouring countries: Building a coupled techno-economic modeling framework
Switzerland lacks an economic simulation framework which allows for a suitable consideration of international electricity trade in the analysis of energy and climate policies as well as electricity supply scenarios. The goal of the ELECTRA project, funded by the Federal office of energy, was to build such an integrated bottom up – top down framework. (2011-2015)
SEPIA
Social cushioning of energy price increases and public acceptance
This project investigated distributional and other effects of energy price increases and the acceptability of social cushioning measures. It also investigated how social cushioning and other measures can increase the acceptability of policy-induced energy price increases. (2012-2016)
EWG-EEEI
Endogenous energy efficiency improvement
Future energy use depends on energy efficiency improvement (EEI). In standard analyses of Swiss energy and climate policies, the speed and extent of EEI is usually assumed to be unaffected even by policies designed to foster innovation. This project, funded by the Federal office of energy, introduces endogenous EEI and barriers to innovation into a complete simulation model of the Swiss economy and shows what difference that makes for energy policies in housing and one industry sector, the cement industry. (2017-2020)
Beyond efficiency
The rebound effects from industrial energy efficiency improvements
This project lays the groundwork for estimating rebound effects in response to energy efficiency improvements (EEI) in industry, decomposes these rebound effects to better understand them, and then proposes measures to mitigate them. It uses a simple computable general equilibrium model, calibrated to the Swiss economy, to show interactions and effects and to provide orders of magnitude. (2018-2021)
Pathways to a hydrogen economy
For the transport and buildings sectors in the EU and Switzerland under a net-zero case by 2050
The goal of this project is to identify the key actions, mechanisms and policies on a pathway conducive to a hydrogen economy in the EU and in Switzerland that achieves the existing hydrogen targets by 2050. There will be a focus on the transport and building sectors, as they make up around 60% of the GHG emissions of Europe and show significant potential for integrating low-carbon hydrogen technologies. The goal will be pursued by identifying the barriers that need to be overcome and the measures necessary to create a growing market environment to boost hydrogen production and support scaling up its utilisation in the transport and building sectors. (2022-2026)
SWEET EDGE
Integration of decentralized supply of renewable energy into the Swiss energy system
The overall EDGE objective is to fast-track the growth of locally-sourced decentralized renewable energy in Switzerland and to ensure that by 2035 and 2050, when ambitious shares of renewable energy are reached, the Swiss energy system is designed and operated in a technically and economically optimal as well as secure way, and that it is well positioned in the European markets.
Our contribution: (1) global CGE modelling for assessing the links among global, European, and Swiss climate mitigation measures and policies; (2) quantification of the employment impacts of EDGE bottom-up scenarios for analysis of distributional impacts; (3) contribution to the work of ZHAW and UNIGE on assessment of distributional impacts, using household survey data. SWEET research programme of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. (2021-2027)
SusEcoCCUS
Energy-efficient CCUS at the EPFL Campus for Sustainable and Circular Economy
As one of two long-term projects of EPFL’s Solutions for Sustainability Initiative (S4S) initiative, SusEcoCCUS aims to develop large scale carbon capture usage and storage demonstrators at EPFL campus, by bringing together EPFL’s research labs with complementary competences. The project unites the expertise and competencies of 12 EPFL laboratories in three of its campuses (Lausanne, Sion, Neuchâtel). The demonstrator will be hosted at the industrial site of Enevi, in Valais. The contribution of LEURE is to lead WP7, aiming to develop and adapt policy instruments to address societal impact, acceptability, and market and governance aspects (2023-2029)