The Facilitation of Mini and Small Hydropower in Switzerland : Shaping the Institutional Framework (with a Particular Focus on Storage and Pumped-Storage Schemes)

The electricity sector in Switzerland is undergoing important changes following the liberalisation process and the facilitation of renewable energy technologies. Furthermore, the phasing out of nuclear power will increase the demand for new domestic electricity generation. According to the Federal Energy Strategy 2050, additional generation will have to come from hydropower (currently 57% of Swiss electricity production), including small hydropower (currently 6%, i.e. 3.8 TWh). The small hydropower technology, with an installed capacity between 100 kW and 10 MW (whereby 100 kW till 1 MW is considered to be mini hydropower), is a renewable energy technology (RET) which is well developed. However, the technology still requires further innovation to improve its environmental integration and reduce costs. Small hydropower (SHP) provides electricity with a high energy payback ratio and, generally, with lower production costs than other RETs, aside from large hydropower. SHP can be combined within multipurpose infrastructures such as drinking water and irrigation networks. The institutional framework of SHP is conditioned by multi-level (i.e., Federal, Cantonal and Communal) and cross-sectorial institutions (e.g., within the electricity and water sectors, spatial planning). SHP still has significant potential in Switzerland with the possibility of increasing the production of 2010 by 40-50% by 2050. However, SHP requires appropriate policy instruments for its development within a liberalised electricity market as it is, on average, not yet cost-competitive. In 2009, for example, a Federal feed-in remuneration scheme was introduced. To further develop the SHP potential, the institutional framework has still to evolve. This research was aimed at identifying changes in the institutional framework in Switzerland which can contribute towards developing SHP and increasing the alignment between the technology and its institutions. To this end, the literature on co-evolution and the framework of coherence between institutions and technologies in the case of network industries, such as electricity, were used for the analysis. This thesis contributes towards further development of the coherence framework. Policy instruments are identified that can support the development of SHP. Measures to simplify and harmonise administrative procedures are evaluated, even though their implementation remains difficult. A promising endeavour, however, is to reduce opposition, thus duration of procedures, by developing regional master plans and/or multi-criteria evaluations of projects at the very early project development phase. This enables the pursuit of projects for which all stakeholders are favourable to their realisation. Another required measure is guaranteeing the technical quality of plants which receive the feed-in remuneration by introducing a global efficiency criterion. Finally, other policy instruments are analysed such as green certificates, the feed-in remunerat