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08.10.2018 | Facts and figures on the topic of energy
What is the most efficient lighting?
Energy is an important factor for our modern way of living. It provides power, allows us to work, keeps our homes warm, and much more. But what do we really know about the topic of energy. You will find an eclectic mix of facts here. Part 4.
Swiss power consumption is stable
In 2004, Switzerland consumed 56 TWh of electricity, in the year 2016 and 2017 it was 58 TWh. Despite economic and population growth, as well as more heating degree days, power consumption remained stable or dropped per capita thanks to increased Efficiency.
Switzerland's power mix
The main pillar of Swiss power supply is hydropower. According to Swiss electricity statistics, 59 % of electricity generated domestically came from storage and run-of-river power plants in 2016. Base-load energy from nuclear power plants was nearly 33 %. In addition, 5 % came from conventional thermal and district heating power plants, and slightly more than 3 % from other renewable energies.
Axpo is the largest hydropower producer in Switzerland
In Switzerland some 59 per cent of power production comes from hydropower. That's good because this storable, renewable electricity is domestic, reliable, and practically CO2-free. Switzerland is the leader in Europe - only Norway, Austria and Island have a larger hydropower proportion. As the largest Swiss producer of hydropower, Axpo makes a significant contribution here!
The right light
Today's light bulbs are unfortunately not as efficient as we would like, and not good at all for animal life. Fireflies are the leaders when it comes to efficient illumination. They can generate 7.5 times more light with the same amount of energy as the modern energy-saving bulb or LED light.
Reliable power supply
In Switzerland, over 650 energy supply companies ensure power supply through production, trading, the operation of power grids, and numerous other services. They are publicly owned to over 80 per cent. Axpo is owned by the cantons. The company is 100 %-owned by the cantons of ZH, AG, SH, TG, SG, AI, AR, GL and ZG, as well as their cantonal utilities.
Monitoring 2000 kilometres of grids
Axpo's headquarters is located in Baden and so is the Network Control Center. The high and medium voltage grids spanning some 2000 kilometres plus 150 substations are monitored and remote-controlled from here. All the data from the Axpo power plants and the status of the reservoirs is collected here. That's a huge amount of data: 40,000 messages and 20,000 measurements are processed online and some 3000 images are visually edited from Axpo employees
