FAQs about energy in general
Switzerland produces about 66 TWh electricity annually (1 TWh = 1 terawatt-hour = 1 billion kWh), just about as much as the country consumes per year. More than half of this amount (55%) is generated in hydroelectric power plants, 40% in the country’s five nuclear power plants, and the rest comes from fossil and new renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind power or biomass power.
There is an intense trade in electricity between Switzerland and neighbouring countries. Electricity is bought and sold at so-called electricity exchanges, and that is why the production mix (i.e. the mix of electricity generated in Switzerland) is different from the mix of electricity supplied to customers in Switzerland. For about 18% of the electricity supply the source cannot be determined (= non-verifiable energy sources). Depending on the energy supplier, this percentage may vary from 0 to 96%.
Swiss electricity disclosure (supplier mix) 2014
Supplier mix | Production mix | |
Renewable energies | 54.13% | 58.79% |
Hydroelectric power | 49.45% | 54.9% |
Other renewable energies | 1.68% | 3.89% |
Solar energy | 0.53% | 1.25% |
Wind energy | 0.71% | 0.15% |
Biomass | 0.44% | 0.54% |
Geothermal energy | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Subsidised electricity* | 3% | |
Non-renewable energies | 26.45% | 41.2% |
Nuclear energy | 26.03% | 39.3% |
Fossil energy sources | 0.42% | 1.9% |
Oil | 0.02% | |
Natural gas | 0.38% | |
Coal | 0.02% | |
Waste | 1.36% | 1.6% |
Non-verifiable energy sources | 18.07% | |
Total | 100.0% | 100.0% |
All electricity generated across Europe is fed into the pan-European power grid, and that is why the electricity supplied to your home will always be a physical mix of the overall power that is generated. However, you can specifically influence this mix by purchasing eco-power or power from renewable sources, as this determines how the electricity used is generated.