Iran Energy News Oil, Gas, Petrochemical and Energy Field Specialized Channel
Related Articles
Switzerland must diversify its energy supply and accelerate the expansion of renewables in order to cut the share of fossil fuels and reduce its reliance on Russian gas imports, the country’s renewable energy association Aee Suisse said on Tuesday.
The association has offered seven measures worth about CHF 860 million (USD 936.79m/EUR 839.27m) that would limit the need for Russian gas and remove obstacles to the energy transition in the Alpine country.
Aee Suisse says the federal government should provide a special bonus of CHF 5,000 for everyone who decides to replace their fossil heating with a system running on green power by the middle of this year. A budget of CHF 500 million would help replace 100,000 fossil heating installations which would be enough to cut the need for Russian gas by more than 5 TWh.
Another measure could be the launch of a programme that would introduce the use of heat pumps and solar thermal systems for hot water and this would require an additional CHF 150 million.
The association is pushing also for the construction of 25 biogas plants that could feed a further 105 GWh of green energy per year into the grid. The plan should be supported with an investment contribution of CHF 60 million in federal funds.
The federal government should extend a further CHF 150 million to promote the use of combined heat and power plants (CHPP) and provide risk guarantees for geothermal heating projects and thermal networks. The export of green waste and waste wood from the country should be restricted.
Aee Suisse stressed that about 340,000 gas heating systems are in operation in Switzerland, a demand of 18 TWh annually, and the dependence on fossil fuels, especially in the heating sector, is damaging to the country as it poses the greatest risk to its security.
