100 Years of SNV: The Oil Crisis in the 1970s as the Birth of Sustainability
The fertile decades after the war cause the demand for energy to skyrocket in Switzerland as well. New nuclear power plants are planned and, at the same time, the structure of energy consumption also changes. The share of fossil fuels in total energy consumption rises from around 24 to 77 percent between 1950 and 1970. While the Swiss government debates the energy policy of the future, the country and the entire Western world are surprised by the global oil crisis.
Egypt, Syria and other countries are at war with Israel as oil-exporting Arab states deliberately cut production to pressure the West regarding support for Israel. The price of oil rises rapidly. The Federal Council reacts to the shock with austerity measures for the economy and the population, reduces the maximum speed on the autobahn to 100 km/h and establishes a fuel quota. In addition, three car- and flight-free Sundays are proclaimed. People are now working in a goal-oriented manner on a long-term overall energy concept with the aim of achieving the most favorable, secure and independent energy supply possible, which also takes environmental concerns into account.
Developing countries without access to electricity
Developing countries were also hit particularly hard by the oil crisis. Even today, 1.6 billion people worldwide have no access to electricity. In 2015, the UN member states adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/), which define 17 different goals. Goal 7 aims to implement access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services by 2030. This is not only intended to achieve energy policy goals. Simplified access to energy is expected to bring other positive outcomes: Overcoming poverty, increasing food production, providing clean water, improving public health, expanding education, promoting the economy and advancing women.
What contribution do standards make to the United Nations SDGs?
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has defined over 200 standards related to energy efficiency and renewable energies https://www.iso.org/sdgs.html. You can find out which standards contribute directly to the achievement of Goal 7 of the SDGs in the clear list from ISO (www.iso.org/sdg07.html). ISO 50001 helps organizations to align themselves optimally with energy management so that energy costs and consumption are reduced and energy efficiency is increased.
The oil crisis as a turning point for technical progress
A lot has happened since the oil shock of 1973. Research is being conducted worldwide into sustainable and safe technologies. In Switzerland, Empa is also working on solutions for the mobility of the future. Christian Bach, head of the Vehicle Propulsion Systems department, is investigating ways of reducing the environmental and climate impact of road mobility. In the following interview, he reveals what we can expect from hydrogen in particular. Christian Bach has also already been involved in the development of the SN 277206 standard (Swiss standard for testing particulate filter systems).
In the 1970s, with the oil crisis, it became clear that fossil fuels are not available in unlimited quantities. What alternative drive resources are you currently testing at Empa?
In principle, the only alternatives to fossil sources are renewable biogenic energy sources and nuclear and renewable electricity. Since nuclear electricity is also to be phased out and biogenic energy sources have only a limited quantity structure, only renewable electrical energy remains. At Empa, we are therefore focusing on this.
You are testing a hydrogen system for refueling. Is that where the future lies?
There will be no getting around hydrogen, so the direct use of hydrogen should also be seriously investigated. There is much to suggest that hydrogen mobility has a future. However, we do not see the initial application in the passenger car sector, but in truck distribution traffic as well as local vehicles (municipal vehicles, buses), since these can already be operated sensibly with a limited infrastructure expansion.
How long has this test been running and what is the composition of the research team?
The plant was realized in two stages. The 350-bar refueling stage was commissioned in 2014 and the 700-bar refueling stage in 2016. Parallel to the realization of the refueling stages, energy and technological issues were investigated within the scope of projects. Central in this context were clarifications with Suva and the cantonal fire insurers in the area of safety and with METAS in connection with calibration capability. In parallel, detailed investigations and simulations were carried out on the filling of the H2-tanks in the vehicle.
Is hydrogen available without limits?
Hydrogen does not occur in unbound form in nature, but must be produced. While "industrial hydrogen" is still produced primarily by steam reforming from a fossil energy source (natural gas) for cost reasons, "energy hydrogen" is produced electrolytically from renewable electricity. This is the only way to achieve CO2-reduction. The central question is therefore whether renewable electricity is available without limits, and that is where we see the high appeal of this technology: Physically, there are actually no limits to renewable electricity. The sun sends much more energy to the earth than mankind will ever need. The difficulty is in "harvesting" this solar energy and transporting and distributing it.
Who is the supplier of hydrogen? Can hydrogen be produced in Switzerland?
As part of a study funded by the FOEN, we have investigated the potential for the production of energy hydrogen in Switzerland once the reduction of nuclear energy to the tune of 25 TWh and the addition of 50 percent of Switzerland's photovoltaic (PV) potential (approx. 25 TWh) have been implemented. For the first time, a high temporal and geographical resolution was applied. It is interesting to note that of the 25 TWh of FV electricity, about 10 TWh cannot be used in the electricity market, even when balanced over entire weeks, because electricity demand can already be largely met by hydropower. Export (as today) is also unlikely, as neighboring regions are also investing massively in FV and will therefore have electricity surpluses at the same times as we do. The only realistic alternative is hydrogen production. This couples the power sector with the mobility sector - we are investigating how this works in our mobility demonstrator called "move". https://www.empa.ch/de/web/empa/move
What exactly are these tests about?
We investigate the smoothing of FV peaks with batteries and power supply for electromobility as well as with hydrogen generation for fuel cell mobility. For this purpose, we have set up plants equipped with many sensors, for example, to investigate intermittent and dynamic operation with respect to aging/wear or the efficiencies in dynamic operation. We are currently planning to expand the plant with a methanation plant to convert hydrogen and CO2 to produce synthetic methane from the atmosphere for gas-powered vehicles.
What are currently the biggest challenges with this method?
The biggest challenge is economic efficiency. It will not be possible to achieve economic efficiency by simply stringing together technologies. Optimally designed and operated systems are needed. These must also be able to be used for grid stabilization. Due to the low share of energy costs in the total costs in the area of road mobility, this is predestined as an initial application. In the longer term, other areas could then follow.
A hydrogen-powered sweeper is being tested in everyday use in Dübendorf. What are the current experiences with it?
The experience was very positive. Overall, energy consumption was reduced by well over 50 percent compared with diesel-hydraulic machines, in particular due to the change from hydraulic to electric power distribution. However, it is also apparent that the investment costs for such vehicles are still too high. It must still be possible to significantly reduce the fuel cell system costs for an application in such vehicles.
Where do you currently see the greatest potential for a fuel suitable for mass production?
We see truck distribution as the initial application area for hydrogen as a fuel, since electric and fuel cell trucks are exempt from the HVF and mineral oil tax. These account for around 50 percent of the total costs.
Will a single fuel replace gasoline and diesel? Or can different alternatives be expected?
No, we do not assume that. We think that the short- and medium-range applications in the passenger car, van and truck sectors will be covered electrically, and the medium- and long-range applications will be covered with synthetic fuels in internal combustion engine vehicles. These concepts all have similarly low CO2-total emissions. In the passenger car sector, electromobility is likely to be mainly battery electric, while in the van and truck sector it is likely to be fuel cell electric.
Are there already plans for what will be tested next?
As already mentioned, we are currently planning to expand with a methanation plant. This will allow us to copy nature's energy supply (photosynthesis): the chlorophyll (leaf green) splits water into oxygen and hydrogen with the help of sunlight, and the hydrogen is converted with CO2 from the atmosphere into carbohydrates. In our plant, these steps are carried out technically, and we do not produce carbohydrates but a hydrocarbon. However, the carbon cycle is closed just like in nature.
Are there any special efforts at Empa to reduce CO2 emissions in relation to workplaces and processes?
Empa has a high energy consumption due to the many laboratories and equipment with special requirements (vacuum, high or low temperature, air conditioning, etc.). Therefore, some time ago, an ambitious, CO2-This concept is based on known and proven elements (e.g. energy-efficient refurbishment, low-temperature heating, combined heat and power, CHP) as well as on new technologies (e.g. anergy network, seasonal heat storage, waste heat recovery) and is now being implemented step by step. A major CO2-source are the flights to conferences and international project meetings. Wherever possible, these are to be reduced by making journeys by train or car. We are also looking into the increased use of virtual meetings and are participating in campaigns to encourage commuters to switch to public transport or cycling.
Christian Bach, thank you very much for the interview.
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Consequence of the oil crisis: 20 years of Swiss energy law
On January 1, 1999, the first Swiss energy law came into force, 26 years after the oil crisis. To mark the 20th anniversary, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) is publishing a comprehensive review of an exciting piece of Swiss political history in a five-part blog series in 2019.
www.energeiaplus.com/2019/04/10/20-jahre-schweizerisches-energiegesetz-teil-1/
Empty highways, main roads and byways characterized Switzerland on November 25, 1973. "Pearls from the Archives" of Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) shows the historic film footage: https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/doku-plus/video/autofreier-sonntag-perlen-aus-dem-archiv?id=84a4818a-f9a1-41c9-bf3d-4ee627c61bf3
Those who did not want to give up their beloved Sunday outing had to do it without the car, which was so revered at the time. The first Sunday driving ban in Switzerland turned out to be a real happening: old bicycles were taken out of the cellar and made roadworthy again, the streets became roller skating rinks, and strollers strolled along major traffic routes. The Swiss took the first Sunday driving ban with a lot of humor, even if the background was extremely serious.
Sources for the entire article: Swiss Federal Office of Energy (www.energeiaplus.ch), Wikipedia, German Development Institute.
