Key insights from the Swiss Electricity Congress

Winter electricity, system stability and acceptance: Key insights from the Swiss Electricity Congress

During the 2nd Day of the Swiss Electricity Congress, one central question dominated the discussions: how can Switzerland’s electricity system be developed in a reliable and affordable way under changing geopolitical, regulatory and climate conditions?

 

A European market with real consequences

Opening the day, Michael Strugl, CEO of VERBUND AG and President of Österreichs Energie, highlighted a fundamental reality: electricity is traded within a highly interconnected European market. When grid congestion increases and price zones become fragmented, price differentials widen. Cross-border cooperation is therefore not ideological, but an economic necessity—it helps share resources, reduce system costs and limit the need for reserve capacity.

 

New regulation, high implementation demands

In the subsequent panel discussion on the new electricity legislation, Cristina Pastoriza (Multidis), Michael Gruber (CEO Energie Thun AG) and Jürg Plugshaupt (Energie Gossau and Plugshaupt Engineering) shared a common concern: the implementation of the new regulatory framework is resource-intensive and costly. These costs are often difficult to anticipate and are ultimately borne by consumers. Dynamic grid tariffs were identified as a promising, yet still marginal, option. The panellists called for regulatory restraint, better anticipation of real-world impacts, and closer dialogue between policymakers and practitioners.

 

Renewable pillars of the Swiss power system

Against this backdrop, Prof. Michael Lehning (EPFL) framed the role of renewable energy sources from a system-wide perspective. According to Lehning, photovoltaics and hydropower constitute the core pillars of the Swiss electricity system. However, additional solutions are needed to address the country’s winter electricity deficit.

Lehning emphasised that wind energy and alpine photovoltaics represent realistic and necessary complements, particularly due to their winter production profiles. At the same time, he pointed to persistent challenges related to social acceptance, spatial planning and project implementation. The key, he argued, lies not only in technical feasibility, but also in early stakeholder engagement and transparent decision-making processes.

 

Conclusion

The Swiss Electricity Congress made clear that the energy transition is less about individual technologies and more about a systemic transformation, integrating markets, regulation, planning and societal acceptance. Prof. Michael Lehning’s intervention underscored that alpine renewable energy technologies can play a meaningful role—provided that the right framework conditions are in place.