One of the most important things to understand about the energy sector in Switzerland is that it is nothing if not malleable. It is strong enough to meet the demand of countless people across Europe, while flexible enough to evolve and stay in line with modern day expectations and requirements.
The biggest example of this is the push for renewable and sustainable energy that has been taking place in recent memory. By the end of 2022, it was estimated that the amount of electricity in the region derived from renewable sources grew to an all-time high of 80%. This was thanks to a combined effort of organizations like Axpo who regularly prioritized the continued expansion of wind, hydro, and biomass plants, the increased use of hydroelectric power plants, and more.
Of course, this needs to be seen for what it truly is: a good start. It’s always possible to continue to innovate, do better, and accomplish more than you are right now. That’s the point-of-view that Axpo takes when it comes to essential topics like energy security, energy trading, and stable financial investments across the board.
Axpo and the Energy Sector: Security, Trading, and More
One example of how organizations like Axpo are working to bring about a better and more renewable future has to do with their investments in the secure Swiss power supply. Axo in particularly regularly innovates with regard to its own power grid in an attempt to guarantee the most secure, efficient power supply at all times.
Keep in mind that Axpo’s network infrastructure spans not only northeast Switzerland, but also parts of other countries as well. They have been hard at work on increasing their own grid voltages from 50 to 110 kilowatts to help both increase the performance that end users can expect while reducing energy losses by as much as 75% as well.
Equally important is the idea that energy production and trading should no longer be seen as two separate ideas – they are instead two sides of the same coin. Remember that even as recently as the 1990s, Switzerland was essentially a monopoly market. It was during that decade that it transitioned to open trading. In an effort to avoid grid collapse (something that would be a disaster not just for Switzerland but also the surrounding areas), the proper balance between electricity production and consumption must be established and maintained no matter what.
For this reason alone, market transparency is paramount and both production and trade must be seen as inseparable. The stronger trading is, the more empowered the producers are and vice versa. But it isn’t possible to get to this point without an understanding of these basic concepts.
In the end, it’s critical to understand that if the European Union (and the world as a whole) is to hit their renewable energy targets by 2030, it will take a combined effort to do so. Providers like Axpo are doing a lot, but as the old saying goes – a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Part of this will require not only existing investors in energy to double down on their efforts, but the continued expansion of the sector to attract new investors as well. This won’t be possible without the promise of stable, secure, long-term investments, which isn’t going to happen overnight. These investments will only be able to pay dividends years from now if the proverbial seeds are planted today. That’s why Axpo has been so aggressive at helping to shape the change in the energy system and that is one trend that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
