immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Kernkraft

  • Parliament agrees on expansion of renewable energies

    Parliament agrees on expansion of renewable energies

    On 26 September, the National Council cleared the way for an agreement with the Council of States on the federal law on a secure electricity supply with renewable energies. The so-called Energy Decree sets binding target values for the expansion of renewable energies and extends previously limited support instruments. Special emphasis is placed on securing the electricity supply after the phase-out of nuclear power and, in particular, on the electricity supply in winter.

    Lastly, Kurt Egger (GP/TG) had cleared the way for agreement. According to the minutes of the National Council, he withdrew a motion by the minority that would have prescribed the construction of photovoltaic systems on new car parks from a size of 500 square metres from 2030. Egger also regretted that the new law only stipulates a solar obligation for new buildings from a floor area of 300 square metres.

    Previously, the Council of States had accommodated the large chamber. For example, less residual water in hydroelectric power plants may only be permitted if there is an imminent shortage of electricity. The small chamber also approved the introduction of a market for energy efficiency measures proposed by the National Council.

    Federal Councillor Albert Rösti thanked both chambers for their ability to compromise. He said he hoped that Parliament had thus achieved a “medium level of satisfaction” on all sides. He said that the law would lead to Switzerland generating 3 to 5 terawatt hours more winter electricity in the next five to ten years. “Then we will be back on the safe side,” Rösti said. But this would require new hydropower projects, namely Grimsel, Trift and Gorner, as well as alpine solar plants.

    The new federal law is to come into force on 1 January 2025. But the political debate continues. Kurt Egger pointed out that the Greens would launch their solar initiative for compulsory solar energy on roofs and facades of new buildings.

  • Decommissioning and disposal funds show profits

    Decommissioning and disposal funds show profits

    The decommissioning and disposal funds ( STENFO ) to be accumulated by the operators of nuclear facilities are intended to cover the costs of decommissioning Swiss nuclear power plants and the disposal of radioactive waste, explains the Federal Council in a communication . At its meeting on September 18, it approved the annual reports of the two funds for the 2019 reporting year. The two funds currently have a total of CHF 8.492 billion. At the end of 2018, the fund amounts had totaled 7.492 billion francs.

    The decommissioning fund currently has CHF 2.724 billion available for the decommissioning and demolition of the nuclear facilities and the disposal of the radioactive waste generated. The funds exceeded the target amount of CHF 2.525 billion targeted for the end of 2019 by CHF 198.8 million, writes the Federal Council. A return on investment of 12.26 percent resulted in a profit of CHF 297.9 million in the fund's income statement.

    The disposal fund set up for the costs of disposing of radioactive waste showed funds of 5.768 billion Swiss francs at the end of 2019. The fund was thus quoted at 615 million francs above its target amount of 5.153 billion francs, informs the Federal Council. Compared to the end of 2018, a profit of 666.8 million francs was posted. It resulted from a return on investment of 13.09 percent.

  • Solar power could solve Swiss energy problems

    Solar power could solve Swiss energy problems

    Only photovoltaics can show Switzerland the way to a CO2-free future, writes the Deputy Director of the Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute ( Empa ), Peter Richner, in an article for Avenir Suisse . It is based on the so-called Kaya identity, which the Japanese scientist Yoichi Kaya used in 1993 to describe the total amount of anthropogenic CO2 emissions as a function of four factors. The fourth alone, a reduction in the CO2 footprint, has enough potential, according to Richner, to achieve Switzerland's climate goals – through massive expansion of photovoltaics.

    If only 50 percent of all Swiss roofs were equipped with solar modules, electricity production from nuclear power plants would be superfluous. Richner demonstrates this in terms of electricity supply and demand for 2015. However, if all roofs and increasingly also building facades were equipped with solar panels, the output gap in winter could also be compensated for. At the same time, however, solutions would have to be found in order to be able to utilize the largest possible proportion of the electricity surplus in summer, both on a daily basis and at other times of the year.

    For increased flexibility of use, day storage systems could shift loads, for example through batteries or hydrogen. Digitization offers opportunities for the necessary creation of flexibility in consumption and production. Excess electricity could be converted into hydrogen in summer and possibly, together with CO2 from the air, into methane or liquid synthetic hydrocarbons. These chemical energy carriers can be stored easily and used in a variety of ways. And finally, seasonal heat storage systems could be charged with excess electricity in order to reduce energy requirements in winter.

    The potential of energy efficiency, another influenceable factor of the Kaya identity, is far from being exhausted, says Richner. However, achievements in this area would be compensated for by higher electricity demand, fossil electricity imports from abroad in winter or increased electricity consumption.

    In order to achieve a climate-neutral Switzerland, one of the four factors in the Kaya identity must be zero or the remaining product is offset with CO2-negative technologies such as the separation of CO2 from the air and its storage. Politicians must provide a decisive framework for this, as long as the nuclear power plants are still running.