The replacement cost of the Swiss electricity grid is 60 billions CHF [1] and its life time is 80 years [2].
The electricity grid will need additional investment depending on the penetration level of the decentralized and stochastic electricity production technologies. AES(2012) [1] presents three scenarios with different percentages of renewable energy sources with their consequent different development costs for the electricity grid.
| Total investment for electricity grid development [billion CHF] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-2050 | |||
| Scenario 1 | Scenario 2 | Scenario 3 | |
| High voltage grid | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Medium&Low voltage grid | 2.4 | 5.5 | 9.6 |
For choosing the scenario, the calculator compares the percentages of PV and Wind in the electricity mix of the three scenarios with the electricity mix of the calculator.