Switzerland aims at reducing its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to net-zero by the middle of the century. Reaching this ambitious target requires important changes to the energy system. In the Joint Activity Scenarios and Modelling (JASM), modelling teams from the eight Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research (SCCER) worked together to analyze alternative configurations of the energy system and possible pathways to reach this goal. This approach is different from other efforts to define a long term energy strategy for Switzerland, as it is based on the combined output of the Swiss energy research community. To achieve this, we developed and used a framework that soft-links a variety of models from the project partners.
Future configurations of the Swiss energy system are influenced by uncertainties on demographic and economic growth, technological development and acceptance, market designs and global climate change. However, despite these uncertainties, we were able to derive a robust narrative for a net-zero Switzerland, that identifies those elements and technologies that will very like be a part of our future energy system. This narrative includes the following specific recommendations for policy measures and actions today.