Research Projects
The Energy Science Center (ESC) manages, guides and feedbacks ongoing research activities and demonstration projects via the staff in its Executive Office. The ESC supports and supported numerous high-profile research and demonstration projects of large-scale international, federal, and institutional reach.
SWEET funding programme
SWEET is a funding programme of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). SWEET’s purpose is to fund solution-oriented research and innovations with a focus on the targets of Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050 and long-term climate strategy.
EDGE
Duration: 2021-2027 | Funding: Swiss Federal Office of Energy
external page EDGE (Enabling Decentralized renewable GEneration in the Swiss cities, midlands, and the Alps) wants to provide scientific evidence to fast-track the growth of locally sourced decentralised renewable energy in Switzerland. The consortium aims to show that by 2035 and 2050, when ambitious shares of renewable energy are reached, the Swiss energy system could be designed and operated in a technically and economically optimal and secure way, and that it could be well positioned in the European markets.
The EDGE consortium is sponsored by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy’s “external page SWEET” programme (Call 1-2020) and coordinated jointly by the University of Geneva and EPFL.
PATHFNDR
Duration: 2021-2027 | Funding: Swiss Federal Office of Energy
external page PATHFNDR (PATHways to an Efficient Future Energy System through Flexibility aND SectoR Coupling) aims to develop and analysetransition pathways for renewable energy integration in Switzerland. Theproject will deliver feasible pathways, provide planning and operationtools, develop pilot and demonstration projects, identify new business opportunities and innovation strategies, and analySe potential policies.
The PATHFNDR consortium is sponsored by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy’s “external page SWEET” programme (Call 1-2020 “Integration of renewables”) and hosted by ETH Zurich.
DeCarbCH
Duration: 2021-2029 | Funding: Swiss Federal Office of Energy
external page DeCarbCH (DeCarbonisation of Cooling and Heating) addresses the colossal challenge of decarbonisation of heating and cooling in Switzerland within three decades and it prepares the grounds for negative CO2 emissions.
The DeCarbCH consortium is sponsored by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy’s “external page SWEET” programme (Call 1-2020 “Integration of renewables”) and coordinated by the University of Geneva.
CoSi
Duration: 2023-2032 | Funding: Swiss Federal Office of Energy
external page CoSi (Co-Evolution and Coordinated Simulation of the Swiss Energy System and Swiss Society) focuses on the interactions between society and the energy system. For this purpose, different social research areas (economics, social sciences and humanities) are connected with engineering energy modelling and a direct exchange with relevant stakeholders is established. Together, various scenarios are to be tested and models developed that could lead to socially desirable visions of the future.
The CoSi consortium is sponsored by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy’s “external page SWEET” programme (Call 1-2022 “Co-Evolution of the Swiss Energy System and Swiss Society and Its Representation in Coordinated Simulations”) and coordinated by University of Basel.
reFuel.ch
Duration: 2023-2030 | Funding: Swiss Federal Office of Energy
external page reFuel.ch (Renewable Fuels and Chemicals for Switzerland) develops robust and practical pathways for introducing sustainable fuels and platform chemicals to markets and the Swiss energy system (including unused domestic biomass). reFuel.ch conducts research projects, and case studies and engages with stakeholders to accelerate the production of sustainable fuels for Switzerland.
The reFuel.ch consortium is sponsored by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy’s “external page SWEET” programme (Call 2-2022 “Sustainable Fuels and Platform Chemicals”) and coordinated by Empa.
ACHIEVE
Duration: 2025 -2032 | Funding: Swiss Federal Office of Energy
external page ACHIEVE supports Switzerland in its transition to net zero by working with stakeholders from society, politics, and industry to develop scientifically sound roadmaps towards this goal. ACHIEVE employs a transdisciplinary co-design process involving societal, policy, and industrial stakeholders from the start to ensure relevance and rapid implementation. ACHIEVE evaluates and implements measures to decarbonise sectors with hard-to-abate emissions, i.e. agriculture, waste-to-energy, cement production, and the chemical industry, while accelerating the implementation of carbon capture, utilisation, transport, and storage (CCUTS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) infrastructure.
The ACHIEVE consortium is sponsored by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy’s “external page SWEET” programme (Call 1-2024 "Addressing Hard-To-Abate Emissions to Reach the Net-Zero Target of Switzerland") and coordinated by Empa.
Joint Initiatives
Joint Initiatives are large-scale initiatives carried out jointly by the institutions of the ETH Domain and external partners. Their topic relates to one of the Strategic Areas defined by the ETH Board.
Energy Science for Tomorrow (ES4T)
Duration: 2023-2026 | Funding: Joint Initiative ETH Board
external page ES4T aims to engage with society and foster a dialogue about energy with all generations. An exhibition, living labs, digital dialogue platforms, outreach activities, and communication channels are developed with the institutions of the ETH Domain – ETH Zurich, EPFL, Empa and PSI, the Swiss Museum of Transport (Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, VHS), and other partners from science, industry, and society.
The project is funded under the ETH Board joint initiative scheme (Call 2022 Strategic Area “Engagement and Dialogue with Society”) and coordinated by ETH Zurich.
SPEED2ZERO
Duration: 2023-2026 | Funding: Joint Initiative ETH Board
SPEED2ZERO contributes to halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, preparing the infrastructure needed to achieve this, building a resilient energy system and safeguarding biodiversity. The projects aims to connect disciplines and institutions of the ETH Domain with private industry, government and policy, aiming to build a community of experts and stakeholders. SPEED2ZERO focuses on the areas of net zero greenhouse gas emissions, energy, biodiversity and climate change.
The project is funded under the ETH Board joint initiative scheme (Call 2022 Strategic Area “Energy, Climate and Environmental Sustainability”) and coordinated by ETH Zurich.
Other funding programmes
WinTES
Duration: 2023-2026 | Funding: Swiss National Fund
external page WinTES (Winterstrombedarf und Saisonale Thermische Speicher) addresses the electricity gap in winter which can be reduced by 40% by seasonal thermal energy storage. Although the storage technologies are ready, the location, type and optimal timing for integration into the energy system are not yet clear. WinTES investigates which storage technology is best deployed where and when. To improve forecasting accuracy, optimised thermal storage models will be integrated into the national Energy system simulations (ESS) to develop storage integration scenarios towards net zero. In the project, suitable regions for the installation of the storage systems and the integration will be investigated. Information material will be tailored to the target group and communicated, considering social barriers.
The project is funded by the Swiss National Fund and coordinated by the University of Lucerne.
OpenNexus-e
Duration: 2024-2026 | Funding: ETH Domain
The OpenNexus‑e project aims to open‑source both the model input data and the code of the Nexus‑e platform, a powerful tool for assessing the impacts of potential pathways for the Swiss energy system. The objective is to develop a modular framework allowing the rapid integration of new models, enabling the easy execution of existing ones, and adhering to FAIR Open Research Data and Open Science principles. The project seeks to streamline the process of adding new models through a plugin architecture and to implement an API for standardised interaction with scenarios, as well as to enhance the usability and impact of Nexus‑e within and beyond the ETH community. In doing so, it advances energy system research and supports evidence‑based policy development.
The project is funded through the ORD‑EXPLORE programme of the ETH Domain.
TariffV2G
Duration: 2024-2026 | Funding: ETH Zurich
TariffV2G focuses on tariffs for the efficient integration of electric vehicles into the power system and investigates the interaction with other sources of flexibility on the household level such as batteries or hybrid solar battery systems while using a spatially and temporally highly resolved model of the Swiss electricity sector.
The project is funded through the Future Mobility Research Programme of the ETH Mobility Initiative partners and ETH Zurich.
RESILIENT
Duration: 2024-2027 | Funding: Swiss Federal Office of Energy
RESILIENT is a research project focusing on the planning and investment in grid infrastructure expansion at both the distribution and transmission levels in Switzerland. This is needed because of the significant increase in the share of solar and wind capacity, as well as the electrification of energy demand through the use of electric mobility and heat pumps. The planning and investment in grid infrastructure expansions in Switzerland will play a key role in enabling or even accelerating the transition towards a renewable‑dominated supply, while also ensuring the resilience of the supply and of the networks themselves.
RESILIENT is funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy under the research programme Grids. The project is a collaborative effort between the Reliability and Risk Engineering (RRE), the Power Systems Laboratory (PSL), the Research Center for Energy Networks (FEN), and the Energy Science Center (ESC) at ETH Zurich. The project partners will work together with Swissgrid during the execution of the project