World Small Hydropower Development Report 2016

Transcription

1 World Small Hydropower Development Report 2016 Switzerland

2 Key facts Population 8,306,200 Switzerland Stefano Basso, Eawag Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Western Europe Area 41,285 km 2 Climate Temperate, but varies with altitude: cold, cloudy, rainy and snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers. 3 Annual average temperature for the years between 1981 and 2010 ranges from 9 to 15 degrees Celsius, depending on the location. 7 Topography Mostly mountains (Alps in the south, Jura in the northwest; highest point is Monte Rosa at 4,634 metres above sea level), a central plateau of rolling hills, plains and large lakes. 3 Rain pattern General dissipation of rivers and other water sources Frontal and orographic rainfall with 2,000 mm/year of average precipitation in the northern foothills of the Alps, in the Alps and in southern Switzerland; approximately 1,000-1,500 mm/ year in the lowland north of the Alps; between 500 and 700 mm/year in Valais and Graubünden regions. The amount of precipitation during summer is nearly double that of winter (except in the Canton of Valais). At the altitude of 1,200-1,500 metres above sea level, precipitation during winter usually occurs as snowfall. 6 Runoff: the share of rainfall available for runoff depends on evapotranspiration. In Switzerland, the potential evapotranspiration decreases with elevation going from the central plateau to the alpine areas, due to decreasing temperature and less intensive land use. About two thirds of the water evaporated in the Alps forms clouds when ascending and rains down again regionally, especially during summer. 7 Rivers exhibit a variety of runoff regimes, which mainly differ depending on the role played by snow and ice storage in the contributing catchment. Snow influence is negligible in the central plateau, and it only slightly affects peak runoff in the Jura. Alpine Rivers instead exhibit peak runoff during spring and summer seasons, as a result of snow melting and water release from glaciers. 7 Electricity sector overview The main sources of electricity in Switzerland are hydropower and nuclear power, respectively accounting for 56.4 and 37.9 per cent of the total production, which amounted to 69,633 GWh in Production from thermal power plants accounts for 3.5 per cent of the total, while the remaining 2.2 per cent comes from other renewable sources (biomass, wind, biogas, photovoltaic) (Figure 1). The total consumption for 2014 was 61,787 GWh. 2 However, electricity supply during winter depends on imports (between 2,000 and 4,000 GWh in the past 11 years). FIGURE 1 Electricity generation by source in Switzerland (GWh) Hydropower Nuclear power Thermal power Other RE sources 2,447 1,508 Source: Bundesamt für Energie BFE 2 26,370 39,308 In 2011 Switzerland decided to gradually withdraw from the use of nuclear energy. Consequently, a longterm energy policy (Energy Strategy 2050) was drafted in order to guarantee a secure electricity supply. This strategy focuses on increasing energy efficiency, expanding renewable energy use, undertaking an active foreign energy policy and, where necessary, electricity production from fossil fuels. 9 Renovation and expansion of the grid infrastructure is also among the objectives of the strategy, since most transmission lines are more than forty years old, and not designed to handle high numbers of decentralized producers feeding electricity into the grid. The electrification rate is 100 per cent. 19 Currently, 604 hydropower plants with a capacity of at least 300 kw operate in Switzerland. 12 Approximately 45 per cent of the hydropower production (25 per cent of the total electricity production) comes from run-ofriver plants and 55 per cent (32 per cent) from storage plants. 2 The alpine areas of the country (namely cantons Uri, Graubünden, Ticino and Valais) generate the most hydro-electricity. The hydropower market is worth around CHF 1.8 billion (approximately US$1.85 billion), 12 and therefore constitutes an important part of the Swiss energy industry. Nonetheless, the federal government 703

3 World Small Hydropower Development Report 2016 wants to further promote the use of hydropower. The Energy Strategy 2050 plans an increase of hydropower efficiency and new production equal to 1,500 GWh (3,200 GWh under optimal economic and social conditions). 4,9 Moreover, new pumped-storage installations are planned to increase energy storage and production flexibility. In 2014, the cumulated capacity of hydropower plants under construction was 2,464 MW. These plants will add 416 GWh to the national electricity generation. 2 The importance of other renewable sources in the Swiss energy mix is expected to increase, especially because the new energy strategy primarily ascribes increments of renewable energy production to solar and wind technologies. However, while wood and biomass, ambient heat, small hydropower (SHP) and wind are already available and are economically attractive options, photovoltaic and geothermal potentials will not be fully exploited within thirty years, primarily for economic reasons. 13 In Switzerland electricity is exchanged on a market. Therefore, a single tariff system is not applied. Small hydropower sector overview and potential Switzerland s definition of SHP is up to 10 MW. 14 Installed capacity of SHP in Switzerland is approximately 859 MW (2010 estimate). The available potential (estimated to prepare the Energy Strategy 2050) is officially reported in terms of production, and it amounts to 1,300 GWh. Data available in the 2013 and 2016 World Small Hydropower Reports indicate a 13 per cent increase of the installed capacity (Figure 2). FIGURE 2 Small hydropower capacities in Switzerland (MW) Potential capacity Installed capacity N/A N/A ,000) operating in Switzerland at the beginning of the 20th century, which could be refurbished and contribute to the growth of small hydroelectricity production. However, the most suitable sites are already utilized (in fact, 461 plants have been built or refurbished since 2006 due to the introduction of a feed in tariff). 17 and controversies on the convenience of exploiting the remaining potential are ongoing. New technologies allow harvesting hydraulic energy on existing infrastructure (e.g. fresh and waste water networks, tailrace channels). The exploitation of these sources benefits from social acceptance, and the required engineering advances (e.g. development of new turbines) are supported by the federal authorities and favoured by existing industrial competences in this field. 18 The available potential of small scale hydropower was estimated during the preparation of the Energy Strategy Under present conditions, it amounts to 1,300 GWh; the overall SHP production would thus reach 5,100 GWh in If improvements of economic (e.g. financial support) and social conditions (higher acceptance of small plants by the community) occur, the available potential would increase to 1,600 GWh. 4,9 The Small Hydropower Programme of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy aims to promote the exploitation of this potential, connecting all the stakeholders and working closely with trade and industrial associations. 15 Renewable energy policy The Swiss energy policy is defined by the energy and water articles in the Federal Constitution, the Energy Act, the CO 2 Act, the Nuclear Energy Act, the Electricity Supply Act, the Water Protection Act, the Hydropower Act and the Federal Act on Hydraulic Engineering. 1,8 In particular, the regulatory framework for renewable energy is defined by the Energy Act, while the Water Protection and Hydropower Acts intervene in the field of hydropower exploitation. Other relevant regulations are the Fishery Act, the Spatial Planning Act, the Environmental and Forestry Protection Acts and the Nature and Cultural Heritage Act. 1 Sources: SFOE, 13 WSHPDR Note: The comparison is between data from WSHPDR 2013 and WSHPDR The overall number of SHP plants in operation in the country is not precisely known, due to a of lack of statistics on installations smaller than 300 kw. 18 Estimates from 2010 report 1,378 plants, with overall installed capacity of 859 MW and annual production of 3,770 GWh. 5 This represents 5.7 per cent of the national electricity production and 10.1 per cent of the hydropower share. 5,13 Among these small plants, an estimated seven hundred have installed capacity below 300 kw and account for only 1 per cent of the hydropower production. 5 This group represents the remaining of a high number of small installations (about Energy Strategy 2050, which recently adopted after the decision of withdrawing from nuclear energy, is a milestone in Swiss energy policies. As mentioned, this strategy focuses on the exploitation of energy potential from increased energy efficiency, hydropower and new renewable energy sources. 9 The Swiss Energy Programme is the instrument specifically developed to implement energy and climate objectives of the Federal Government and cantons. In particular, cantons determine strategies for the building sector, sustainable energy supply, energy planning and energy efficiency mobility, and promote efficient use of energy and waste heat by means of incentives. Targets on growth of renewable energy production have been set by the Renewable Energy Action Plan. 704

4 4.4 Electricity production from renewable energy sources is promoted by the Federal Government through two main economic instruments: feed-in remuneration at cost and one-off investment grants. The feed in tariff at cost bridges the gap between market price and cost borne by producers of electricity from renewable sources. This tariff is available for hydropower (up to an installed capacity of 10 MW), photovoltaic (starting from an installed capacity of 10 kw), wind and geothermal energy, biomass and biological waste, and is applicable for 20 years (10 years for biomass power plants). Tariff rates are regularly reviewed to take into account technological progress and increasing maturity of new technologies. The reviewed tariffs only apply to new production facilities. 10 The actual feed in tariff depends on specific features of the plant, for instance the hydraulic head, type of plants (in or out-stream, installed on wastewater or freshwater supply networks), date of request of the feed-in tariff, starting date of operation or yearly production. Oneoff investment grants, instead, aim to foster electricity production in small photovoltaic systems (from 2 up to 30 kw) by subsidizing a maximum of 30 per cent of the investment costs. Grants are paid out up to an allocated amount of funds. 11 In addition to the described mechanisms of financial support, non-financial measures have been set in the Energy Act, such as priority dispatch (i.e. supply companies must purchase electricity from independent producers). Barriers to small hydropower development Economic and social/environmental barriers for the development of small scale hydropower are effectively addressed in Switzerland, e.g. through the cost-based feed in tariff and the involvement of communities in establishing rivers that will be affected by exploitation. 4 A water platform promoting dialogue among stakeholders was also initiated, 17 and research efforts aimed to address rising questions receive support from the Federal authorities. 18 However, conflicts still exist between growth of SHP, protection of natural creeks and restoration of impaired river reaches required by the Water Protection Act. In particular, the need for a great number of small plants in order to achieve a significant energy production (due to limited energy generation of single plants) raised public concern regarding local and cumulated ecologic impact on small pristine rivers. 18 Improvement of engineering design of small schemes (often overlooked due to the associated high cost per kwh) and introduction of environmentally friendly solutions in new and existing facilities are required in order to enhance public acceptance. 18 Specifically, improved engineering design should focus on properly sized facilities based on available water resources and site conditions, as well as on innovative management and environmental flow rules. Technical, economic and ecologic feasibility should be also assessed in early project phases. 4,18 Additional barriers result from the complex regulatory context, which for SHP exploitations involve legislations on water and energy, environment and development planning, at federal, cantonal and municipal levels. 4 Energy Strategy 2050 tries to address these issues, by simplifying and harmonizing administrative procedures throughout the whole country. Examples of needed intervention are the establishment of a single contact point for SHP plants (where not yet available), a checklist for projects promoters, the possibility to group applications for several installations along the same river and the expansion of the Small Hydropower Programme of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. 4 Finally, regulations of the sector are expected to severely change in the coming years. Uncertainty of future framework conditions currently constitute a key impediment to investments in SHP. 18 Western Europe References 1. Alpine Convention, Platform Water Management in the Alps (2011). Situation report on hydropower generation in the alpine region focusing on small hydropower, Innsbruck, Austria. Available from alpconv.org/en/organization/conference/documents/ AC11_B8_1_Situation_Report_FIN_annex024_1. pdf?aspxautodetectcookiesupport=1. 2. Bundesamt für Energie BFE (2014). Schweizerische Elektrizitätsstatistik 2014, Bern, Switzerland. Available from admin.ch/php/modules/publikationen/stream. php?extlang=de&name=de_ pdf. 3. Central Intelligence Agency (2016), The World Factbook, Switzerland. Washington DC, USA. Available from 4. Cleantech-Alps (2014). Small-scale hydropower in Switzerland A leading-edge industrial sector, Sion, Switzerland. Available from com/en/etudes/details/petite-hydraulique-en-suisse-unefiliere-industrielle-de-pointe Crettenand, N. (2012). The Facilitation of mini and small hydropower in Switzerland: shaping the institutional framework (with a particular focus on storage and pumped-storage schemes), Lausanne, Switzerland. Available from record/176337/files/epfl_th5356.pdf. 6. Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss (2014). Climate of Switzerland. Available from past/climate-of-switzerland.html. 7. Swiss Academy of Sciences (n.d.). Available from 705

5 World Small Hydropower Development Report Swiss Federal Office of Energy (n.d.). Energy policy. Available from index.html?lang=en. 9. Swiss Federal Office of Energy (n.d.). Energy Strategy Available from themen/00526/00527/index.html?lang=en. 10. Swiss Federal Office of Energy (n.d.). Feed-in remuneration at cost. Available from admin.ch/themen/00612/02073/index.html?lang=en. 11. Swiss Federal Office of Energy (n.d.). Investment grants. Available from themen/00612/05410/06149/index.html?lang=en. 12. Swiss Federal Office of Energy (n.d.). Hydropower. Available from themen/00490/00491/index.html?lang=en. 13. Swiss Federal Office of Energy (n.d.). Renewable energy. Available from themen/00490/index.html?lang=en. 14. Swiss Federal Office of Energy (n.d.). Small-scale hydropower. Available from themen/00490/00491/00493/index.html?lang=en. 15. Swiss Federal Office of Energy (n.d.). Swiss Small Hydropower Programme. Available from admin.ch/kleinwasserkraft/03870/index.html?lang=en. 16. Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (n.d.). Indicator Water use. Available from indikatoren/08605/12306/index.html?lang=en. 17. Wasser-Agenda 21 (2015). Wasserkraftnutzung in der Schweiz Zahlen zur Entwicklung im Jahr 2014, Dübendorf, Switzerland. 18. Personal communications by Martin Bölli (ISKB - Swiss Small Hydropower Association), Benno Frauchiger (Swiss Federal Office of Energy), Pedro Manso and Bettina Schaefli (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Cécile Münch-Alligné (HES-SO Valais-Wallis), Ivana Logar, Martin Schmid, Stefan Vollenweider and Christine Weber (Eawag Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology). 19. World Bank (2012). Access to electricity (% of population). Available from indicator/eg.elc.accs.zs. 20. Liu, H., Masera, D. and Esser, L., eds. (2013). World Small Hydropower Development Report United Nations Industrial Development Organisation; International Center on Small Hydro Power. Available from Acknowledgments: The author gratefully acknowledges Martin Bölli (ISKB - Swiss Small Hydropower Association), Benno Frauchiger (Swiss Federal Office of Energy), Pedro Manso and Bettina Schaefli (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Cécile Münch-Alligné (HES-SO Valais-Wallis), Ivana Logar, Martin Schmid, Stefan Vollenweider and Christine Weber (Eawag Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology) for their comments and suggestions. 706