Consortium
Overview
The SWEET consortium EDGE is a multidisciplinary research consortium coordinated by the University of Geneva and EPFL, bringing together leading Swiss academic institutions, research labs, and industry partners to accelerate Switzerland's energy transition.
About SWEET EDGE
The EDGE consortium (Enabling Decentralized renewable GEneration in the Swiss cities, midlands, and the Alps) was established in 2021 under the SWEET funding programme of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). Its mandate is to produce robust scientific evidence supporting the integration of very high shares of decentralized renewable energy into Switzerland's energy system by 2035 and 2050.
The consortium brings together expertise across energy systems modelling, grid integration, socio-economic analysis, policy design, and regional living-lab experiments across three distinct Swiss geographic zones: cities, midlands, and the Alps.
Research Objectives
Energy System Scenarios
Develop national and regional scenarios for a renewable Swiss energy system. Assess the feasibility and implications of decentralized generation and its interplay with centralized energy, storage, transmission grids and European interconnections.
Regional Multi-Energy Systems
Design multi-energy systems tailored to the specific supply, demand and infrastructure conditions of Swiss cities, the midlands and the Alps, integrating region-specific renewable resources and technologies.
Implementation Projects
Design and demonstrate local renewable energy systems through pilot implementation projects in the three Swiss regions. Assess their feasibility, performance and interaction with existing infrastructure, as well as user behavior and acceptance.
Grid & Infrastructure Integration
Investigate how decentralized renewable energy can be scaled up and integrated with existing distribution and transmission grids, centralized generation and storage, while ensuring techno-economic efficiency and security of supply.
Policy, Markets & Acceptance
Evaluate policies, market instruments and financial measures that can accelerate renewable energy deployment. Identify ways to coordinate key actors, strengthen socio-political acceptance and minimize inequalities arising from the energy transition.
Coordination
The SWEET consortium EDGE is jointly coordinated by:
- University of Geneva — Renewable Energy Systems Group (RES)
- EPFL Lausanne — Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences (CRYOS)
The consortium’s funding period runs from 2021 to 2027 with funding from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE).