Where does the electricity consumed in Switzerland come from? How does it flow between producers, networks, suppliers and consumers? What financial flows are associated with it?
The Swiss electricity system involves a multitude of stakeholders, markets and mechanisms, the interactions between which are rarely visible as a whole.
To help improve understanding of these issues, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) has published a new interactive overview of the Swiss electricity system, developed with the support of E-CUBE Strategy Consultants.
Available via the SFOE’s Energy Dashboard, this tool allows users to visualise simultaneously the main physical (TWh) and financial (MCHF) flows that shape the Swiss electricity sector.
1. A systemic overview of the electricity sector
The aim of this overview is to provide a comprehensive picture highlighting the links between these various components.
In particular, the visualisation allows us to explore:
- electricity generation by technology, and electricity imports and exports;
- the breakdown of volumes between base supply and the free market;
- the main financial flows along the value chain;
- the mechanisms specific to base supply and the free market
This approach highlights the orders of magnitude that characterise the Swiss electricity system and provides a better understanding of how the various links in the electricity chain are interconnected.
2. An educational tool to support the energy debate
The energy transition is leading to the increasing electrification of end-use sectors, the development of renewable energy, and a gradual transformation of the energy markets.
In this context, having a shared understanding of how the electricity system works is a useful prerequisite for informing debates on the energy transition.
The aim of this diagram is not to replicate the full complexity of the system, but to provide a coherent and accessible overview of its main mechanisms.
3. A representation based on public data
The overview has been compiled using publicly available data from a range of official sources.
As with any attempt to provide an aggregated representation of a complex system, it is also based on a set of simplifying assumptions that enable the main physical and financial flows to be reconstructed in a coherent manner. The calculation assumptions used are documented transparently to facilitate understanding and interpretation of the results.
This approach aims to balance analytical rigour with clarity, in order to make information accessible that is often scattered across numerous publications.
3. A visualisation available online
A synoptic diagram of the Swiss electricity system is available on the SFOE’s Energy Dashboard:
E-CUBE remercie l’Office fédéral de l’énergie pour sa confiance et la qualité de cette collaboration au service de la transparence et de la compréhension des systèmes énergétiques.
