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The transition to decarbonized energy systems requires addressing diverse stakeholder interests. Yet current stakeholder analysis limits itself to mostly policymakers and experts. This study examines priorities and coalitions among Swiss stakeholders in energy and climate policies, by applying topic modeling based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation, a Natural Language Processing method, on 463 position papers submitted during revisions of the Swiss Energy Law 2020 and CO2 Act 2021. The analysis highlights key policy trade-offs to balance, such as those between renewable energy expansion and biodiversity, landscape and historic building preservation. Three main coalitions were identified for energy policy — environmental advocates, base-load security proponents, and subsidy-focused stakeholders. At the same time, five coalitions emerge for climate policy — those interested in fossil-fuel heating replacement, international standards alignment, heritage site preservation, clean fuels, and agriculture’s role in decarbonization. This research provides insights into effective and inclusive policy-making by applying topic modeling to identify distinct policy priorities from a broad spectrum of stakeholders beyond the conventional ones, offering a practical alternative to traditional qualitative methods. • Topic modeling enables inclusion of a broad spectrum of stakeholders. • Natural language processing for identification of critical policy concerns. • Security of supply and incurred costs are key priorities for Swiss stakeholders. • Address trade-offs between building heritage, biodiversity, landscapes, and growth. • Domestic policy formulation requires attention to international climate policy.
Zhang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.