{"id":1675181,"date":"2022-10-06T04:06:12","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T08:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1675181"},"modified":"2022-10-06T04:07:52","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T08:07:52","slug":"swiss-pursue-home-grown-energy-panacea-reluctantly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/swiss-pursue-home-grown-energy-panacea-reluctantly\/","title":{"rendered":"Swiss pursue home-grown energy panacea \u2013 reluctantly"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fswiss-pursue-home-grown-energy-panacea-reluctantly%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1675181&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>By Paul Carrel<\/p>\n<p>BERN\/GRANDE DIXENCE, Switzerland (Reuters) \u2013     Having dodged most of the fuel-driven surge in inflation plaguing its neighbours, Switzerland is moving ahead with plans to boost its energy security and lock in tame power prices \u2013 but only reluctantly.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-1\">\n<\/div>\n<p>Switzerland\u2019s focus on hydropower, which Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga calls \u201cthe backbone\u201d of its electricity production, has helped shelter the country compared with others from soaring oil and gas costs, but it is far from immune.<\/p>\n<p>Sommaruga believes the Swiss have been woken up to a need to wean themselves off fossil fuels by the European power crisis since Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, and by the risk of energy rationing in a worst-case scenario this winter.<\/p>\n<p>She wants to achieve greater energy security by tapping the Alpine confederation\u2019s unique geography to develop solar power and expand hydropower \u2014 and she is trying to drag along local interests worried about the landscape and the ecological impact.<\/p>\n<p>A successful pivot to a clean, independent energy supply, which the government is pursuing under its \u201cEnergy Strategy 2050\u201d, promises to underpin Switzerland\u2019s position as a high-end economy at the heart of Europe with a safe-haven currency.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we can use solar power and hydropower together, this I think is really the \u2018dream team\u2019 of Swiss energy production,\u201d Sommaruga told Reuters in an interview.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cif\u201d is significant: Implementing change is not easy as Switzerland\u2019s system of direct democracy means projects can be blocked at a local level. It has taken years just to get approval to raise the wall of one existing dam, for example.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Sommaruga achieved some success. Parliament passed legislation on the compulsory construction of solar panels on new buildings. But it was so full of caveats that Sommaruga expects about 70% of buildings will be exempt.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation also facilitates the approval of large solar projects in the mountains, which can qualify for state funding, though it is up to the cantons to approve them.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018MY HEART BLEEDS\u2019<\/p>\n<p>In the southwestern canton of Valais, Switzerland\u2019s potential to harness energy from its own resources is demonstrated by the imposing 285 metre(935 ft)-high Grande Dixence dam, which holds some 400 million cubic metres of water.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s enough to supply around 400,000 houses with electricity for a year,\u201d Am\u00e9d\u00e9e Murisier, head of hydropower production at energy company Alpiq, said ahead of what he expects to be a \u201cpretty tense\u201d winter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are going to store water in the dams for late in the winter to make sure we are not in a tight spot,\u201d added Murisier, speaking next to the vast and almost-full Lac des Dix reservoir that the Grande Dixence dam withholds.<\/p>\n<p>Nearby glaciers melted during the hot summer, helping fill the dam\u2019s reservoir, \u201cwhich environmentally speaking is bad news but for energy supply it\u2019s good news\u201d, Murisier reasoned.<\/p>\n<p>Sommaruga said Europe\u2019s energy crisis had made the Swiss \u201cmuch more aware that we have to have more production and more storage in our country. We have to expand renewable energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There are still calls for moderation though, so as not to disrupt biodiversity or blight the picture postcard Swiss Alps.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy heart bleeds when I think of photovoltaic modules in a nature park,\u201d said lawmaker Stefan Mueller-Altermatt of centrist party Die Mitte.<\/p>\n<p>Nils Epprecht, managing director at the SES Swiss energy foundation, wants solar power to be pursued within limits that protect nature. He is worried that in its push to replace fossil fuels with renewables, parliament will neglect biodiversity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe risk is they throw the baby out with the bath water,\u201d he said. But he described last week\u2019s package as \u201cacceptable\u201d. <\/p>\n<p>SUPPLY SECURITY<\/p>\n<p>To get through winter, the government is temporarily easing water-use rules to let some hydropower plants boost capacity and is releasing petrol, diesel, heating oil and kerosene from its strategic reserves. <\/p>\n<p>Hydropower accounts for some 60% of domestic electricity production, but electricity accounts for only a quarter of all Swiss energy sources, with petroleum products the biggest.<\/p>\n<p>The upshot is that while Switzerland\u2019s share of renewables \u2014 about a quarter of the total energy supply \u2014 puts it ahead of leading European economies like Germany and France, it lags behind Norway and Iceland, data from the Paris-based OECD show.<\/p>\n<p>Looking beyond the winter, Sommaruga wants to try to keep power prices down, but her priority is clear: \u201cThe most important thing is to have security of supply.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Swiss have so far dodged much of the cost of living crisis endured by their European neighbours, with inflation running at just 3.3% compared with 10.0% in the euro zone.<\/p>\n<p>This is partly thanks to its energy mix, in which gas only accounts for about 15% of total consumption. But Sommaruga stresses there is \u201cno certainty at all\u201d about power supplies this winter.<\/p>\n<p>Relatively high incomes and the low weight of energy in the consumer price index (CPI) \u2014 just 5% in the Swiss CPI basket compared with over 10% in Germany, according to OECD data \u2014 also explain the difference.<\/p>\n<p>Another factor is the strong franc, which gives Switzerland some protection against higher import costs, and which Swiss National Bank Governing Board member Andrea Maechler has described as \u201cvery strong\u201d. The SNB is on inflation\u2019s case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are paid to be worried and to make sure that inflation stays in check,\u201d Maechler said.<\/p>\n<p>Christian Schaffner, Executive Director of the Energy Science Center at the Federal Institute of Technology, would like Swiss politicians to show the same zeal in pushing renewables.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have been too slow, way too slow,\u201d said Schaffner, who coordinated researchers in drawing up a policy brief on moving towards Swiss energy independence.<\/p>\n<p>As well as more hydropower, Schaffner would like a boost in wind and solar power. The snow\u2019s reflection in the Alps could allow double-sided photovoltaic units to harvest more energy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhotovoltaics and wind are among the cheapest ways to produce electricity in the future, especially if we assume natural gas prices stay higher. In that regard, having more photovoltaics in the system should bring down costs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Hydropower adds flexibility, which allows Murisier to keep the water held by the Grande Dixence dam in reserve.<\/p>\n<p>Murisier is also seeking permission to build a new dam below a retreating glacier near Zermatt \u2014 a project he describes as part of a broader discussion in Switzerland about \u201clandscape protection versus additional green energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that discussion will, as always in Switzerland, need compromises from both sides,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not possible to cover all remaining Alps with hydropower schemes. That would be too much. But certainly in a few selected spots, there is potential. And we need that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> (Reporting by Paul Carrel; Additional reporting by Cecile Mantovani, Denis Balibouse and Arnd Wiegmann; Editing by Hugh Lawson)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/uncategorized\/swiss-pursue-home-grown-energy\/attachment\/general-view-shows-the-construction-site-of-the-spitallamm-replacement\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI950A1-BASEIMAGE.jpg\" alt=\"tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI950A1-BASEIMAGE\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/uncategorized\/swiss-pursue-home-grown-energy\/attachment\/interview-with-swiss-environment-energy-and-transport-minister-sommaruga-in\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI9509W-BASEIMAGE.jpg\" alt=\"tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI9509W-BASEIMAGE\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/uncategorized\/swiss-pursue-home-grown-energy\/attachment\/grande-dixence-dam-in-heremence\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/c3.oann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Reuters_Direct_Media\/USOnlineReportBusinessNews\/tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI9509Y-BASEIMAGE.jpg\" alt=\"tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI9509Y-BASEIMAGE\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/uncategorized\/swiss-pursue-home-grown-energy\/attachment\/grande-dixence-dam-in-heremence-2\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI950A0-BASEIMAGE.jpg\" alt=\"tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI950A0-BASEIMAGE\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/uncategorized\/swiss-pursue-home-grown-energy\/attachment\/grande-dixence-dam-in-heremence-3\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI950A2-BASEIMAGE.jpg\" alt=\"tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI950A2-BASEIMAGE\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Paul Carrel BERN\/GRANDE DIXENCE, Switzerland (Reuters) \u2013 Having dodged most of the fuel-driven surge in inflation plaguing its neighbours, Switzerland is moving ahead with plans to boost its energy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":1889519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1675181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_finder_url":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/business\/swiss-pursue-home-grown-energy\/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=swiss-pursue-home-grown-energy","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1675181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1889519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1675181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1675181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1675181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}