Statistics on renewable energies in Switzerland

Published on: October 26, 2020 / Update from: November 9, 2020 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Decision-making aids in data, figures, facts and statistics as a PDF for free download, see below.

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Renewable energies in Switzerland – Image: Samuel Borges Photography|Shutterstock.com

Statistics on renewable energies in Switzerland

Important note: The PDF is password protected.
Please get in contact with me. Of course, the PDF is free of charge. Important note: The PDF is password protected. Please contact me. Of course the PDF is free of charge.

German version – To see the PDF, please click on the image below.
German Version – To view the PDF, please click on the image below.

Statistics on renewable energies in Switzerland – Image: Xpert.Digital

Renewable energies will become even more important in Switzerland in the future. As a result of the adoption of the Energy Strategy 2050, no new nuclear power plants may be built in Switzerland; the existing ones are to be decommissioned at the end of their safety-related operational life. Although electricity consumption has recently fallen, the share of electricity produced by nuclear power plants was higher in both 2018 and 2019 than in the previous three years. To compensate, the energy strategy envisages, on the one hand, an increase in energy efficiency and, on the other hand, the further expansion of renewable energies.

Renewable energies already play an important role in Switzerland's energy and electricity supply.
Their share of final energy consumption in 2019 was almost 24.1 percent. The share of electricity generation is correspondingly high and the amount of electricity generated from renewable energies is continuously increasing. However, a closer look shows that the majority of electricity from renewable energy sources in 2019 was generated by hydroelectric power plants (almost 90 percent). The share of hydropower in total electricity generation in Switzerland was around 56.4 percent. Accordingly, other renewable energy sources only account for a small share of energy production in Switzerland. However, some of them are showing strong growth. The energy yield of Swiss photovoltaic systems has risen steadily in recent years. The energy yield of solar thermal collectors is also continuously growing. Overall, the Federal Office of Energy sees the solar energy potential of Swiss house roofs and facades at around 67 terawatt hours per year and shows suitable properties in Switzerland on an interactive map.

Other renewable energies are still little used in Switzerland. The use of renewable fractions from waste generated approximately 4,545 terajoules of energy. Around 473 gigawatt hours of electricity were generated from biomass in Switzerland in 2019. Although electricity generation from wind power has increased in recent years, it still plays a comparatively minor role in Switzerland.

Renewable energy is promoted in Switzerland via the feed-in tariff system. Operators of such systems can apply for the remuneration to compensate for the higher production costs. To finance this, electricity customers are charged a network surcharge of 2.3 cents.

Statistics on the electricity market in Switzerland

Important note: The PDF is password protected.
Please get in contact with me. Of course, the PDF is free of charge. Important note: The PDF is password protected. Please contact me. Of course the PDF is free of charge.

German version – To see the PDF, please click on the image below.
German Version – To view the PDF, please click on the image below.

Electricity market in Switzerland – PDF download

The Swiss electricity market will change significantly in the next few years due to national and international developments. The Energy Strategy 2050 envisages, among other things, moving away from nuclear power plants and instead promoting and expanding renewable energies. At the same time, Switzerland plays an important role in cross-border electricity transit due to its geographical location. And since the EU aims to further expand the European internal electricity market, this will continue to have an impact on Switzerland. There are also ongoing efforts to extend the liberalization of the electricity market to households and businesses. Major customers have been able to freely choose their suppliers since 2009, but the opening to other buyers has so far been postponed. However, the current draft revision of the Electricity Supply Act provides for the complete opening of the electricity market.

In 2018, around 67.8 terawatt hours of electricity were generated in Switzerland. The significant increase in production between 2017 and 2019 is due to the renewed commissioning of reactor block 1 at the Beznau nuclear power plant. By far the largest contribution to electricity generation in Switzerland is made by hydroelectric power plants. Fossil fuels, however, are of little importance for electricity generation.

A look at electricity consumption by sector shows that households were the largest consumers in Switzerland in 2019 with around 19.1 terawatt hours. In the industrial and manufacturing sector, electricity consumption was reduced from 19.2 terawatt hours in 2011 to 17.3 terawatt hours in 2019. Switzerland's total electricity consumption was around 57.2 terawatt hours in 2019. For comparison: In Germany, 512 terawatt hours of electricity were consumed in the same year; in Austria, electricity consumption was just under 72 terawatt hours (2018). Overall, it was possible to reduce per capita electricity consumption in Switzerland. In 2010 this was around 7.64 megawatt hours, in 2019 it was only 6.67 megawatt hours.

Switzerland is also known as the electricity hub within Europe. The values ​​of electricity imports and exports are correspondingly high compared to the amount of electricity generated and consumed in Switzerland. The largest consumer country is traditionally Italy, while the largest electricity supplier is France.

Household electricity costs in 2021 will be an average price of 20.5 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity. This includes a share of 2.3 cents for the cost-covering feed-in tariff (KEV) for renewable energies. Operators of such systems can apply for the remuneration to compensate for the higher production costs. Depending on the type of consumer, electricity prices for industry are significantly lower than for private users.

In 2018, 338 electricity companies were counted in Switzerland. The largest electricity suppliers in 2019 include Alpiq Holding AG, Axpo Holding AG, the BKW Group and Repower AG. Alpiq Holding AG alone generated sales of around 4.1 billion Swiss francs in 2019.

Statistics on the energy market in Switzerland

Important note: The PDF is password protected.
Please get in contact with me. Of course, the PDF is free of charge. Important note: The PDF is password protected. Please contact me. Of course the PDF is free of charge.

German version – To see the PDF, please click on the image below.
German Version – To view the PDF, please click on the image below.

Energy market in Switzerland – PDF download

The PDF contains editorially compiled statistics on the energy market in Switzerland. It provides statistics on energy consumption, production and trading. The energy market is also presented using typical industry key figures and company figures. Finally, the dossier shows statistics on energy prices and energy research in Switzerland.

Suitable for:

• Statistics on the subject of photovoltaics and the energy transition in Germany
• Statistics on renewable energies in Austria