Net-zero CO2 emissions scenarios for Switzerland

Abstract Switzerland has one of the lowest CO2 intensities among industrialised countries. The transition to net-zero emissions is further complicated by limited domestic mitigation options, which tend to have high costs, raise energy security concerns, and trigger socio-economic barriers in policy implementation. Research on these issues is also relevant to the societal and political debates on country energy transitions worldwide. We apply robust techno-economic energy systems modelling to highlight the challenges of the Swiss energy transition under different technical, socio-economic, and geopolitical contexts and suggest feasible technical solutions based on low-carbon technologies, efficiency, and flexibility. Import independency and net-zero emissions by 2050 require an additional cumulative discounted investment of 300 BCHF2019 in energy efficiency, domestic renewable and hydrogen technologies. The average per capita costs of net-zero emissions are 320–1390 CHF2019/yr., depending on domestic mitigation options exploitation, integration of Switzerland in international energy markets, energy security and resilience ambition.