Energy systems
On June 18, 2023, the Climate and Innovation Act was approved by the Swiss electorate. In order to advance climate protection, the Paris Climate Agreement set international goals that Switzerland must also meet. We have the best chance of curbing global warming and thus saving costs in the long term and protecting the world's population by acting quickly. We want net-0 CO2 across Europe2 achieve by 2040. This is not only an ambitious goal, but also a possible goal. In Switzerland, this requires ideas that can gain a majority, which we will name in the respective sections of this chapter.
Rapidly decarbonize energy supplies
The energy that brings Switzerland forward must become more sustainable; otherwise the goals set cannot be achieved. To achieve this, industry, transport, etc. must be electrified. The areas that cannot be electrified, or where electrification is not yet possible due to technological developments, must be supplied with CO2-neutral fuels can be supplied.Conclude electricity agreement with the EU
Secure energy and power supply is the highest priority even during the energy transition. An electricity agreement with the EU would give Switzerland more security and enable it to build less storage, solar, wind turbines, etc. An electricity agreement would therefore not only be safer, but also cheaper than a self-sufficient Switzerland. Not being self-sufficient but not signing an agreement with the EU is possible, but more uncertain for our electricity supply, which is why an agreement is crucial.Massively expand solar power and wind power
Due to electrification, the demand for electricity will increase, so expanding renewable energies is very important. Solar and wind power are the cheapest methods of saving CO2 emissions. Wind power can provide compensation, especially in winter, when the yields from solar systems are low, so that the need for imports and thus the dependence on other countries does not become too high. The same applies to alpine solar systems, which can be an important support for covering Switzerland's electricity needs in winter, especially in winter. Volt is therefore committed to the expansion of Alpine wind and solar systems. It is also important that all interest groups are involved in the planning right from the start so that implementation does not fail at the ballot box.
Volt is also committed to ensuring that the profitability of private solar systems becomes more uniform, as this can currently vary greatly from neighboring community to neighboring community. We therefore demand (I) that all private solar systems in Switzerland are tax-free by 2050, (II) investments in a solar system are tax deductible even for buildings that are less than five years old.Continue to operate nuclear power plants (NPPs) and not build new ones
Even without a ban, Volt Switzerland is currently campaigning against the construction of a new nuclear power plant for strategic reasons, as a new nuclear power plant cannot be completed early enough due to the planning and construction time to supply Switzerland with electricity in the most important years of the energy transition . Current nuclear power plants should continue to operate as long as they are safe and needed. Volt is also committed to continuing research into nuclear power plants, as we are not fundamentally against new buildings. The current decision against new construction is due to the circumstances and not to a general aversion to the technology.Liberalisation of the electricity market
The electricity market should follow Switzerland's liberal ideas and enable users to freely choose their electricity provider. The electricity provider should not only sell electricity, but also be able to buy the electricity, for example generated by a solar system, from households.Seasonal storage and reserve power plants
In order to ensure Switzerland's electricity security, Volt Switzerland has no problem building reserve power plants as long as they are needed and can be operated with climate-neutral fuels.