Following its presentation to the Alpine Conference last October, the progress report on the activities of the Contracting Parties, the Observers and the different bodies of the Alpine Convention in the fields of energy production, consumption, transfer and governance since 2015 has now been published in print, with the support of the Swiss delegation. It gives an overview on the current policy framework and highlights the most significant recent initiatives towards a renewable and low-carbon energy system. The Alpine countries can build on the relatively high supply of hydropower and biomass energy supply, and in addition they have especially been fostering photovoltaic energy. However energy production development is limited by the scarcity of available land and the vulnerability of the ecosystems and landscapes; good governance is essential. Further energy savings are key to the realisation of the objectives – there is potential for significant savings especially in the building sector. This publication aims at contributing to the alpine-wide exchange of experience.
