Energie und Klimawandel

Eawag-Forscherin Lauren Cook untersucht Potenziale und Grenzen bei der Gestaltung von Gründächern, die begrünte Flächen mit Solar-Photovoltaik kombinieren. (Foto: Esther Michel)

Umweltverträgliche Energiewende

Die Schweiz hat den schrittweisen Ausstieg aus der Kernenergie beschlossen. Die Energiestrategie 2050 des Bundes sieht vor, die Wasserkraft auszubauen und weitere erneuerbare Energien vermehrt zu nutzen. Die Eawag erforscht die Auswirkungen der Energiewende auf die Gewässer und Gesellschaft und entwickelt Verfahren, um Energie aus verschiedenen Quellen effizienter zu nutzen.

News

20. September 2022

Eawag Infotag 2022 in Lausanne

20. September 2022Rund 140 Teilnehmende aus öffentlicher Verwaltung, privaten Ingenieurbüros und Forschung nutzten den Eawag Infotag in Lausanne, um sich über neue Möglichkeiten zur Erhebung und Nutzung von Gewässerdaten zu informieren und auszutauschen.

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16. Juni 2022

Anpassung an den Klimawandel: Folgen für Gewässer sorgfältig abwägen

16. Juni 2022Dass sich der Klimawandel auf Qualität und Ökologie von Gewässern auswirkt, ist bekannt. Forschende der Eawag zeigen nun auf, dass es für unsere Wassersysteme mindestens genauso entscheidend ist, mit welchen Massnahmen der Mensch auf das veränderte Klima reagiert – etwa in der Landwirtschaft oder bei der Wasserkraft.

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Wissenschaftliche Publikationen

Unequal means more unfair means more negative emotions? Ethical concerns and emotions about an unequal distribution of negative outcomes of a local energy project

Emotions may play an important role in how citizens respond to public policies, and energy policies in particular. Yet, little insights exist into causes of those emotions. This study investigates ethical concerns as the basis of emotions. We test whether people perceive an unequal distribution of negative outcomes of a local energy project as more unfair than an equal distribution thereof and, in turn, experience stronger negative emotions (hypothesis 1) and whether these effects depend on whether the project has personal consequences or not (i.e. the self-relevance of the project; hypothesis 2). In an experiment with a 2 (equal vs. unequal distribution) by 2 (self-relevant vs. not self-relevant) design (N = 282), we find support for hypothesis 1, but not 2. Furthermore, we find that perceived total amount of harm, an ethical concern about the total amount of negative outcomes bestowed on all people together, is also (marginally significantly) affected by the unequal distribution and relates to the emotions. We argue that justified ethical concerns are at the root of emotions about renewable energy projects and therefore emotions and their underlying ethical concerns should be considered for socially responsible as well as successful energy policy making.
Huijts, N. M. A.; Contzen, N.; Roeser, S. (2022) Unequal means more unfair means more negative emotions? Ethical concerns and emotions about an unequal distribution of negative outcomes of a local energy project, Energy Policy, 165, 112963 (17 pp.), doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2022.112963, Institutional Repository

The impossible energy trinity: energy security, sustainability, and sovereignty in cross-border electricity systems

The article explores energy policy tradeoffs faced by states that expand renewable electricity production and are part of cross-border electricity systems. We develop the concept of an impossible energy trinity (IET), which posits that many states cannot simultaneously achieve energy security, sustainability, and sovereignty. We argue that these states have three options to cope with the challenge of intermittent electricity production from domestic renewables. The dirty option resorts to base or reserve electric generating capacity from non-sustainable sources. The insecure option accepts system stability risks and/or higher electricity prices. The non-autonomous option cedes control over domestic energy rules to pursue integration with neighboring electricity grids and markets. We empirically illustrate our novel concept using the case of Switzerland, which finds itself at the crossroads of the three options. The country has to choose whether to add conventional generation capacities, accept grid instabilities and higher electricity prices, or integrate with the EU electricity market and rules. We discuss generalizations to other countries and ways to manage the IET. We conclude that public pressure for decarbonization and economic pressure to maintain secure energy supply render the non-autonomous option most likely in many states. The operation and governance of transboundary grid structure thereby influence energy transitions on national and subnational scales.
Thaler, P.; Hofmann, B. (2022) The impossible energy trinity: energy security, sustainability, and sovereignty in cross-border electricity systems, Political Geography, 94, 102579 (11 pp.), doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2021.102579, Institutional Repository

Protection and guidance of downstream moving fish with electrified horizontal bar rack bypass systems

Horizontal bar rack bypass systems (HBR-BS) are characterized by a horizontal bar rack (HBR) with narrow clear bar spacing of 10–20 mm and an adjacent bypass (BS) to efficiently protect and guide downstream moving fish at water intakes. The small bar spacing may lead to operational challenges, such as clogging and high head losses. This study investigated whether combining an HBR with a low-voltage electric field (e-HBR) allows one to increase the clear bar spacing while maintaining a high standard of fish protection and guidance efficiency. To this end, an HBR-BS with 20 mm bar spacing and an e-HBR-BS with 20 and 51 mm bar spacing were tested with spirlin (Alburnoides bipunctatus) and European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in a laboratory flume. The racks were electrified with 38 V pulsed direct current. The protection efficiency of the e-HBR with 51 mm was 96% for spirlin and 86% for eels, which are similar results to those of the HBR with 20 mm. Some eels passed through the e-HBR, but only when they were parallel to the rack. Fish injuries of variable severeness due to the electrification were observed. The results highlight the potential of hybrid barriers for the protection of downstream moving fish. However, fish injuries due to electricity may occur; and reporting applied voltage, electrode geometry, resulting electric field strength and the pulse pattern of the electrified rack setup is necessary to ensure comparability among studies and to avoid injuries.
Meister, J.; Moldenhauer-Roth, A.; Beck, C.; Selz, O. M.; Peter, A.; Albayrak, I.; Boes, R. M. (2021) Protection and guidance of downstream moving fish with electrified horizontal bar rack bypass systems, Water, 13(19), 2786 (25 pp.), doi:10.3390/w13192786, Institutional Repository

Performance and dynamics of active greywater heat recovery in buildings

In the effort to de-carbonize the building stock, heat pumps are increasingly utilized in Switzerland, with 70% of the fast-growing heat pump market using ambient air as heat source. Inexpensive and easy to implement, these heat pumps are, however, less efficient than their ground- or water-source counterparts. In this modeling study, we aim at increasing the efficiency of air-source heat pumps using domestic greywater-contained heat. We assess the performance improvement relative to standard heat pump configurations across various climates, seasons, building envelopes, and domestic hot water consumption patterns. The results show that the annually-averaged coefficient of performance improves by 4.1% on average - ranging from 0.6% to 7.5%. This efficiency gain translates on average to 1.8 kWh/week of compressor electricity savings. Although attractive due to its simplicity, the proposed open-loop configuration - preheating of an external heat source - only leads to moderate performance improvement of air-source heat pumps. Based on these results, we extensively discuss and compare alternative system configurations and identify several fundamental differences in the heat recovery dynamics of each configuration. We show that closed-loop systems - using greywater as direct heat source - show the largest performance improvement potential, although being more expensive and complex to implement.
Hadengue, B.; Morgenroth, E.; Larsen, T. A.; Baldini, L. (2022) Performance and dynamics of active greywater heat recovery in buildings, Applied Energy, 305, 117677 (13 pp.), doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117677, Institutional Repository
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Publikationen für die Praxis

Eawag Faktenblätter

Strategischer Fokusbereich «Energie»

Im Rahmen des strategischen Fokusbereichs «Energie» des ETH-Bereichs erforscht die Eawag die Auswirkungen der Energieproduktion auf die Umwelt, die Akzeptanz erneuerbarer Energien, das Potenzial für Energieeinsparungen und die Energieproduktion aus Abwasser. Weiter zur vollständigen Projektübersicht.

Abteilungen, die sich zentral mit dem Thema «Energie» befassen

Ausgewählte Forschungsprojekte

Fliessgewässer gehören zu den artenreichsten Ökosystemen weltweit. Gleichzeitig sind sie stark unter Druck, z.B. durch Verbauung oder Nutzung der Wasserkraft.

Swiss Competence Centre for Energy Research - Supply of Energy
Nachhaltiges urbanes Wasser- und Abwassermanagement angewandt und umgesetzt im modularen NEST-Gebäude.

WaterHub im NEST
Ce projet étudie les préférences de la population Suisse concernant les conséquences d’un renforcement de l’énergie hydraulique.

Acceptation sociale de la force hydraulique
Fliessgewässer gehören zu den artenreichsten Ökosystemen weltweit. Gleichzeitig sind sie stark unter Druck, z.B. durch Verbauung oder Nutzung der Wasserkraft.

Swiss Competence Centre for Energy Research - Supply of Energy
Gemeinsam lernen für die Schwall-Sunk-Sanierung

Schwall-Sunk-Sanierung – Synergien zwischen Praxis und Wissenschaft
Optimierung der Umweltvorteile von Gründächern durch systemorientierte Experimente und Modellierung

Multifunktionale Gründächer

Expertinnen und Experten

Dr. Christian Binz
  • Dezentrale Systeme
  • Innovation
  • Globaler Wandel
  • Nachhaltige Transitionen
  • Siedlungswasserwirtschaft
Marc Böhler
  • Abwasserreinigung
  • Aktivkohle
  • Mikroverunreinigungen
  • Ozonung
  • Spurenstoffelimination
Dr. Nadja Contzen
  • Umweltpsychologie
  • Transdisziplinäre Forschung
  • Verhaltensänderung
  • Gesundheitspsychologie
  • Gesellschaftliche Akzeptanz
Dr. Lauren Cook
  • Infrastrukturplanung
  • Klimaveränderung
  • Modellierung
  • Nachhaltige Wasserwirtschaft
  • Siedlungswasserwirtschaft
Dr. Andreas Frömelt
  • Abwasser
  • Abwasserreinigung
  • Datenwissenschaft
  • Maschinelles Lernen
  • Modellierung
Prof. Dr. Karin Ingold
  • Schnittstelle zwischen Wissenschaft und Politik
  • Umweltpolitik
Dr. Adriano Joss
  • Abwasser
  • Mikroverunreinigungen
  • Ozonung
Prof. Dr. Rolf Kipfer
  • Edelgase
  • Isotope
Dr. Ivana Logar
  • Nachhaltige Wasserwirtschaft
  • Ökosystem-Dienstleistungen
  • Umweltökonomie
Prof. Dr. Max Maurer
  • Abwasser
  • Dezentrale Technologien
  • Nachhaltige Wasserwirtschaft
  • Siedlungshygiene
  • Siedlungswasserwirtschaft
  • Urinseparierung
Dr. Martin Schmid
  • Modellierung
  • Oberflächengewässer
  • Wasserkraft
  • Klimaveränderung
  • See-Management
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Truffer
  • Abwasser
  • Dezentrale Technologien
  • Transdisziplinäre Forschung
  • Wasserkraft
Prof. Dr. Kai Udert
  • Abwassertrennung
  • Dezentrale Technologien
  • Nährstoffe
  • Urinseparierung
  • Ressourcenrückgewinnung
Dr. Christine Weber
  • Flussrevitalisierung
  • Ökologie
Dr. Christian Zurbrügg
  • Abfallbewirtschaftung
  • Nachhaltige Wasserwirtschaft
  • Wasseraufbereitung
  • Siedlungshygiene
  • Wasserversorgung

Titelbild: Eawag-Forscherin Lauren Cook untersucht Potenziale und Grenzen bei der Gestaltung von Gründächern, die begrünte Flächen mit Solar-Photovoltaik kombinieren. (Foto: Esther Michel)