Abstract for: Simulating the Capacity Expansion of Renewable Energies in the Swiss Electricity Market

Switzerland faces two major challenges in the electricity sector. The existing nuclear power plants will be phased out and at the same time new renewable electricity sources should in-crease their share in production. A System Dynamics simulation model is built to improve the understanding of central dynamics in the Swiss electricity provision system and the interplay of different electricity technologies in the electricity production. The investment decision for the specific technologies is a central leverage point in the system. The model is used to simu-late likely developments of the Swiss electricity power plant park and test the effectiveness of feed-in remuneration policies. Results are gained on the long-term dynamics of capacity ex-pansion of electricity technologies, depending on different public policies. This paper makes a practical contribution to the management of the energy transition by shedding dynamic and endogenous light on capacity expansion.