The 2000-watt society concept, introduced in 1998 by the

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...

(ETH Zurich), aims to reduce the average

primary energy Primary energy (PE) is the energy found in nature that has not been subjected to any human engineered conversion process. It encompasses energy contained in raw fuels and other forms of energy, including waste, received as input to a system. Pri ...

use of

First World The concept of the First World was originally one of the " Three Worlds" formed by the global political landscape of the Cold War, as it grouped together those countries that were aligned with the Western Bloc of the United States. This groupin ...

citizens to no more than 2,000 watts (equivalent to 2 kilowatt-hours per hour or 48 kilowatt-hours per day) by 2050, without compromising their standard of living. In a 2008

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

, more than three-quarters of Zurich's residents endorsed a proposal to lower the city's

energy consumption Energy consumption is the amount of energy used. Biology In the body, energy consumption is part of energy homeostasis. It derived from food energy. Energy consumption in the body is a product of the basal metabolic rate and the physical acti ...

to 2,000 watts per capita and cut greenhouse gas emissions to one ton per capita annually by 2050, with a clear exclusion of

nuclear energy Nuclear energy may refer to: *Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity *Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom *Nuclear potential energy, the pot ...

. This occasion marked the first democratic legitimization of the concept. In 2009, energy consumption averaged 6,000 watts in Western Europe, 12,000 watts in the United States, 1,500 watts in China, and 300 watts in Bangladesh. At that time, Switzerland's average energy consumption stood at approximately 5,000 watts, having last been a 2,000-watt society in the 1960s. The 2000-watt society initiative is supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), the Association of Swiss Architects and Engineers, and other bodies.

Current energy use

Breakdown of average energy consumption of 5.1 kW by a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

person as of July 2008: *1500 watts for living and office space (this includes

heat In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...

and hot water) *1100 watts for

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

and consumer discretionary (including transportation of these to the

point of sale The point of sale (POS) or point of purchase (POP) is the time and place at which a retail transaction is completed. At the point of sale, the merchant calculates the amount owed by the customer, indicates that amount, may prepare an invoice f ...

) *600 watts for

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

*500 watts for

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

travel *250 watts for

air travel Air travel is a form of travel in vehicles such as airplanes, jet aircraft, helicopters, hot air balloons, blimps, Glider (aircraft), gliders, Hang gliding, hang gliders, parachuting, parachutes, or anything else that can sustain flight.

*150 watts for

public transportation Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...

*900 watts for

public infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

According to the Society,

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

reached a target of less than 4 kW per person in 2020. In 2020, Switzerland used 6.45 MWh of electricity per capita. In 2023, individual consumption of electricity was approximately 2.5 MWh per year (285 W as a year-round average).

Implications

Researchers in Switzerland believe that this vision is achievable, despite a projected 65% increase in economic growth by 2050, by using new low-carbon technologies and techniques. It is predicted that a 2000-watt society will require a complete reinvestment in the country's capital assets, refurbishment of the nation's building stock to meet low-energy building standards, significant improvements in the efficiency of

road transport Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations e ...

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

and energy-intensive material use, the possible introduction of high-speed maglev trains, the use of renewable energy sources,

district heating District heating (also known as heat networks) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heater, space heating and w ...

microgeneration Microgeneration is the small-scale production of heat or electric power from a "low carbon source," as an alternative or supplement to traditional centralized grid-connected power. Microgeneration technologies include small-scale wind turbines ...

and related technologies, as well as a refocusing of research into new priority areas. As a result of the intensified research and development effort required, it is hoped that Switzerland will become a leader in the technologies involved. Indeed, the idea has a great deal of government backing, due to fears about climate change.

Progress towards a 2000-watt society

The 2,000-watt society principle is gaining momentum in Switzerland. A 2016 article revealed that 2% of Swiss residents adhere to the 2,000-watt energy limit, with average per capita energy consumption exceeding 5,000 watts. More than 100 municipalities have integrated this objective into their by-laws or energy strategies. Nine complexes in seven cities and towns—Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lucerne, Lenzburg, Kriens, and Prilly/Renens—have been awarded the "2,000-watt area" certificate. From 2000 to 2020, despite a global increase in energy consumption and

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

, Switzerland saw notable reductions. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (FOE) highlights a decrease in per capita energy use from 6,000 to just under 4,000 watts and a nearly 50% cut in greenhouse gas emissions. However, to meet the 2,000-watt society goals by 2050 to 2100, the FOE acknowledges the necessity for more decisive measures, noting the progress is on the right path but could be accelerated.

Certification

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy stipulates that the 2000-watt sites label is awarded to residential developments demonstrating sustainable practices in construction, operation, renovation, and mobility. This certification integrates the Energy City label with the Swiss Engineers and Architects Association's standards. Developers are encouraged to apply at the project's inception, with certification granted upon verification of compliance with set objectives. The label's validity continues until more than 50% of the project undergoes repurposing, ensuring adherence to established criteria. The assessment encompasses management, communication, construction practices, and approaches to supply, disposal, and mobility.

City of Zurich

The 2016 Zurich 2000-Watt Society roadmap documents a reduction in per capita energy consumption to 4,200 watts and CO2 emissions to 4.7 tonnes. Without additional measures, projections indicate that by 2050, consumption would only decrease to 3,500 watts and CO2 emissions to 3.5 tonnes per person, falling short of the goals of 2,500 watts and 1 ton of CO2 emissions, respectively. To address this, the roadmap outlines specific strategies for energy supply and buildings, including the installation of more efficient appliances (227 watts), energy efficiency measures for redevelopments (170 watts), new building standards (57 watts), the replacement of fossil and nuclear energy with renewables (505 watts), and the modernization of heating systems (28 watts). In the area of mobility, it suggests efforts to reduce energy consumption for aviation (209 watts) and private transport (50 watts) to achieve the 2050 targets.

Basel pilot region

Launched in 2001 and located in the metropolitan area of

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, 'Pilot Region Basel' aims to develop and commercialize some of the technologies involved. The pilot is a partnership between industry, universities, research institutes and the authorities, coordinated by Novatlantis. Participation is not restricted to locally based organizations. The city of Zürich joined the project in 2005 and the

canton of Geneva The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of forty-five Municipality, municipalities, and the seat of the governme ...

declared its interest in 2008. Within the pilot region, the projects in progress include demonstration buildings constructed to '' MINERGIE'' or '' Passivhaus'' standards,

generation from

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

sources, and vehicles using

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...

and

biogas Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste, Wastewater treatment, wastewater, and food waste. Biogas is produced by anaerobic ...

. The aim is to put research into practice, seek continuous improvements, and to communicate progress to all interested parties, including the public.

Fribourg smart living building

The Smart Living Lab based in Fribourg is a joint research center of EPFL, the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg and the University of Fribourg. Together, they designed the smart living building, which will be both a sustainable structure and an evolving building and whose construction starts in 2022. It will house the activities of some 130 researchers, offering laboratories, offices, conference rooms and some experimental dwellings. In this multiple-use context, the building will become an experimental field of studies in itself and aims to find solutions to energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emissions that it generates. This construction is the group's first case study, and research projects have been established to help it meet the lab's ambitious goals: limiting its consumption and emissions to the values set for 2050 by the 2000-watt society vision, while considering the whole life cycle of its components.

Notes and references

External links

Novatlantis: Smart 2000-Watt-Sites
*

The realities of implementing the 2,000 Watt societyEnergy from the perspective of sustainable development: the 2000 Watt society
*
Steps towards a sustainable development. A white book for R & D of energy-efficient technologies; Jochem et al. ETH Zürich
2004
All info about the 2000 Watt Society (in French)The 2000 watt area
{{DEFAULTSORT:2000-Watt Society Energy conservation Energy policy Environmental design Low-carbon economy Economy of Switzerland Energy in Switzerland Transport in Switzerland 1998 introductions