On 30 October 2025, ETH Zurich hosted a compelling edition of its Global Lecture Series: Powering Change – The Energy Transition in Practice. Moderated by Chris Luebkeman from ETH Zurich’s Strategic Foresight Hub, the discussion brought together two inspiring women speakers: Bettina Bachmann, a veteran energy executive with over three decades of experience at Shell and an advocate for Women in Tech, and Lint Barrage, ETH economist specialising in climate and energy policy.

The conversation went far beyond technicalities. It explored the realities behind the energy transition, challenging assumptions and highlighting what truly matters: adding energy to meet global demand, driving innovation beyond technology, and ensuring equity across nations. Here’s more in the shape of 5 key takeaways and stand-out quotes from our guest speakers:

Energy Transition: More Than Replacement

“Adding energy is often forgotten in this conversation,” Bachmann reminded the audience. “We cannot just replace fossil fuels; we have to grow at the same time.” Her point was clear: with global energy demand rising, the transition is not a simple swap—it’s an expansion.

Urgency and Continuum

Barrage offered a sobering perspective: “We’ve been too slow for decades. If we had started gradual action earlier, the same level of climate protection could have been achieved at a much lower cost.” Climate action, she stressed, is not binary. Every tonne of emissions avoided today reduces future harm tomorrow.

Innovation Beyond Technology

Both speakers agreed that technology alone won’t solve the problem. “We’re not waiting for a silver bullet,” Bachmann said. “We have the technologies—we need to scale them up and integrate them.” Barrage added that innovation must extend to finance, policy, and behaviour: “People respond to incentives. We need to make clean tech massively more profitable to redirect R&D.”

Global Equity

The panel underscored the ethical dimension: developing nations must leapfrog polluting paths. “We have a duty to ensure they don’t have to go the same hard, slow path that we did,” Bachmann said. Barrage pointed to creative financial instruments as key: “We need smarter ways to leverage private investment and reduce risk.”

No-Regret Actions

Both experts closed with practical advice. Bachmann urged: “Think hard before you replace something—whether it’s clothing or heating systems. Avoid waste.” Barrage’s top three? “Invest massively in innovation, provide better information on energy use, and price carbon where feasible.”

Check out the pictures from the event here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/meeteth/albums/72177720329550116/

And in case you missed, watch the talk here:

If you enjoyed this post and the lecture, you may be interested in the upcoming Energy Week at ETH Zurich: https://esc.ethz.ch/events/energy-week.html

Join Jan Heldmann and Alejandro Christlieb as they share their experience of the Energy Summer School 2025.

After months from applying, we set off for Ascona for the Energy Summer School 2025, organised by the Energy Science Center and the Institute of Science, Technology and Policy. The setting at Monte Verità, overlooking Lago Maggiore, immediately made the week feel special. The main theme — “Navigating the Energy Transition in an Insecure World” — felt especially timely within today’s geopolitical context. Coming from a technical background, this was a great opportunity to expand on the sociopolitical dimensions of the energy transition. 

In the first days, everyone presented their research posters, covering topics from technological solutions to their economic and social feasibility. A big shout-out to the winners of the best poster awards! Their work offered an inspiring glimpse into the research shaping the field.

Each day featured lectures by academics and industry speakers from around the world. Kaja Hollstein of Swissgrid offered a technical view on demand flexibility and energy balancing, while Professor Florian Egli highlighted the economic side of the transition. A key insight stuck with us: OECD countries are investing more in renewables, but non-OECD countries lag due to higher upfront costs and borrowing rates. With most population growth occurring in non-OECD countries, it was a harsh reminder that the energy transition remains a global challenge.

Midweek, we set out on an excursion. Jan joined a hike in the scenic Verzasca Valley, stopping at the impressive Contra Dam designed by the legendary engineer Giovanni Lombardi. During the hike, I (Jan) could talk with Professor Bri-Mathias Hodge about his lecture on power system stability, discussing the importance of reactive power in renewable-heavy systems. As an electrical engineer, I really enjoyed exchanging ideas with a world-renowned expert. 

Meanwhile, Alejandro visited Giubiasco’s massive waste-to-energy plant, which handles 180,000 tons of waste a year to produce heat and power. We saw the crane and furnace in action – an experience that felt straight out of the Toy Story 3 landfill scene. What first sounded like a less appealing visit, turned out to be surprisingly fun and enriching.

No academic event is complete without group work. Split into teams, we wrote policy briefs with strategic recommendations for a country’s energy future. Jan’s group analysed Ukraine’s energy crisis after Russia’s invasion, while Alejandro’s focused on South Africa’s aging, coal-heavy system.

The week ended with creative presentations: AI-generated songs, mock trials, and acted power outages. This mix of playful delivery and serious analysis perfectly captured the spirit of the week: working hard, learning deeply, and having fun together. 

From day one, the group vibe was extraordinary. As our new friend Charalambos said: “I never clicked with so many people in such a short time.”

We left Ascona recharged — with fresh energy, new perspectives, and friendships for life.

The challenges to achieving energy transition are many and complex. Societal, economic and geopolitical considerations loom, while the clock is already ticking. In this context, the ETH Alumni Chapter France together with the Swiss Embassy in France brought together ETH Alumni, researchers, government representatives and industry experts to assess the civil nuclear sector, focusing on prospects and challenges from a Franco-Swiss perspective.

The Swiss Ambassador Roberto Balzaretti made this clear from the start: we need cooperation on this at a bilateral and European level. Reminding us of Switzerland’s central position geographically speaking and the long history of good relations between France and Switzerland, Ambassador Balzaretti urged the search for solutions close to home. He used the analogy of Switzerland as the “water tower of Europe” to highlight its success in developing hydro-electric power. At the same time, this position has not been enough to keep fears of energy crises from cropping up against the background of recent geopolitical developments, reiterating the need for Franco-Swiss and indeed European collaboration.

The Ambassador is himself a shining example of promoting innovation and sustainability, notably by using his bike to travel through France on his mission to engage in diplomatic discussions and meet the Swiss living there (https://enrouteaveclasuisse.ch). 

Laurent Kueny from the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion spoke of the trajectory for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 using efficiency gains, more and new sources of renewable energy, and going back to nuclear power. In the French energy strategy, this means new nuclear power as well as renewing and prolonging existing nuclear stations. Doing this while achieving the required capacity on time and on cost will prove to be a challenge.

Financing was also a concern of his Swiss counterpart, Benoît Revaz, from the Federal Office for Energy. In addition, security and safety concerns and the need for trained staff as well as updates in regulations highlight what for him needs to be a balance between economic and environmental challenges, that have to be addressed within a shrinking time frame.

Representing the industry voice, EDF spokesperson Bernard Salha, who is both CTO and Head of R&D at the French multinational state-owned electric utility company, focused on the need for nuclear as part of the solution. His point was that all technology, and indeed a mix of it, will be required to de-carbonize. The numbers in terms of need and demand are so big that we have no choice, and a change in perception of the industry will have to take place.

This point was nuanced by the ETH Domain representative Didier Gavillet from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). As Advisor to the Head of Nuclear Energy and Safety Research, Didier reminded the audience of the need for continued investment in fundamental research, of which nuclear energy is a part. His point was that we need to decarbonize and use the right mix of technologies to do so, but without creating new dependencies that are not sustainable in the long run.

Overall, the very focused conversation was a deep-dive into experts views on the now, offering glimpses into the tomorrow with a refreshing spirit of optimism and faith in new technologies, start-ups and innovation, in a topic otherwise often associated in the press with catastrophism and skepticism. This spirit prevailed largely thanks to the expert moderation of Diana-Paula Gherasim, an energy and climate researcher from the think tank IFRI, the French Institute for International Relations.

The AFLZ is the French association of graduates of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology in Lausanne and Zurich. The AFLZ hosts the ETH Alumni Chapter France. The AFLZ is very dynamic, with numerous events: conferences, site visits, theaters, dinners, etc., and has developed a fruitful relationship with the Swiss Embassy in France.

The race to net-zero emissions

Switzerland stands at a crossroads. Last summer, Swiss citizens confirmed the nation’s commitment to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Now, Switzerland must decide whether it also commits to developing the necessary technologies and skilled workforce.

Switzerland is not alone: the race to net-zero emissions has started all across the globe. Nearly thirty countries, including major economies like the United States, Japan, Germany, and France, have adopted net-zero emissions targets. The University of Oxford estimates that net-zero emissions commitments cover 92% of the global economy, a major economic opportunity for transforming old and creating new industries.

Opportunities for Switzerland

Switzerland could improve its energy security. Switzerland currently imports nearly 70% of its energy, primarily due to its need for fossil fuels and nuclear fuel. While this dependence has helped meet the country’s energy needs in the past, it also exposes the economy to price spikes whenever conflicts erupt—as we have seen in the past years. This is not just an economic vulnerability but a matter of national security.

Furthermore, Switzerland can reach net-zero emissions at moderate costs. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute estimate that achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 requires investing between 300 and 1,400 CHF per year for every Swiss citizen, about as much as a dinner with friends or the latest smartphone. Although this figures do not mean the same for all Swiss citizens, it is a relatively small price to pay for more secure and clean energy.

And, of course, Switzerland can help mitigate climate change. The gravest risk that the Swiss Alps face is climate change. Measurements by MeteoSchweiz show that temperatures in Switzerland have already increased by 2.5 degrees Celsius, leaving profound scars in the Swiss natural landscape.

The path forward

The path forward is clear, and it starts with a bold commitment to innovation and investment in net-zero emissions technologies. Switzerland’s long-standing reputation for innovation and high quality must extend to this critical sector.

First and foremost, Switzerland should double down on deploying renewable energy, heat pumps, and electric vehicles, three technologies that can reduce about 80% of emissions.

Simultaneously, Switzerland must accelerate research and development in hydrogen production, carbon capture, and energy storage. These technologies are vital in reducing the remaining 20% of emissions. Collaborations between academia, industry, and policy can lead the effort by demonstrating these technologies at scale, as shown by the Coalition for Green Energy and Storage, recently launched by EPFL and ETH Zurich.

Moreover, policies must be put in place to incentivize businesses to adopt sustainable practices and invest in clean technologies, spurring innovation and job creation. The transformative impact of such policies is being seen in other countries, and it is time to adapt those lessons and apply them to Switzerland.

However, the transition is not without challenges. The costs could burden businesses and individuals unequally, and concerns about job displacement in specific sectors must also be addressed. Balancing the economic aspects across all regions is also crucial. All policies formulated for achieving net-zero emissions must ensure they contribute to a just transition.

The clock is ticking

Switzerland stands at a crossroads. If it acts now, it can be among the world leaders in an era defined by sustainability and innovation. The transition to net-zero emissions is not just a challenge but also a significant economic opportunity.

It is time to act boldly and decisively, and for Switzerland to embrace the spirit of innovation that has defined it for generations and invest in a cleaner, more sustainable future that secures its future prosperity. The clock is ticking; time to board the train to the net-zero emissions economy.