HydroRepairing the Heritage of Hydropower in SwitzerlandLisa Müller and Cyrill Ender

Hydropower being one of the oldest and most important energy sources in Switzerland accounts for 58.9% of the domestic electricity production. These 58.9% are generated by 1’650 hydropower plants located throughout Switzerland, from which 650 have an output greater than 300kW. However, even though hydropower accounts for the largest share of electricity produced in Switzerland, it still has the potential to grow by between 3 and 7%. In order to exploit this potential, the government has planned 40 new large hydropower projects. If all of these 40 projects were to be implemented and generate the planned output, they would increase domestic production of hydropower by 5.8%.

Our first case study examines one of the 40 planned hydropower projects: the Gornerli project, a new storage hydropower plant near Zermatt by the Gorner Glacier. Due to glacial melting, the glacier is retreating from its valley, creating an ideal location for a new hydro dam. Due to the great environmental impact the realisation of the hydropower plant would have, this chapter adresses the repair of ecological heritage.

Our second case study focuses on the Wägital pumped storage hydropower plant, located in the foothills of the Alps in the canton of Schwyz. This case study will examine the social heritage of Wägital. Constructed in 1924, Wägital has a history marked by brutal construction practices, which is why this chapter adresses how to repair social heritage.

Our third and final case study concerns a run-of-river hydropower plant located in Aarau, on the border between the cantons of Aargau and Solothurn.  Despite human intervention reshaping the energy landscape within the floodplain, the area has since recovered and reorganized, establishing a symbiotic relationship between energy production, the local community, and the ecosystem. This chapter addresses the how to repair infrastructural heritage.