Energy Networks Challenges Three focus areas

Energy Strategy 2050 plans for new renewable energy sources to provide more energy – primarily PV and wind power plants. How much energy will be generated by these new providers is dependent on the weather. The sector has a great deal of experience with fluctuating electricity consumption and also has efficient methods at its disposal for very precisely predicting consumption levels. However, the new decentralised energy providers are giving rise to new uncertainties – especially as the existing methods are primarily applicable to larger geographic areas and local conditions are more difficult to forecast. An additional challenge is the fact that the number of stakeholders is massively increasing.

If the new stakeholders are to be integrated into the overall energy system in an efficient and reliable manner, new electricity grid operating principles, in particular, will be required that take account of the characteristics of the new players. Only in this way will the grid’s stability and optimal operations remain assured. A further important requirement for supply security is the involvement of Switzerland in the European electricity market.

The decentralised provision of energy from PV and wind plants gives rise to an array of challenges with respect to the stability of the electricity supply system due to daily and seasonal fluctuations. Decentralised multi-energy hub systems offer a promising solution here. These utilise the interplay between various energy sources such as solar energy, heat, natural gas and hydrogen and combine renewable and conventional energy sources, conversion technologies and storage technologies.