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Longer nuclear lifetime and solar expansion, along with moderate demand growth, result in moderate imports and a high summer surplus
nuclear
Nuclear extension buys time
With prolonged nuclear life limited solar additions are sufficient to cover demand growth
nuclear
Run existing nuclear longer
Life of nuclear plants is extended to 65 (Beznau), resp. 80 years (Gösgen and Leibstadt)
sun
Moderate PV additions sufficient
Solar additions of a bit less than 1 GW per year, mostly rooftop
power_coord
Demand growth limited
Limited demand growth as efficiency gains in conventional demand partly balancing electromobility and heat pump increase
money
Low system costs
Assumed efficiency gains, prolonged nuclear life and relatively little solar build-out keep system costs low
Energy Mix Year
Production
Demand
Production
2025
Total generation 73 TWh
2050
Total generation 102 TWh
Demand
2025
Total demand 64 TWh
2050
Total demand 77 TWh

Pros and Cons
Pros:
    Cons:
      2050 Year

      Pros:
        Cons:
          Transition Year
          The energy mix as we transition to 2050
          Demand
          PV
          Wind
          Hydro
          Biomass
          Nuclear
          Fossil
          2025 Year
          TWh
          Demand
          63.8
          Generation
          73
          Deficit
          --
          Import
          --
          Import
          --
          Import atget exceeded
          --
          Generation
          73
          Storage reserve used
          --
          PV
          9.1
          PV Roof
          8
          PV Alpine
          1.1
          PV Ground
          --
          Wind
          0.1
          Hydro
          36.6
          Run-of-River
          18.6
          Storage
          18.1
          Biomass
          3.6
          Biomass
          3.6
          CCS Biomass
          --
          Gas
          --
          Market-Gas
          --
          Reserve gas power plants
          --
          Geothermal
          --
          Nuclear
          23
          Nuclear
          23
          New nuclear
          --
          Fossil
          0.6
          Existing fossil fuel power plants
          0.6
          CCS Fossil Fuels
          --
          Hard coal
          --
          Challenges
          people
          Public opinion
          Public opinion needs to accept longer nuclear life (smaller challenge than building new plants)
          renew
          Transition in part only postponed
          After 2050 the existing nuclear plants will reach their end of life and must be replaced

          The seasonal impact

          Looking at winter, summer, and full year in an energy scenario reveals seasonal variations in demand (e.g., heating vs. cooling) and supply (e.g., solar availability), helping optimize resource use and ensure system resilience year-round.

          Costs
          Total Costs, Revenues and Subsidies in CHF until 2050.
          Total production costs
          232 billion
          Accumulated until 2050
          Revenues
          211 billion
          Assuming an average power price of 75 CHF/MWn
          Subsidies required
          36 billion
          Remaining costs not covered by revenues
          Average cost
          8.3 billion / year
          The annual average of the total cost, 8.3 bn CHF per year, is less than 2% of the (estimated) Swiss GDP in 2024 (825 bn. CHF).
          Levelized cost
          We use Levelized costs of electricity (LCOE). Future costs may rise as cheaper plants are replaced. High demand and costly technologies like rooftop PV can further increase costs. See Expert Mode for details on technology costs.
          2020s
          2030s
          2040s
          Levelized cost (LCOE) ⌀ CHF/MWh

          Levelized Costs of Electricity

          All costs in the following section are Levelized Costs of Electricity (LCOE), a key metric for comparing energy sources. LCOE includes capital, operational, and fuel costs over a plant’s lifetime, offering a transparent view of electricity generation expenses. All values are real 2024.

          About the scenario developer
          economiesuisse
          economiesuisse
          Economiesuisse is the Swiss business federation that advocates for policies promoting economic growth. On energy issues, it supports a balanced approach, encouraging both the use of renewable energy and the maintenance of a competitive economy.
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          Axpo Renewables A balanced build-out of renewables, focusing on solar and wind. Green gas as winter-backup

          Legend

          A projection of the energy mix, demand and production for the year 2050 for the given scenario.
          HydroPVNuclearWindGasBiomassFossilGeothermal Other
          D : Demand • P : Production • Δ : Production Surplus
          Axpo Landscape Ambitious nuclear and rooftop solar expansion to avoid landscape-impacting wind and alpine solar units

          Legend

          A projection of the energy mix, demand and production for the year 2050 for the given scenario.
          HydroPVNuclearWindGasBiomassFossilGeothermal Other
          D : Demand • P : Production • Δ : Production Surplus
          Energy Law ("Mantelerlass") Targets of 35 TWh of renewable energy by 2035 and 45 TWh by 2050, plus 6 TWh of renewable winter electricity, of which 2 TWh hydropower

          Legend

          A projection of the energy mix, demand and production for the year 2050 for the given scenario.
          HydroPVNuclearWindGasBiomassFossilGeothermal Other
          D : Demand • P : Production • Δ : Production Surplus
          Business as usual Without increased investments, winter imports will rise to unsustainable levels, making blackouts likely after the nuclear shutdown

          Legend

          A projection of the energy mix, demand and production for the year 2050 for the given scenario.
          HydroPVNuclearWindGasBiomassFossilGeothermal Other
          D : Demand • P : Production • Δ : Production Surplus
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          Methodology reviewed by ETH Zürich