Green and white roofs are sustainable solutions for reducing urban heat and improving building energy performance. When combined with photovoltaic (PV) systems, they are often promoted as technologies that also enhance solar energy yield. However, our comprehensive analysis reveals that...
While technologies to trap and store CO2 underground may give a license to fossil fuels to survive in a net-zero emissions world, in this opinion piece we argue that this is economically irrational and a risky gamble, calling for clear...
For Anthony Patt, Europe’s ambitious plans for a hydrogen economy may be too ambitious, tipping the scales towards the interests of the fossil fuel industry, rather than energy consumers and the climate. Switzerland should be careful before jumping fully on...
Auctions for renewable energy support have become the standard way to give out subsidies to solar energy projects and other renewables in Europe. In an auction, investors usually compete to receive the subsidy based on their offered support price, where...
Gabriela Hug – an expert in power transmission networks – argues that securing an affordable energy supply from renewable sources is not a utopian ideal for Switzerland, but rather a practical and feasible necessity.
To decarbonize our economy, electricity will replace oil and natural gas as the primary energy carrier. Where should that power come from? Many people argue that all of it should be produced domestically. Careful analysis suggests some share of it...
In this blog post, editors Kate, Churchill, and Leopold identify five global energy conversations they will be following in 2023, which they believe will be of interest to you. Check out their picks to stay informed and engaged in these...
America’s recently passed climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), provides strong support for accelerated adoption of clean vehicles in the US. Subsidies are generous for consumers looking to go electric, but only for vehicles that meet strict geographic requirements...
While the economic impacts of climate policy are generally perceived as costs, Anthony Patt proposes the opposite perspective. For Switzerland, converting the energy system and reaching the net-zero target may net benefit the economy, he finds.
Electricity consumption is closely and positively related with global economic and human development across different geographical, social, and cultural contexts. As a Sustainable Development Goal (Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy) and as an integral...
Up until now, energy system modeling using bottom-up capacity expansion models has primarily focused on investigating cost-optimal transition pathways of national energy systems. Now that the transition is accelerating, it is time for this modeling community to start investigating the...
Building retrofits are increasingly assessed from an environmental perspective. Standard assessment methods, however, largely do not consider future developments and fail to take into account the state of climate emergency where the time horizon is substantially shorter than the expected...
