Overview of ongoing consortia

All ongoing SWEET consortia are listed below.

SWEET Call 1-2020: “Integration of renewables”

DeCarbCH “Decarbonisation of Cooling and Heating in Switzerland” – Host Institution: University of Geneva
The DeCarbCH project addresses the colossal challenge of decarbonizing heating and cooling in Switzerland within the next three decades and prepares the ground for negative CO2 emissions. The overall objective of the project, with the ultimate goal of net-zero emissions, is to facilitate, accelerate, and mitigate risks for the deployment of renewable energy for heating and cooling in the residential sector for different scales and levels of urbanization, as well as in the service and industrial sectors.
Website, Aramis

DeCarbCH

The DeCarbCH project addresses the colossal challenge of decarbonisation of heating and cooling in Switzerland within three decades and it prepares the grounds for negative CO2 emissions. The overall objective of the project (with the ultimate target of net zero emissions) is to facilitate, speed up and de-risk the implementation of renewables for heating and cooling in the residential sector (for various scales and degrees of urbanization) as well as for the service and the industry sector

by providing guidance on which combinations of technologies to implement where, to which extent and when
by developing, piloting and demonstrating combinations of commercially viable technologies thereof, consequently helping to drive down the cost of renewable heating and cooling in all sectors
by conducting model-based analyses that support planning, inter alia by the development of scenarios representing the supply, distribution and demand of renewable heating and cooling services
by quantifying the value of both renewable heating and cooling as well as of negative CO2 emissions
by providing evidence-based guidance on how to enable the implementation of renewable heating and cooling by policies and by legal measures as well as by engaging with the relevant actors and ensuring the necessary level of acceptance.

The DeCarbCH project focusses on three main components, i.e. i) advanced renewable energy and transformation technologies, ii) thermal grids (for heating and cooling) and iii) energy storage. For these, we establish optimal combinations (in technical, economic and environmental terms) as well as necessary and desirable conditions for their implementation. A solution-oriented, interdisciplinary approach is applied for the project as a whole and within each work package. The work packages deal with subsystems (e.g. WP3 on grids in combination with renewables and energy storage, WP4/WP10 on industry and WP5/WP11 on primarily standalone renewable energy-driven system solutions), they represent case studies (WP6 for Zurich and WP7 for Romandie) or they apply specific approaches (legal and socio-economic integration in WP2/WP9 and energy system modelling in WP1/WP8), leading to recommendations for policy makers and other stakeholders.

EDGE “Enabling Decentralized renewable GEneration in the Swiss cities, midlands, and the Alps” – Host Institution: ETH Lausanne
EDGE’s objective is to integrate very high shares of decentralized renewable energy into the Swiss energy system. To that end, EDGE develops new national-level scenarios and implementation pathways with high shares of decentralized renewable energy by 2035 and 2050, including options for nearly or fully renewable Switzerland. Especially, EDGE takes a spatial approach and identifies tailor-made solutions for the Swiss cities, midlands, and the Alps and it combines research with innovation in Pilot and Demonstration project clusters (P&Ds).
Website, Aramis

EDGE

The overall EDGE objective is to provide scientific evidence to fast-track the growth of locally-sourced decentralized renewable energy in Switzerland and to aim at showing that by 2035 and 2050, when ambitious shares of renewable energy are reached, the Swiss energy system could be designed and operated in a technically and economically optimal and secure way, and that it could be well positioned in the European markets. Specifically, the EDGE consortium aims to move beyond generic designs of decentralized renewable systems and markets to a regionalized analysis that is tailored to the Swiss cities, midlands, and the Alps. The pathways towards largely electrified and multi-carrier energy systems will be examined by analyzing electricity, mobility, and heating sectors. The consortium plans to combine research with innovation from three clusters of Pilot and Demonstration project (P&Ds) in the field in urban settings (the cantons of Bern, Luzern, and Aargau), midlands (Waldkirch, St. Gallen), and the Alps (Davos and Bagnes-Verbier, Graubünden and Wallis). The mutual learning from setting up the P&Ds will ensure feedback loops between theory and practice, and ability to use the outcomes for delineating realistic national-level pathways for successful implementation of nearly or fully renewable Switzerland by 2050. As the energy system is a socio-technical system, the EDGE consortium will deliver the essential interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary expertise, ranging from technology development to systems modeling, political science, management, economics, sustainability science, and energy practice, in order to identify the most efficient measures to unlock the full potential of decentralized renewable energy. In sum, the EDGE consortium aims to become the point of reference in Switzerland for integrating very high shares of renewable generation, based on solid scientific work and science-practice collaboration taking the specific settings in cities, midlands and the Alps into consideration.

PATHFNDR “PATHways to an Efficient Future Energy System through Flexibility aND SectoR Coupling” – Host Institution: ETH Zurich
The PATHFNDR consortium explores pathways towards a sustainable energy system at international, national, and local levels. These pathways promote flexibility and sector coupling to enable the integration of renewable energy. To this end, PATHFNDR develops simulation models, demonstrators, and pilot projects that contribute to the identification of new business opportunities and innovation strategies, and the analysis of policy measures.
Website, Aramis

PATHFNDR

The project goal is to develop and analyse transition pathways for the integration of renewable energy in Switzerland. The project outcomes will help the Swiss energy system to reach the Federal Council’s goal of net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.

The project will answer the following research questions:

What will an efficient, flexible, resilient, cost-competitive, and sustainable Swiss energy system by 2050 look like?
What legislative and regulatory frameworks should be adopted to enable the transition to the system identified in question 1, including the needed incentives for flexibility providers as well as sector coupling?
Which business models and commercial value propositions should be developed to value needed flexibility and sector coupling?
What measures are necessary to ensure acceptance and participation of citizens and their organizations?
How can pilot and demonstration projects of flexible energy systems at the district / village / city scale be best exploited to increase our understanding of technical and socio-economic aspects as well as to trigger wider adoption?

These questions will be answered by building upon a strong research team together with top cooperation partners from the private and public sector.

The PATHFNDR project will deliver feasible pathways for the energy transition at international, national to city and district scales that enhance flexibility and sector coupling. In addition, it will provide planning and operation tools as well as demonstrate technologies and market designs for exploiting the flexibility of local resources. Furthermore, new business opportunities and innovation strategies will be identified to exploit novel flexibility and sector coupling options. Finally, potential policies for the energy transition and decarbonization of the Swiss energy system will be assessed.

SURE “SUstainable and Resilient Energy for Switzerland” – Host Institution: Paul Scherrer Institute PSI
How to reconcile resilience and sustainability criteria with the main goals of the Swiss energy sector transformation? This is the guiding question of SURE – a research project which builds on the expertise of ten research partners and a stakeholder forum with major representatives from the Swiss energy sector.
Website, Aramis

SURE

In view of a system transformation to a much higher renewable energy share, the proposed project addresses the need for an integrated assessment of sustainability and resilience, treating the multiple dimensions of environment, use of natural resources, public health, economics, security of supply, and social wellbeing. Extending existing research in this field, a novel quantitative model- and databased framework will be developed and applied based on combining holistic systemic approaches, comprehensive indicator databases, energy infrastructure and system modelling, and representing social and policy aspects. Focusing on Swiss national developments as well as selected regional case studies, resilience will be analysed with a long-term perspective (including 2035 and 2050 as focus years) with a scenario approach that simulates transition pathways as well as future disruptive events (using shock scenarios with disruptions at different temporal scales), related uncertainties and the implications for the energy system and society. The results feed into a stakeholder informed multiobjective decision analysis to develop strategies and measures to design the energy system more robust against disruptions and to allow for rapid recovery in case a disruption takes place. The project’s output will be manifold including a web based platform backed by the comprehensive analytical framework that helps a broad audience to understand interdependencies of the various dimensions of sustainability and resilience in a prospective way as well as it aims to illustrate the tradeoffs between competing objectives related to a sustainable and resilient energy sector transformation. Ultimately the project will provide recommendations and guidelines to policy makers, technology developers and businesses on the design of their respective strategies towards a more sustainable and resilient energy future.

SWEET Call 1-2021: “Living & Working”

LANTERN “Living lAbs iNTerfaces for the Energy TRansitioN” – Host Institution: HES-SO // Valais-Wallis
Lantern co-designs, tests, and scales up new energy-related lifestyles by removing obstacles to sustainable social practices, including in leisure, mobility, and flexible energy uses. New Living lab methodologies are put at work by the interdisciplinary team for a user-empowered, decarbonized, responsible, energy efficient and sufficient Switzerland.
Website, Aramis

LANTERN

The aim of the LANTERN proposal is to co-design, test, validate, and scale up a portfolio of interventions for a user-empowered, decarbonized, resource efficient and sufficient Switzerland. We will achieve it through applied research and development at the interface between markets, technology, policies, and society. The project will assess the relevance of socio-technical aspects, e.g. social practices, use of technologies, norms and context of use with respect to the sustainable energy transition in Swiss households, leisure activities and workplaces. In real-life Living Labs, corresponding new services, programs and policies will be co-designed, tested and validated at different scales (e.g. in homes, institutions, districts, or city level). The impact will be measured in a holistic and systemic framework that assess techno-economic-social effects to understand how the changes in social practices, policies, and technologies support substantially the reduction of carbon emissions as well as the improved energy efficiency and sufficiency in each Urban Living Lab. The goal is to develop and test pathways to achieve the objectives of the Energy Strategy 2050 and 2050+ and the climate plans in the studied Urban Living Lab areas. The country-wide potential will be established through the development of a strategy for scale-up. The project brings light to pathways which overcome barriers and capture transition potential by working at system interfaces to move towards sustainable energy futures together.

SWICE “Sustainable Wellbeing for the Individual and the Collectivity in the Energy transition” – Host Institution: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne EPFL
The SWICE project aims to identify and quantify potential energy-saving prospects and enhanced living standards in future urban settings, emphasizing the well-being of individuals and communities as a crucial component of the energy transition. The project acknowledges energy demand as a consequence of social dynamics and seeks to implement technical solutions as well as sustainable social change practices through co-designed interventions focusing on the built environment, open spaces, and mobility.
Website, Aramis

SWICE

The SWICE project aims to identify and quantify the energy saving potential and opportunities for increased quality of life that can emerge from future urban scenarios involving new modalities of living and working, changes in leisure and mobility behaviours, and different business models. Besides proposing new environmental and technological solutions, this project builds upon the premise that energy demand is, first and foremost, an outcome of social dynamics, involving complex patterns of energy usage and requiring creative approaches in material flows. As a result, it considers the focus on the well-being of people, seen both as individuals and as a collectivity, as a crucial component of the energy transition, which, to be successful, must be socially embraced and implemented in the physical spaces we inhabit. More specifically, the project seeks to experiment and implement sustainable social change practices based on less energy-intensive behaviours through carefully co-designed interventions on the physical environment taking place in daily living, working and leisure. While people and socio-material dynamics are considered the main “agents of change” in this energy transition, three main “sectors of change” are identified in terms of impact on energy demand and supply management: the built environment, open spaces and mobility. For these distinct – yet strongly interrelated – areas of action, the project will provide solutions and best practices for a sustainable congruence between an apparently insatiable desire for “more” (more living space and material comfort) and requirements for greenhouse gas emission reductions and circular economy, while improving quality of life.

SWEET Call 1-2022: “Co-Evolution”

CoSi “Co-Evolution and Coordinated Simulation of the Swiss Energy System and Swiss Society” – Host Institution: University of Basel
CoSi focuses on the interactions between society and the energy system. For this purpose, different societal research areas (economics, social sciences and humanities) are connected with engineering-based energy modeling as well as a direct exchange with relevant stakeholders is established. Together, various scenarios are to be tested and models developed that could lead to socially desirable visions of the future. Another task of CoSi is to coordinate the simulations from different SWEET projects in order to better compare their results and findings.
Website, Aramis

CoSi

With the progress of SWEET, the need to coordinate and extend the oftentimes technology-centered model-based research to an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research collaboration has arisen. Providing scenario structures and identifying insights from simulation results requires approaches that go beyond technical perspectives. Including political, regulatory, and societal frameworks, as well as actors’ decision making and behavior into models, and considering new market designs and business models call for an inter- and transdisciplinary approach, bringing together the expertise of natural sciences/engineering, business/economics, and social science/humanities (SSH).

The ambition of CoSi (Co-Evolution and Coordinated Simulation of the Swiss Energy System and Swiss Society) is to extend the model and simulation-based assessments to account for SSH research and the co-evolution of the energy systems and society to answer how Switzerland can conduct a successful energy transition. CoSi represents:

Platform for exchange: In order to link the involved disciplines, to develop a common understanding, and to achieve a co-creation process with stakeholders, CoSi will function as a bridge for the different energy research communities as well as between researchers and stakeholders.
Test-lab for new approaches: In order to enhance the usability of models, scenario structures, and simulation insights, CoSi will coordinate model activities in Switzerland to harmonize assumptions, scenarios, and narratives/storylines and provide an open documentation of these points.
Window into the Swiss future: In order to provide meaningful pathways of the Swiss future, CoSi will combine the co-creative narrative process and the improved and new model approaches to run a set of CoSi-scenarios that provide a quantification of those integrative narratives. That means CoSi builds upon two interlinked pillars: i) administrative structures and ii) an interdisciplinary setting to build up mutual information, embedded in a transdisciplinary setting with practitioners.

SWEET Call 2-2022: “Sustainable Fuels”

reFuel.ch “Renewable Fuels and Chemicals for Switzerland” – Host Institution: Empa
The overarching goal of the reFuel.ch project is to develop robust and practical pathways for introducing sustainable fuels and platform chemicals to markets and the Swiss energy system using an inter- and transdisciplinary approach. The project aims to enhance investment security by improving policy and market readiness. In addition, it aims at strengthening novel and innovative technologies which possess significant efficiency improvement potential and fosters the exchange between researchers and the private and public sector on a national and international level.
Website, Aramis

reFuel.ch

To comply with the timeline of Swiss net-zero targets, an accelerated market development of sustainable fuels and platform chemicals is necessary. While first-generation technology is available to initiate a ramp-up the production of those substances, this is not the case for policies, laws, regulations, and markets (non-technical aspects). A first aim of the reFuel.ch project is therefore concerned with investigating how investment security can be improved by closing these knowledge gaps. This must be done carefully, based on a broad understanding of sustainability criteria, to avoid misguided decisions and detrimental effects on future developments and implementation. The reFuel.ch Consortium will develop robust and practical pathways for introducing sustainable fuels and platform chemicals to markets and the Swiss energy system (including unused domestic biomass) using an inter- and transdisciplinary approach. This will include inputs from social science (sociology, law, economics, and political science), natural sciences, and engineering, as well as the dialogue with policy makers, regulators, market actors, and end users – via regular thematic Round Table discussions. Within this framework, case studies for domestic, European, and non-European implementations will be evaluated and co-designed. A second aim is to strengthen innovative technologies currently at low technology readiness level. This will be achieved by focusing on green methanol pathways and other technologies with breakthrough potential for sustainable fuel and platform chemical production. The overall target is to improve sustainability and reduce costs by increasing efficiency, selectivity, and load-flexibility of plants in order to comply with long-term climate policy goals.

SWEET Call 1-2023: “Critical Infrastructures”

RECIPE “Resilient Infrastructures for the Swiss Energy Transition” - Host Institution: ETH Zurich
RECIPE will identify hazards and develop vulnerability storylines for the interdependent energy and communication infrastructure of Switzerland. The consortium will assess the hot spots of this critical infrastructure based on the systemic impact on the Swiss economy, society, vital resources, and ecosystem. The consortium’s ambition is to propose resilience enhancements for the quantified risks and vulnerabilities harmonized with the energy transition goals. RECIPE leverages the complementarities of the academic and industrial partners.