Solar energy, the choice of the present time
"While nuclear power is necessarily part of the long term, photovoltaics and batteries fall into a different timescale: that of the needs we must meet today," says Richard Mesple, CEO of Local Energy.
Opinions
Solar energy, the choice of the present time
"While nuclear power is necessarily part of the long term, photovoltaics and batteries fall into a different timescale: that of the needs we must meet today," says Richard Mesple, CEO of Local Energy.
3 min read
The recent debate in Parliament has put back on the table the possibility of building new nuclear power plants in Switzerland. Whatever the political outcome of this discussion, it raises an essential question: how can we sustainably ensure our country’s energy supply?
Nuclear power necessarily operates on a long time scale. Solar and batteries belong to a different temporality: that of the needs we must meet today. That is arguably one of their main advantages.
So it is not a question of pitting technologies against one another. Switzerland’s energy future will necessarily rely on a combination of different renewable production sources. But keeping options open for the long term should not make us lose sight of the solutions we can deploy right now.
Produce today, adapt tomorrow
Solar has a particular advantage in this regard: its speed and flexibility of deployment. Whereas centralized nuclear generation by its nature requires large-scale infrastructure, whose realization takes several years, a photovoltaic installation can be put into service in a few months. Modular, solar develops progressively, at the pace of needs, on roofs, façades, parking lots or even agricultural infrastructures, while bringing production closer to the places where electricity is used.
To this deployment speed is added the question of cost. The cost of photovoltaics has fallen sharply in recent years, to the point of making it today a particularly competitive production technology. This evolution makes it possible to gradually increase capacities without waiting for the completion of large infrastructures, while spreading investments among many actors.
This flexibility takes on a new dimension with the development of storage. Batteries make it possible to save part of the electricity produced during the day to release it when demand increases, notably in the evening. Storage obviously does not eliminate all the challenges related to intermittency, but it already allows production and consumption to be better aligned.
Installation after installation, roof after roof, the energy of tomorrow is already being built.
A changing environment
The energy question can no longer be separated from climate change. The increase in heatwaves and droughts can weigh on production means that are highly dependent on water availability. Photovoltaics have a simple advantage here: their electricity production does not require water resources for operation.
Producing more solar electricity in Switzerland also increases the share of energy generated directly on our territory. In an international context that has reminded us of the vulnerability of supply chains and the risks associated with certain external dependencies, this ability to mobilize a locally available resource is an additional asset. Decentralized production also strengthens the resilience of the system: when it is distributed across thousands of sites, a local disruption naturally has a more limited impact on the overall supply.
A transition that is advancing
This evolution is taking place before our eyes. Companies, local authorities, property owners and individuals are themselves becoming producers of part of the energy they consume. The energy system is thus gradually becoming more decentralized: production no longer relies solely on a few large infrastructures, but also on a multitude of installations spread across the territory.
Solar alone will obviously not meet Switzerland’s energy needs. Our collaboration with the European grid remains essential and we must ensure the preservation of the agreements that make it possible. Hydropower, wind, biomass and other renewable sources will continue to play an important role, as will the grids and storage capacities.
As our country debates its energy supply over the coming decades, we should not underestimate either the value of time or the strength of a transition that is already being built from the bottom up. Solar enables companies, municipalities, property owners and individuals to act today and, through a multitude of individual decisions, to collectively help transform our energy system.
Installation after installation, roof after roof, the energy of tomorrow is already being built.
This article has been automatically translated using AI. If you notice any errors, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Read next
"SME bosses in Switzerland do not wake up in the morning thinking ESG criteria"
Interview with Marie-Laure Chapatte, CSR Manager at the Neuchâtel Cantonal Bank (BCN).
The energy transition is not a cost, but an economic opportunity
"The rise of renewable energy and the reduction of our consumption of oil and gas have allowed Switzerland to avoid 31 billion francs in fossil fuel imports over the past fifteen years," says Pierrette Rey, spokesperson for WWF Switzerland.
Coal, the big winner of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
Faced with soaring gas prices, several countries — including China and India — have substituted coal for gas to produce their electricity, as highlighted by the latest semiannual report of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The 1,2,4-triazole: a new chemical compound under surveillance in the Lake
According to Henri Klunge, newly elected deputy in the canton of Vaud and founder of Alcane Conseils, "the presence of this small molecule in the drinking water should remind us that our activities are not without consequences nor without risks for the environment."