SURE AT A GLANCE

In view of a system transformation to a much higher share of renewable energy, the project Sustainable and Resilient Energy for Switzerland (SURE) addresses the need for an integrated assessment of sustainability and resilience, analyzing the multiple dimensions of environment, use of natural resources, public health, economics, security of supply, and social well-being.

Extending existing research in this field, a novel quantitative model- and data-based framework will be developed and applied based on combining holistic systemic approaches, comprehensive indicator databases, energy infrastructure and system modelling, and explicitly representing social and policy aspects. Focusing on Swiss national developments as well as selected regional case studies, resilience will be analysed with a long-term perspective (including 2035 and 2050 as focus years) with a scenario approach that simulates transition pathways as well as future disruptive events (using shock scenarios with disruptions at different scales), related uncertainties and the implications for the energy system and society as a whole.

The results feed into a stakeholder-informed, multi-objective decision analysis to develop strategies and policy measures to design an energy system that is more robust against disruptions and allows for rapid recovery in case a disruption takes place. The project’s output will be manifold, including a web-based platform backed by the comprehensive analytical framework that helps a broad audience to understand interdependencies of the various dimensions of sustainability and resilience in a prospective way, and to illustrate the trade-offs between competing objectives related to a sustainable and resilient energy sector transformation.

Ultimately the project will provide recommendations and guidelines to policy makers, technology developers and businesses on the design of their respective strategies towards a more sustainable and resilient energy future.