Energy resources and reduction of CO2 emissions (Christophe Ballif)

• Current and future CO2 and CO2 equivalent emissions, impact on climate
• Available resources and their properties (finite resources like fossil, nuclear fuel, vs hydro, non-hydro, renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal biomass)
• Energy statistics, direct cost of various energy sources, direct levelised cost electricity (LCOE)
• General aspects of energy transition, scenarios and expectations, at world, European and Swiss level
• Support to the energy transition: efficiency, heat pumps, electric mobility, power-to-gas, short term and long term storage solutions, smart grids, carbon storage

Energy economics (Philippe Thalmann, Sascha Nick)

• The Grand Challenge: Reconciling demographic and economic growth with the limits of our planet
• Decoupling: What it means, what it takes; green growth
• Energy, human needs and well-being
• Limits to market governance of energy in societal transitions

Energy transition (Claudia R. Binder and team)

• Governance perspectives and social-technical dimensions
• Energy system transitions (from a fossil fuel to a CO2 neutral system) as socio-technical change processes
• Insights into drivers and barriers for the socio-technical transition of the energy system
• Key actors in the Swiss energy sector
• Energy modelling and its challenges

Case study: a CO2-neutral energy system in Switzerland