Only PV Can Deliver Enough Power to Decarbonise

37th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; 2010-2013
As is the case with many countries, Switzerland is facing a tough challenge: it has to replace nuclear power and to decarbonize its entire economic system. This transformation will need much more electricity. By 2050, Switzerland will need around twice the electrical energy than its existing hydropower can deliver. Since wind power has a modest potential in Switzerland, the only practical possibility is to scale-up PV by 25x. Therefore, the country faces a huge investment in its power generation; this, besides insulating buildings and transforming the transport sector. Roger Nordmann has developed a complete plan to implement such a PV expansion at the national level, including management of the electrical network. His plan is now shifting the political lines toward a much more PV-friendly attitude for politics and business. This speech discusses the key features of this plan. Some aspects of the plan – for instance, the interaction with the existing important hydro power storage – are specific to Switzerland. Other aspects, such as peak-shaving and the political narrative, are relevant and can be applied in other countries. Thanks to his long political experience and his expertise in the energy field, he constructed his “solar plan” based on a logic which can be accepted and endorsed by the established electricity sector. He presents a method of systemic policy ant politics perspective.