Eawag - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

Within the framework of the ETH Domain’s strategic area of focus «Energy», Eawag investigates the environmental impacts of energy production, the acceptance of alternative energy supply, the potential for energy savings and energy production from wastewater.

The use of our water bodies for hydropower or for heating and cooling influences a river’s bed load and sediment regime as well as its aquatic organisms. Eawag researchers study the environmental impacts of energy production and are actively engaged in consulting, for example concerning nuclear energy or methane extraction from lakes.

Dr. Martin Schmid Tel. +41 58 765 2193 Send Mail

An ecological longterm study of the Spöl River, Swiss National Park, to experimental high flows since 1999, including redd counts of brown trout, macroinvertebrates, periphyton and water physico-chemistry at periodic times during each year.

Environmental Flows: The River Spöl

How does such compromised bed-load transport affect fish in terms of their feeding and habitat? And what measures can be taken to restore a river's bed-load regime?

Bed-load and habitat dynamics

The renaturing platform that was set up in the summer of 2014 serves to promote the low-threshold exchange of experi- ence and knowledge between key players in a variety of specialist fields and institutions.

Renaturing Platform - AG-RENAT

Les cours d'eau font partie des écosystèmes les plus riches en espèces du monde. Mais en même temps ils sont mis sous forte pression, p. ex. du fait des aménagements et de l'exploita- tion de la force hydraulique.

Swiss Competence Centre for Energy Research - Supply of Energy

Small hydropower plants may affect river ecosystems in various ways due to changes in flow regimes and blocking of movement of aquatic organisms

Hydropower effects on river ecosystems

More projects involving Eawag researchers

Wasser-Agenda 21 (website in German and French)
Dialogue platform of the Swiss water management dealing, among other things, with hydropower use and hydro-peaking.

African Dams Project (ADAPT) completed
Integrated water resource management in the multiply dammed Zambezi basin

Green Hydropower (report in German) completed
Interdisciplinary Eawag project in which an eco-label for sustainable electricity production from hydropower has been developed

Sustainable floodplain management and hydropower (NFP 70)

Actions to ensure a gentle downstream fish passage at hydropower plants completed

Modelling of habitat dynamics in river sections subject to surges completed

Lakes store large amounts of heat. To what extent can this heat be used to replace the use of fossil fuels or electricity for heating and cooling purposes?

Using lakes for heating and cooling

The intricacies of Lake Kivu and of the methane stored in its deep waters could easily keep an entire research institute busy. Our research aims at creating the knowledge needed to support a sustainable and safe exploitation of the methane resource.

Lake Kivu - a fascinating ecosystem and a source of energy

Consulting: Expert Group on Nuclear Waste Disposal EGT

FactSheet hydraulic fracturing (Fracking)

Environmental social sciences mainly address the social impacts of the energy transition such as the acceptance of hydropower or of alternative energy supply.

This project aims at providing a better insight into the public preferences of the Swiss population for the suggested hydropower expansion.

Social Acceptance of Hydropower

Policy change towards renewable energy

Future Energy Policy: how to make change happen? Fostering the acceptance of alternative electricity supply

Coalitions and actor strategies with respect to the issue of hydraulic fracturing in Switzerland and the UK.

Fracking: Political conflicts

Nutrient recovery, e.g. nitrogen and phosphorus from urine, saves a lot of energy because less artificial fertiliser has to be synthesised by an energy-intensive process. Not only nutrients can be recovered from wastewater, but also heat and other forms of energy. Therefore, future wastewater treatment plants may act as power plants.