MONET 2030: Electricity production from renewable energies

SDG 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal description

« Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential. Sustainable energy is opportunity – it transforms lives, economies and the planet. […]»

Swiss target 7.2: A steady increase in the share of cost-efficient renewable energies in overall energy consumption is achieved. Expanding the output of hydroelectric power, bringing production in Switzerland to at least 37,400 GWh by 2035. Efforts will be made to expand power generation from other renewable energy sources such that domestic output will be at least 17,000 GWh by 2035.

Significance of the indicator
The indicator shows the amount of electricity produced from renewable energies. In principle, renewable energy is available on an unlimited basis, depending on the available potential. The production of renewable energy generates fewer emissions and less waste than the production of fossil fuels and nuclear energy. However, it can have an impact on the environment (e.g. damage to the landscape and built sites). From a sustainable development perspective, more electricity needs to be produced from renewable energies.

Help for interpretation
The new renewable energies used to produce electricity are small-scale hydropower plants (under 10 MWh capacity), solar energy, biomass, wind energy and energy produced from the renewable share of waste and wastewater. However, data related to small-scale hydropower are not available and are not taken into account in the calculation of the indicator.

International comparability
This indicator can be compared at international level.

Synthesis

Comments: Synthesis of the observed trends in electricity production from hydropower plants (HP) and new renewable energies (NRE). For electricity production from hydroelectric power stations (HP): calculation of variation over the period observed. For electricity production from new renewable energies (NRE): in adequacy with the theoretical path according to target 7.2 of at least 17,000 gigawatt hours in 2035. The assessment of each variable is expressed by a value without dimension (-1 for a negative assessment, 0 for an unchanged assessment, +1 for a positive assessment). These values are then added up and the result sets the general trend of the indicator.

This indicator shows the amount of electricity produced from renewable sources in GWh. Hydropower and new renewable energy sources are considered renewable energies. New renewable energy sources include solar, biomass, wind and the renewable share of waste and wastewater. Hydropower, which makes up more than half of Switzerland’s electricity production, is not counted under new renewable energies. However, small-scale hydropower plants with a maximum capacity of 10 MWh are supported as new renewable energies in programmes to promote renewable energies (e.g. compensatory feed-in remuneration). For the time being, the database is insufficient to provide more information on this additional production.

The data for this indicator are from Swiss renewable energy statistics and the statistics of hydroelectric installations in Switzerland that the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) publishes every year.

SFOE – Hydropower plants: statistics

SFOE - Electricity statistics

Swiss target 7.2: A steady increase in the share of cost-efficient renewable energies in overall energy consumption is achieved. Expanding the output of hydroelectric power, bringing production in Switzerland to at least 37,400 GW/h by 2035. Efforts will be made to expand power generation from other renewable energy sources such that domestic output will be at least 17,000 GW/h49 by 2035.

International target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.