When it comes to the grid of the future, the cantons are an important player too. In an interview, two experts discuss how they could play an even greater role.

In July and August, severe thunderstorms repeatedly swept across Switzerland – with hail, strong or even gale-force winds, and lots of lightning. The employees in the Swissgrid grid control rooms have to be especially attentive whenever thunderstorms are forecast. How should they react if a line is struck by lightning? Or if a branch falls on a line? Let’s take a look at their work and the difficulties they face in the summer.

A technical report commissioned by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) on the electromagnetic fields generated by power technologies has recently been published.

If the switch to renewable energies is to succeed, there needs to be more electrification and networking of buildings and mobility both regionally and locally. A conversation with Dr Kristina Orehounig, Head of the Urban Energy Systems department at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Empa).

Electricity no longer seems to be available as a matter of course. We need to change our behaviour in order to utilise this resource in a more sustainable way. A conversation with Dr Christian Berger, research associate at the University of Bern’s Institute for Organisation and Human Resource Management (IOP).

It was at the Lucerne trade fair in April 2022 that a girl accompanied by her grandmother asked one of our employees, «But if the lines are in the ground, where do all the birds sit?» Fortunately, Switzerland is full of trees – so alternatives are available. Nevertheless, the girl was right: birds like to perch on overhead lines. Find out in our blog post whether this is dangerous and, if so, what the dangers are.

Large solar plants are to be built in the Swiss mountains by as early as 2025. This represents a challenge for grid operators: they have to implement the grid connections.

The grid capacity of the Swiss transmission grid is precisely calculated to the nearest quarter of an hour. If unplanned electricity suddenly flows through our grid, i.e. electricity that was not foreseen in the calculations, this can cause overloads of grid elements.

Whether Sotto or Sopraceneri, the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland is a captivating location with picturesque mountain scenery and deep blue lakes. Just like elsewhere in Switzerland, these landscapes must be protected. Swissgrid has taken this to heart in the Airolo – Lavorgo grid construction project.

The new «Experience Energy!» exhibition was inaugurated at the Swiss Museum of Transport on 4 April 2023. Swissgrid features in it.

Beatriz Alvarez, Specialist Ancillary Services & Analytics, and Julius Schwachheim, Head of Capacity and Congestion Management, talk about their careers at the grid company as well as their «humble beginnings» as interns.

For safety reasons, only low-growing flora is found on routes for overhead lines and in substations. This environment offers the ideal living conditions for endangered animal and plant species.