Lecture

Energy Transition in Switzerland

Graph Chat

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.

Description

This lecture discusses the creation of an information platform at EPFL after Fukushima, providing concrete quantitative information on Switzerland's energy strategy through 15 to 20-minute videos covering various energy topics and future improvements, including solar, residential energy, hydropower, nuclear, and other energy sources. The platform includes 22 comprehensive lessons, with plans to update the calculator and book. The public is encouraged to enroll on the EPFL website to access the courses and use the calculator to create personalized energy scenarios based on key parameters for the Swiss energy strategy.

Official source

Related concepts (20)

Renewable energy

Renewable energy is energy from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. Renewable resources include sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy sources are sustainable, some are not. For example, some biomass sources are considered unsustainable at current rates of exploitation. Renewable energy is often used for electricity generation, heating and cooling.

Energy development

Energy development is the field of activities focused on obtaining sources of energy from natural resources. These activities include the production of renewable, nuclear, and fossil fuel derived sources of energy, and for the recovery and reuse of energy that would otherwise be wasted. Energy conservation and efficiency measures reduce the demand for energy development, and can have benefits to society with improvements to environmental issues.

Variable renewable energy

Variable renewable energy (VRE) or intermittent renewable energy sources (IRES) are renewable energy sources that are not dispatchable due to their fluctuating nature, such as wind power and solar power, as opposed to controllable renewable energy sources, such as dammed hydroelectricity or biomass, or relatively constant sources, such as geothermal power. The use of small amounts of intermittent power has little effect on grid operations. Using larger amounts of intermittent power may require upgrades or even a redesign of the grid infrastructure.

Primary energy

Primary energy (PE) is the energy found in nature that has not been subjected to any human engineered conversion process. It encompasses energy contained in raw fuels and other forms of energy, including waste, received as input to a system. Primary energy can be non-renewable or renewable. Primary energy is used in energy statistics in the compilation of energy balances, as well as in the field of energetics. In energetics, a primary energy source (PES) refers to the energy forms required by the energy sector to generate the supply of energy carriers used by human society.

Sustainable energy

Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenhouse gas emissions and social and economic aspects such as energy poverty. Renewable energy sources such as wind, hydroelectric power, solar, and geothermal energy are generally far more sustainable than fossil fuel sources.

Related lectures (64)

Energy Transition Perspectives: Socio-Technical Insights

Examines energy transitions through a socio-technical lens, focusing on key phases, actors, and sustainability goals.

Mitigating CO2 Emissions: Energy Transition

Emphasizes the transition to renewables to mitigate CO2 emissions and discusses nuclear energy challenges, costs, and perspectives.

Swiss Energy Transition MOOC: SES Swiss-Energyscope

Explores global energy history, Swiss energy transition, renewables, and energy units.

Managing Urban Energy Infrastructures MOOC: Urban Infrastructure Management

Explores the challenges of managing urban energy systems and the importance of energy for cities.

Energy Supply: Economics and Transition Overview