Category: Energy

Swissolar President Jürg Grossen in conversation

In the last year, the expansion of photovoltaics has reached a new record. Will this boom last longer?
Jürg Grossen: It still has to increase significantly, we have to expand two to three times faster than we have up to now. This is not an easy task. It needs the right funding instruments and incentives, then we can do it.
Which instruments are you thinking of?
Grossen: A mix of different measures. We must continue the one-time payment for new solar systems and see that there is enough money in the pot. Today, the extension is limited by the financial resources. We can prevent this by making the grid surcharge fund more flexible and allowing it to temporarily become indebted. And through a slight increase in the network surcharge – the statutory fee per kilowatt hour of electricity consumed.
In addition, we need incentives to further increase self-consumption of self-produced solar power. Today, under certain conditions, you can join forces within your neighborhood to use solar power together. We must expand these mergers. For example, to regional energy communities, which can also use the local distribution grid for a reduced grid fee. Last but not least, there needs to be a certain level of standardization in the purchase fees for solar power producers. Today in Switzerland, depending on the distribution network operator, there is a fee of between 3 and 20 centimes per kilowatt hour. This is difficult to explain.
All models for the Swiss energy mix 2050 now assume that photovoltaics will become the second pillar of energy supply alongside hydropower. Why has solar energy been given such weight?
Grossen: On the one hand, the prices for solar modules have fallen sharply and their performance has steadily improved. This makes the production of solar power cheaper. On the other hand, we have learned in recent years how much photovoltaics can contribute to the power supply. As an apprentice in the late 1980s, I installed solar systems on SAC huts. My boss at the time was convinced that PV systems could never be operated profitably on the grid. He died believing that. In our business, we only started planning PV projects again in the last 15 years, and over time we have seen that a huge contribution can be made – especially in combination with e-mobility. In addition, the PV electricity is produced exactly where it is needed, in the building.
In the future, Switzerland will primarily lack winter electricity. With which concepts can photovoltaics make a greater contribution to closing this gap?
We achieve the main share with systems on buildings in the mountain regions and in the Mittelland. The systems already supply 30 percent of the electricity in winter, and even more can be achieved with better orientation and the use of facades and balconies. In the mountains, the yield is twice as high in winter, but the costs are much higher for systems outside of residential areas. Therefore, one should primarily use the existing infrastructure – for example dams, cable car stations or hotels.
We will have far too much solar power in summer in the future. We have to convert it into synthetic gases or fuels.
And turn it back into electricity in winter?
Yes, sensibly in combined heat and power plants, where heat is also generated in winter. With a pure conversion back to electricity, the energy loss is very high. Some of it will also be used as hydrogen, which will reduce losses. For example in trucks or construction machinery.
You said that we need to expand two or three times faster. It is already difficult to find solar technicians today. How do we recruit the necessary skilled workers?
With Swissolar, we will start a program that will make it easier for career changers to enter this professional field. Because there will be industries that will need far fewer staff in the future, such as car garages, gas stations or the oil heating industry. It would be great if we could recruit these specialists for solar expansion. In addition, we want to establish training with a federal certificate of proficiency, so that training is possible straight from school.
The shortage of skilled workers is a major challenge. But we can also become even better as an industry. The assembly of solar systems must become more “industrial”. For the homeowner, it should not make a significant difference whether they have a roof built with or without solar modules.
The energy policy discussions in recent months have revolved primarily around security of supply and impending gaps. How do you assess the situation?
I am very glad that this discussion is finally coming to light. Because it is important and justified. The panic that some are spreading is unjustified. We will not be able to solve the problems with new nuclear power plants. In addition to building up a storage reserve for the winter, we have to start with the demand side in particular. Studies say that in the worst case, there could be a power cut for around fifty hours a year. There are enough consumers who would be willing to reduce their electricity consumption for a short period of time if they were compensated for it. So it's not just about additional production, but also about intelligent power consumption. In the future, electric cars will also be able to play a major role here. Because we will not only charge batteries, we will also be able to use them flexibly as storage. This is still not given enough consideration in the whole discussion on security of supply.
Many were very surprised at how quickly e-mobility has grown over the past two years. You are an electric car driver from the very beginning. Also surprised?
Not at all. But pleased and relieved. I bought an electric car in 2010 and saw how many kilometers I could drive with just a few PV modules. That was awesome. And the cars have gotten a lot better since then. Today, comfort in e-cars is better than in combustion-powered cars. We owe that to Elon Musk, who showed the industry how it can be done with Tesla.
What developments do you expect in the field of batteries?
I have become cautious with such forecasts. When it comes to PV modules and computer chips over the last few decades, we've always heard: it can't get any better or smaller. And we were repeatedly taught better by technological developments. That's why I don't see any hard limits as a matter of principle. Energy density and weight will be much better and electric cars will be cheaper than combustion engines in a few years.
One more thing is important to me. In the future, we will have to use the batteries more than once: ten years in the car, at least ten years in the building and only then for recycling. We don't need new batteries from the factory in the buildings or the district storage facilities, but can rely on batteries that have been discarded from the e-vehicles.
In your scenarios, you assume a significant improvement in energy efficiency. This topic has receded somewhat into the background in recent years. Do we need another awareness-raising campaign like the one we did when Federal Councilor Adolf Ogi demonstrated how we could cook eggs while saving energy? Or does technology solve all problems?
It's certainly not wrong to keep reminding people to use energy efficiently, but it's not primarily about making sacrifices. I still cook my breakfast egg according to the Ogi principle. That was a great idea. However, one must not forget that a great deal has happened in the field of energy efficiency. Today we need significantly less energy per capita. Consumption has become decoupled from population and economic growth. Total energy consumption has also fallen significantly in the last ten years and is now lower than it was in 1990. In addition, the energy efficiency of electronic devices has improved by 30 to 60 percent. And the end of the road has not yet been reached. The currently higher energy prices will certainly also help to make energy efficiency even more attractive.

April 2022
The Bauen+Wohnen trade fair has over 14,000 visitors

According to a press release , the Bauen und Wohnen trade fair, which was held again from April 7th to 10th after a two-year break caused by Corona, attracted more than 14,000 visitors to the daily event in Wettingen. More than 200 exhibitors presented products and services in four halls as well as on Tägerhardstrasse, the Tägi forecourt and in the event arena. Furthermore, several specialist lectures were held in the Limmat area.

“We were almost overrun. The number of visitors is far above our expectations. The many visitors were very open and showed a lot of interest,” says Marco Biland, Managing Director of ZT Fachmessen AG , on the balance of the four days of the fair.

The fair was aimed at homeowners, those interested in building, planners and architects and, according to the media release, showed innovative and sustainable building and living trends in the areas of kitchens, bathrooms, doors and windows through to the worlds of home, garden and energy. The lectures were heard by both laypeople and experts. The demand for offers and expert advice on the hot topic of charging current and electromobility was enormous.

The date for next year’s Bauen+Wohnen trade fair has already been set. “Because the response was only positive, the next edition has already been secured. From April 20th to 23rd, 2023, the Bauen und Wohnen trade fair will take place again during the day. The planning and bookings are already underway,” Managing Director Marco Biland is quoted as saying.

April 2022
Coop builds new solar system on shopping center

The retail cooperative Coop has installed a photovoltaic system on the roof of the Friborg Süd shopping center. According to a press release , Coop has installed a total of 60 solar systems on the roofs of its supermarkets, shopping centres, production facilities and distribution centers since 2016. The commitment is part of a new sustainability strategy for the Basel-based company.

At 4,300 square meters, the new facility in Villars-sur-Glâne is one of the largest at Coop to date. All systems together result in an area of 115,000 square meters of solar cells. They produce 19 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year. According to the information, this corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of 5800 households.

Coop uses the electricity to supply its own infrastructure in the sales outlets, including refrigerated shelves and lighting. The Friborg South location uses 90 percent of its solar power.

In the future, Coop wants to switch to 100 percent electricity from renewable energy sources. As part of its sustainability strategy, the cooperative also wants to reduce its direct CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2026. Furthermore, Coop wants to expand the transport of goods by rail and implement projects to reduce carbon dioxide along the supply chain.

April 2022
Uneco produces petrol and diesel from wood

Sursee-based Uneco Energie Schweiz AG is currently installing a pilot plant for the local production of synthetic fuels from biomass. The facility will be built on the site of the two Buttisholz companies Interspan Tschopp and Toma Holz . Uneco board member Peter Müller presented the project at the second energy aperitif organized by the Energie Hub Buttisholz association.

The “Putin-free” energy, as Müller described the new form of energy according to a report in the weekly newspaper “Anzeiger vom Rottal” at the energy aperitif, is to be produced primarily from wood residues. According to the information, the process is based on the technology of so-called thermochemical carbon conversion . The fuels kerosene, petrol and diesel are obtained from wood, biomass and other organic waste. Finally, activated carbon can also be produced. This could be used by the construction industry, for example, as insulating material.

The pilot plant is scheduled to go into test operation at the end of the year. Its expansion in the coming year is already being considered. With this pilot plant, Uneco wants to show how non-fossil energy can get from the laboratory into the local real economy.

The energy aperitif is organized by the Energie Hub Buttisholz association. The municipality wants to be CO2-neutral by 2035 and thus become a lighthouse project in the energy transition.

April 2022
Climate neutral by 2050

Many homeowners cannot afford a renovation. Long-term loans are now intended to support builders who want to make their property climate-friendly but do not have sufficient financial resources or prefer to invest their money in their core business. At least that's what the state wants. Whether and how this can be done remains questionable. Because the financial institutions intended for this, such as banks and insurance companies, are hardly interested in loans with terms of more than 30 years. The federal government therefore wants to act as a security guarantor. A pilot project in Berne is now to examine whether this financing idea is realistic.
The Zuger Energeek Group AG proposes another way. "With Energeek®, the solar panel with rental for you", she gets people to invest in solar energy, whether they own real estate or not. Energeek provides the solar panels and the real estate projects. Anyone who wants to invest can buy one or more panels online and then rent them out to a project company. Upon purchase, the buyer also benefits immediately from the one-time payment (EIV), the federal subsidy for solar systems. The panels acquired will be integrated into a larger panel network that generates electricity sustainably; the buyer of these panels thus becomes a producer of electricity through renewable energy with the right to rental income. A minimum rental price is guaranteed when the contract is signed. However, upward rent adjustments are possible at any time. For example, when the price of electricity rises with inflation. The purchased solar panels can also be resold, inherited or given away at any time together with the rental agreement and the associated rental income.
Another big advantage: so that solar panels and the projects work very efficiently, solar trackers are used whenever possible and in addition to the permanently installed PV area. With these, the panels are not permanently installed, but rotate according to the sun. This means that, for example, the morning and evening sun is also optimally used. Or discover the smallest gap in the cloud on a cloudy day and use it to generate electricity. This achieves an increase in production of an additional + 63% kWh on average. This in comparison to permanently installed solar panels.
Energeek Group AG presents the projects for which solar panels can be purchased on its website. The buyer can decide for himself which project the acquired panels should be rented to. For example, a project on a horse farm and hotel in the Freiberge is currently on offer. There, the group, together with its certified partners, will set up photovoltaic systems on a planned area of 1,590 square meters and thus supply the hotel building infrastructure, neighbors, heat pumps and e-charging station(s) with electricity. A panel in this project currently costs a little more than CHF 900, the annual rental income is CHF 82.50. A respectable return.
More information at www.energeek.biz

March 2022
Refurbishment of the large Webermühle development

The Webermühle development in Neuenhof houses 368 rental apartments. The settlement on a peninsula in a loop of the Limmat was built on the industrial site of a former weaving mill and was ready to move into in 1984 after ten years of construction. Planned by the architectural office Steiger Partner AG and built by Ernst Göhner AG, the Webermühle with its different volumes offers living space for up to 1,500 residents. Despite the very high density, the apartments with the four rows of high-rise buildings arranged in a cross shape are characterized by a surprising foresight. Since 2008, the buildings realized in the “Göhner 3” modular construction system have been owned by a real estate fund from Credit Suisse Asset Management.

Ecologically and economically sustainable renovation
A good 40 years after moving in, the apartments no longer met today’s standards – neither in terms of appearance nor in terms of comfort. With an analysis of the building structure, the client started planning an extensive partial renovation in 2009, which was implemented in stages between 2012 and 2014. The portfolio strategy of Credit Suisse Asset Management attaches great importance to ecologically and economically sustainable solutions. With the modernization of the Webermühle, one wanted to make the living and green space more attractive for the tenants and to maintain the value of the property. On the other hand, the building technology should be brought up to date and thus the energy consumption should be significantly reduced. Better connections to public transport were also an important goal: Since the construction of a new inclined lift in 2015, Wettingen train station can be reached within a few minutes on foot.

Heat supply: switch to flow heat
The core of the energetic renovation is the reorientation of the heat supply. To this end, the client defined a clear goal right from the start: in future, the heat supply in the Webermühle should be at least 70 % CO ₂ -free. Due to the size of the facility, Credit Suisse Asset Management wanted to have the heating system replaced by a contractor instead of producing heat itself. The sustainability of the solution proposed by ewz with a river water heat pump convinced the client even after a detailed examination by specialists.

More about the project

White paper on the topic of energy-efficient refurbishment
In addition to the practical example “Webermühle”, the white paper “Energy-related renovations as an opportunity for the real estate industry”, which was created in close cooperation between ewz and the research and consulting company intep, offers insights into the relevance of energy-related renovations.

Knowing that the building sector is responsible for about a quarter of emissions, there is an urgent need to renovate the building stock. Because the few climate-friendly and energy-efficient new buildings will not have a major effect on the entire sector. At the moment we are in a renovation backlog. The current renovation rate of one percent must be doubled in order to achieve the climate targets.

Practical experience shows that during renewal processes, too little attention is paid to energy-related refurbishment compared to replacement new buildings. The landowners often lack basic information that shows them the economic, ecological and social potential of energy-related renovations. The whitepaper is intended to make a contribution to precisely this. There is a basic overview of the urgency, legal framework, benefits, opportunities and possible strategies of energy-related renovations.

The results of an ecological balance sheet (life cycle analysis, LCA) and an analysis of the life cycle costs (LCC), for example, form an excellent basis for decision-making. These quantitative assessment methods take into account the entire building life cycle.

The life cycle analysis (LCA) to determine the environmental impact and the analysis of the life cycle costs (LCC) offer quantitative decision bases for energy renovation. (Source: Kellenberger (intep), 2021)

To the white paper

March 2022
Power Integrations opens new plant in Biel

Power Integrations , a company specializing in power electronics, has opened a new plant in Biel. This covers around 4600 square meters and also houses offices and laboratories. The Biel-based operation specializes in so-called gate drivers for high-power applications such as solar and wind energy, electric locomotives and efficient DC transmission lines. In addition to production, the location is also used for the development of prototypes. In total, around 60 engineers and other technology experts are employed.

Power Integrations has reportedly invested around $20 million in the Biel site. The facility was planned and built by the Biel architects GLS Architekten . A photovoltaic system with an output of 25 kilowatts is located on the roof.

Power Integrations’ presence in Switzerland dates back to the acquisition of Biel-based CT-Concept Technologie AG in 2012. Headquartered in San Jose, Power Integrations employs around 770 people worldwide.

“We are excited to open our new, permanent headquarters in Biel, bringing together all of our local employees under one roof and giving us ample room for the growth we expect in the years to come,” said Balu Balakrishnan, CEO of Power Integrations , quoted in the communication.

Biel’s Mayor Erich Fehr (SP) welcomes the investment. “The fact that such an innovative and fast-growing company has settled here speaks for the attractiveness of our city and our region as a business location,” he says.

March 2022
Energeek makes investing in solar energy accessible to everyone

The cleantech-project.org of Energeek Group AG and CES Cleantech Energy Systems GmbH wants to enable everyone to participate in the energy transition. CES Cleantech Energy Systems explains in a press release that those who do not have the financial means to renovate their own roof or do not own any property at all cannot usually contribute to climate neutrality through solar energy. To remedy this, Energeek Group AG offers investments in solar panels for specific real estate projects.

Interested parties can purchase one or more panels and then rent them out to the project company, as explained in the press release. A project on a horse farm and hotel in the Freiberge mountains is given as an example. Here Energeek offers panels at a price of just over 900 francs per piece. In addition to the annual rental income of 82.50 francs, the buyers benefit from federal subsidies for solar systems, the one-off payment.

As an advantage of Energeek’s projects, the company emphasizes the use of so-called solar trackers. In addition to permanently installed panels, panels are installed that turn towards the sun via the solar trackers. In this way, morning and evening sun and gaps in the clouds can also be used to produce solar power.

Energeek provides online information on the current range of real estate projects, the prices and the rental income of the corresponding solar panels. According to the statement, purchased panels and the associated rental agreement with the project company can be resold, inherited or given away at any time.

March 2022
ADEV takes a stake in Fleco Power

Fleco Power AG , based in Winterthur, has a new shareholder. The ADEV energy cooperative now also holds a 17 percent stake in the subsidiary founded in 2015 by the Ökostrom Schweiz cooperative and MBRSolar , she writes in a statement . She will also be represented on the Fleco Power Board of Directors with her Managing Director Thomas Tribelhorn.

Fleco Power supports small, decentralized producers of renewable energies in selling their electricity directly. It also offers solutions for end customers, for example helping them to procure renewable electricity on the market in purchasing cooperatives.

ADEV and Fleco Power want to develop new services and innovation projects together. The long-term goal is to create an independent energy supplier for renewables.

Founded in 1985, ADEV operates solar power systems, small hydroelectric power plants, wind turbines, central heating systems and local heating networks throughout Switzerland. She also wants to use the cooperation to strengthen her own competitiveness. This makes it possible “to offer our customers tailor-made services that set us apart from the competition,” Thomas Tribelhorn is quoted as saying in the statement.

March 2022
Minergie and SNBS adopt labels for 2000-watt areas

The label for 2000-watt areas will disappear at the end of 2023. According to a statement from the Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), the suppliers of labels for sustainable buildings in Switzerland have agreed on this. The label was previously offered by the SFOE Swiss Energy program.

In return, the Minergie association will in future also offer a Minergie area label for areas that comply with climate protection. The Swiss Sustainable Building Network , as the sponsor of the Swiss Sustainable Building Standard (SNBS), will create the SNBS-Areal label for the sustainability of sites in all their dimensions.

At the building label level, there will also be the cantonal building energy certificate (GEAK), the various Minergie categories and the SNBS.

The bearers of the various labels want to achieve a greater impact by pooling resources. “Sustainable real estate makes a major contribution to climate protection. The trend is positive, but the potential is far from being exhausted,” Marc Mächler, District President of the Canton of St.Gallen and President of the Minergie Association, is quoted as saying in the statement. “The labels complement each other, are better coordinated with each other and builders and planners can find out more easily which label meets their needs.”

March 2022
An important day for the energy transition in the canton of Lucerne

12 years ago, CKW subsidiary Steiner Energie built the last hydroelectric power station in the canton of Lucerne in Malters. Even then, CKW was intensively involved in the planning of the Waldemme power plant. A lot of water flowed down the Waldemme before the excavators could finally drive up and drive their shovels into the ground.
Within a year, some of this water will be used to produce clean, renewable electricity. At today's ground-breaking ceremony in Flühli, government councilor Fabian Peter, head of the building, environment and economic department, expressed his delight: "With the new construction of this power plant, CKW is making another important contribution to achieving the energy and climate policy goals in the canton of Lucerne. »
Expansion of renewable energies is urgently needed
In his speech to more than 70 invited guests, CKW CEO Martin Schwab was primarily pleased that the power plant is finally being built. Because it was a long and rocky road. Schwab positively emphasized the great commitment in Entlebuch. "The region is a pioneer in using its own local energies." At the same time, Schwab warned: “We urgently need to expand the production of renewable energy in Switzerland. The corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine clearly show how dangerous strong dependencies on foreign countries can be, »said Schwab. Today things are progressing much too slowly in Switzerland. “This is primarily due to the long approval process. The Waldemme power plant is the best example of this: it took more than 17 years from the first plans to the groundbreaking.»
"We want to move forward and make a significant contribution to the energy transition in Switzerland – in hydropower, wind power, solar energy and other renewable technologies. But the resistance is often great. This is paradoxical, as we all want the energy transition and need more renewable energies for it."
Electricity for 1500 households
The roughly one-year construction phase begins with the ground-breaking ceremony. The water intake is at the hamlet of Matzenbach in Flühli. From this location, part of the water from the Waldemme is routed via a 2.1-kilometer-long underground pressure line to the power plant headquarters, where ecological electricity is produced. The power plant control center is located directly in front of the Lammschlucht at the Chrutacher Bridge. Immediately afterwards, the water is fed back into the natural course of the Waldemme and flows through the Lamm Gorge. The power plant has an output of 1.4 megawatts and produces an average of 6.5 GWh of electricity. This means that clean electricity can be generated from mid-2023, which will cover the annual needs of around 1,500 average four-person households. CKW is investing CHF 12.4 million in the power plant.
In the hamlet of Matzenbach, the water intake (1) takes part of the water from the Waldemme. In the approximately two-kilometer-long underground pressure line (2), the water is routed to the power plant center (3) at the Chrutacher Bridge (4), where it drives a turbine and generates electricity. Directly at the headquarters, the water is fed back into the natural course of the Waldemme and flows through the Lamm Gorge (5), which is untouched by the project.
Breaking ground at the Waldemme: (from left) Hans Lipp, Flühli municipal mayor, Fabian Peter, member of the cantonal government and head of the building, environmental and economic departments of the canton of Lucerne, Martin Schwab, CEO of CKW and Hella Schnider-Kretzmähr, Flühli municipal president.
Happy about the start of construction: Fabian Peter, member of the government and head of the building, environment and economic department of the canton of Lucerne, and Martin Schwab, CEO of CKW.
About CKW: The CKW Group is a leading Swiss provider of integrated energy and building technology solutions. For more than 125 years, the company has been supplying electricity to over 200,000 end customers in the cantons of Lucerne, Schwyz and Uri. In addition, there are innovative products and services throughout Switzerland in the fields of connectivity & IT infrastructure, electrical engineering, energy technology, IT & communication and security. The CKW Group employs over 2,100 people. With around 350 apprentices in 14 professions, it is the largest private-sector training company in Central Switzerland.
In the 2020/21 financial year, CKW generated sales of CHF 916 million. With 81 percent of the shares, Axpo Holding AG is the majority shareholder of CKW.
Further information at www.ckw.ch

March 2022
Whitepaper: Energetic renovations as an opportunity

Knowing that the building sector is responsible for around a quarter of emissions, there is an urgent need to renovate the building stock. Because the few climate-friendly and energy-efficient new buildings will not have a major effect on the entire sector. At the moment we are in a renovation backlog. The current renovation rate of one percent must be doubled in order to achieve the climate targets.

Practical experience shows that during renewal processes, too little attention is paid to energy-related refurbishment compared to replacement new buildings. The landowners often lack basic information that shows them the economic, ecological and social potential of energy-related renovations. The whitepaper is intended to make a contribution to precisely this. There is a basic overview of the urgency, legal framework, benefits, opportunities and possible strategies of energy-related renovations.

The results of an ecological balance sheet (life cycle analysis, LCA) and an analysis of the life cycle costs (LCC), for example, form an excellent basis for decision-making. These quantitative assessment methods take into account the entire building life cycle.

To the white paper

Comprehensive redevelopment of the Webermühle housing estate
One example of a successful renovation is the large Webermühle development in Neuenhof. The former Göhner settlement, which was occupied in 1984 and has been owned by a real estate fund from Credit Suisse Asset Management since 2008, houses 368 rental apartments with around 1,500 residents.

The core of the energetic renovation of the Webermühle is the reorientation of the heat supply. To this end, the client defined a clear goal right from the start: in the future, the heat supply should be at least 70% CO₂-free. Due to the size of the facility, Credit Suisse Asset Management wanted to have the heating system replaced by a contractor instead of producing heat itself. The sustainability of the solution proposed by ewz with a river water heat pump convinced the client.

Find out more

March 2022
Solar powered RV charges towing vehicle

The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts ( HSLU ) has designed a practical example of sustainable living without CO2 emissions: a mobile home. The electricity that the Solar Butterfly needs inside is produced by fold-out solar wings. This also charges the electric towing vehicle. According to a press release , students led by Stephen Wittkopf are significantly involved in the implementation of the project. He heads the knowledge and innovation transfer at the Department of Technology & Architecture at the HSLU.

The Solar Butterfly is currently being built near Lucerne in central Switzerland. Its construction material consists largely of plastic waste that is collected from the sea and then transformed. The motorhome is 10 meters long and 13 meters wide with the sun panel wings up. They offer a total of 80 square meters of space for generating solar power.

The project was initiated by Swiss environmental pioneer Louis Palmer. 15 years ago he was the first person to circumnavigate the world in a solar-powered car. From May 2022, the Solar Butterfly will travel around the world together with its passengers. On this trip around the world they want to identify 1000 inspiring projects against global warming, record them and then publish them.

March 2022
TBW realize the first solar system in roof rental

The TBW have implemented their first project in the roof rental model on the roof of the riding hall in Wil, the city-owned energy service company informs in a press release . Specifically, a solar system with a peak output of 178 kilowatts was implemented. It will produce around 170 megawatt hours of electricity annually.

TBW will make the electricity produced on the roof of the riding hall available to its own customers, the company explains in the press release. In return, the Wil Riding Club receives rent for the roof it has provided and for other ancillary rooms used by the project. The corresponding contract has a term of 25 years.

The TBW assume that the demand for electricity from renewable energies will increase as a result of the abandonment of fossil fuels. In order to cover this, “innovative solutions such as those on the roof of the Wiler Reithalle are required,” writes the company.

March 2022
Primeo Energie and Technic 360 join forces for renewables

Primeo Energie and Technic 360 are launching an offensive for decentralized renewable energy supply in the canton of Fribourg, the Basel-based energy supplier said in a statement . The two partners have developed a portal on which interested parties can calculate the potential and benefits of their own combination of photovoltaic system and heat pump. In addition, maison-intelligente.ch offers detailed advice and financing solutions.

“From a global perspective, climate-friendly energy and mobility solutions are among the most important drivers of a successful energy transition,” Conrad Ammann is quoted as saying in the press release. For the CEO of Primeo Energie, “intelligent solutions for the optimal implementation, use and financing” of solar systems and heat pumps “make an important contribution”.

With maison-intelligente.ch, the two partners have created the first offer of this type in French-speaking Switzerland, the press release explains further. You are planning information events in the canton of Friborg in the near future to make the platform better known. The project is supported by the Freiburger Kantonalbank . It offers preferential financing conditions for solutions implemented via maison-intelligente.ch.

“The energy transition can only succeed in cooperation with the population and thus our customers,” explains Alexandre Fragnière, Director Technic 360, in the communication. Maison-intelligente.ch should offer them “a simple and effective solution for the procurement of their solar system and heat pumps”.

March 2022
Buildings should become power plants

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ) has published its vision for the Swiss building stock by 2050 in a document . By then, the majority of buildings should be able to meet their own electricity needs from sustainable energy sources. The excess electricity is to be used for electric mobility.

At the same time, the electricity requirements of buildings are to be reduced. Overall, the final energy consumption of the Swiss building stock by 2050 should be around 65 instead of 90 terawatt hours.

With a few exceptions, there should no longer be any heating oil, natural gas or electricity for direct consumption for heating. Oil and natural gas heaters and stationary electrical resistance heaters are to be replaced by renewable energy sources. Energetic operational optimization should be mandatory for all buildings by 2030.

March 2022
NEST data center helps with heating

The ECO-Qube project examines how the electrical and thermal worlds can be brought together with IT infrastructure. For this purpose, the waste heat potential of micro data centers for building heating is to be examined. The field tests are taking place in the newly installed data center in Empa ‘s NEST research building and at two other locations in Turkey and the Netherlands.

ECO-Qube is designed for three years. After that, the team wants to provide guidelines for planners and operators of buildings. The project is supported by the EU funding program Horizon 2020. It brings together research and industry partners from Switzerland, Turkey, Spain, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. “Our goal is to reduce both the energy requirements and the CO2 emissions of small data centers by a fifth,” says Çağatay Yılmaz, Innovation Manager at the Turkish IT solution provider Lande and project manager of ECO-Qube, in an Empa press release quoted.

With the help of big data structures and artificial intelligence, sensor data from the individual IT components is accumulated and combined with air flow simulations for precise cooling. At the same time, the computing loads would be distributed in such a way that the systems work as energy-efficiently as possible.

The three data centers will also be integrated into the energy systems of the surrounding districts. If possible, they should be powered by renewable energy. “It is interesting for us to consider the micro data center not just as an electrical consumer, but as a dynamic component in the overall system,” explains Philipp Heer, head of the Energy Hub energy research platform at Empa.

March 2022
Refurbishment of the large Webermühle development

The Webermühle development in Neuenhof houses 368 rental apartments. The settlement on a peninsula in a loop of the Limmat was built on the industrial site of a former weaving mill and was ready to move into in 1984 after ten years of construction. Planned by the architectural office Steiger Partner AG and built by Ernst Göhner AG, the Webermühle with its different volumes offers living space for up to 1,500 residents. Despite the very high density, the apartments with the four rows of high-rise buildings arranged in a cross shape are characterized by a surprising foresight. Since 2008, the buildings realized in the “Göhner 3” modular construction system have been owned by a real estate fund from Credit Suisse Asset Management.

Ecologically and economically sustainable renovation
A good 40 years after moving in, the apartments no longer met today’s standards – neither in terms of appearance nor in terms of comfort. With an analysis of the building structure, the client started planning an extensive partial renovation in 2009, which was implemented in stages between 2012 and 2014. Credit Suisse Asset Management’s portfolio strategy attaches great importance to ecologically and economically sustainable solutions. With the modernization of the Webermühle, one wanted to make the living and green space more attractive for the tenants and to maintain the value of the property. On the other hand, the building technology should be brought up to date and thus the energy consumption should be significantly reduced. Better connections to public transport were also an important goal: Since the construction of a new inclined lift in 2015, Wettingen train station can be reached within a few minutes on foot.

Heat supply: switch to flow heat
The core of the energetic renovation is the reorientation of the heat supply. To this end, the client defined a clear goal right from the start: in the future, the heat supply in the Webermühle should be at least 70% CO ₂ -free. Due to the size of the facility, Credit Suisse Asset Management wanted to have the heating system replaced by a contractor instead of producing heat itself. The sustainability of the solution proposed by ewz with a river water heat pump convinced the client even after a detailed examination by specialists.

More about the project

February 2022
IWB joins Sympheny

IWB takes a 30 percent stake in Sympheny . The young company based in Dübendorf has developed software that can compare possible energy solutions for buildings in a matter of seconds. IWB wants to use the knowledge gained from this in its own planning for the climate-friendly conversion of the energy supply.

“Affordable climate protection requires optimized energy supplies,” IWB introduces a post on LinkedIn about joining Sympheny. According to him, the company for energy, water and telecommunications in the canton of Basel-Stadt wants to support the spin-off of the Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute ( Empa ) with the fresh capital in the further development of their software. IWB writes that they are looking forward to working more closely with Sympheny co-founders Andrew Bollinger, Matthias Sulzer, Boran Morvaj and Julien Marquant.

According to a report on startupticker.ch, the software from the young company, which was only founded in 2020, has already been used in more than 20 major planning projects. Sympheny’s customers include “energy suppliers and general contractors from all over Switzerland,” it says. The energy planning software developed by Sympheny simulates the energy system to be examined with a digital twin. Algorithms and standardized geographic information data (GIS data) can be used to simulate the production, storage and consumption of energy.

February 2022
Builder and Energie 360° team up for district heating

A community connection to the district heating system is currently being built in Wipkingen. Architect Lucas Schwarz provides the necessary space for this in his newly built apartment building. Energie 360° takes care of the rest, according to the Zurich energy supplier in a report on its website. According to this, the advantage of a local network is that not every property has to be connected individually to the district heating network. More than 60 percent of homeowners would have to get involved in order for it to be worthwhile to develop a neighborhood with district heating. The more heat is supplied, the cheaper it will be for everyone.

Schwarz is convinced that such a community connection will not only pay off ecologically but also financially in the long term: “I see the biggest advantages over heating in the small space requirement, the simple building services and the lower maintenance.” The energy verification is also simplified. In addition, the price of energy in thermal networks remains constant over the years. “That gives me more planning security and independence.” And last but not least, building owners received better financing conditions from banks thanks to certification in the canton’s building energy certificate.

It is about completing the transformation from fossil fuels to sustainable heating energies “as quickly as possible”, Schwarz is quoted as saying. He wishes “that the entire city of Zurich will be heated sustainably by 2050. In my opinion, the expansion of the district heating network is progressing too slowly.”

February 2022
Early participation can increase acceptance of wind power

An early participation of the population can increase the acceptance of new wind turbines in the vicinity of residential areas. According to a press release , researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research ( WSL ) have come to this conclusion. They interviewed 500 people in areas close to the city of Bern about the plans to erect wind turbines. It has been shown that the rejection has a lot to do with the personal connection to the place and the landscape.

Actually, everyone agrees: Renewable energies are valuable and necessary, says Matthias Buchecker from the Social Science Landscape Research Group at WSL, describing the initial situation. However, when it comes to specific investments, it often becomes difficult. So far, it has been assumed that the change in the face of a landscape caused by large wind turbines causes a knee-jerk rejection in one’s own neighborhood, Buchecker is quoted as saying. But this explanation falls short. Instead, the reasons for the rejection lie in the local ties of those affected. “People want to have a say in decisions sooner.”

This requires a rethinking of the planning processes. Because in the survey, the opponents rejected a change in their residential area as a whole – not just the specific wind farm. Involving the population must begin with the question: How should one’s own region develop in principle – ecologically, in terms of energy, economically and in terms of landscape? Buchecker is quoted as saying that the aim should be to find a broad and overarching consensus within the framework of which renewable energy systems would also find their place.

February 2022
digitalSTROM presents new products

According to a press release , digitalSTROM AG from Schlieren will present two innovations at the Light + Building 2022 trade fair. On the one hand, the networking specialist is presenting the integrated solution for access control. According to the announcement, this consists of the fully integrated Smart Video Doorbell and the interactive 10.1″ display, dS-Touch. With the video doorbell, residents can always keep an eye on who is ringing the doorbell. With the dS-Touch display, access control is integrated into the all-in-one solution from digitalSTROM for the first time. This includes fully centralized automation and control of lights, shutters, blinds, heating and ventilation systems and buttons.

The dS Energy extension, which is also new, enables residents with a photovoltaic system to improve their energy balance. The self-generated energy is thus routed to the boiler or heat pump via an intelligent control system. This will also significantly reduce dependency on the electricity company, according to the statement.

For the first time since 2018, digitalSTROM will be taking part in the trade fair from October 2nd to 6th in Frankfurt in order to present its range of smart home solutions and innovations to an international audience. “We benefit from the growing dynamics of home automation and the steadily increasing interest in digitalSTROM solutions,” Peter Lambrechts, Executive Chairman at digitalSTROM, is quoted as saying. In the difficult years for the entire industry, his company invested heavily in research and development and was able to present new products and solutions at Light + Building.

February 2022
Paperi's first "2000-watt area" in the canton of Zug

The paper mill shaped the community of Cham and the Zug West region for more than 360 years. A new living and working quarter with industrial charm is now being built on the former industrial site. Formative existing buildings are being supplemented with striking new buildings directly on the Lorze and implemented sustainably. The story continues and bridges are built between past and future, between people and nature, between living and working. “Sustainability” has played an important role as an overall topic since the beginning of the site development. As the client, the Cham Group committed itself to the goals of the 2000-watt society early on in the planning process and made the decision to use fossil-free heat supply out of conviction and even before the intention of certification. As the crowning glory of the ongoing sustainability efforts, the Papieri was the first area in the canton of Zug to be awarded the “2000 Watt Area” certificate today. On behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, Daniel Kellenberger thanked the Cham Group for their commitment and perseverance in not only talking about energy and CO ₂ targets, but actually implementing them with the “2000 Watt Area” certificate, among other things.

Zero CO2 emissions
The Papieri area offers completely new foundations for an energy-efficient, climate-neutral and sustainable society. This makes it a pioneering project throughout Switzerland. Practically from the beginning of the development of the site, the Cham Group decided to completely dispense with fossil fuels for heat generation and to rely fully on the favorable location factors with hydropower, geothermal probe fields and photovoltaics. The highlight of the area is the completely CO ₂ -free energy system. The entire energy supply on the site is based on 100% renewable energies. This is achieved by means of geothermal probes and a river water catchment, which each serve a central heating and cooling network via heat pumps. Thanks to a ZEV (association for self-consumption) with the renovated small hydroelectric power plant on the Lorze and large-scale photovoltaic systems of 6,500m2 on the new buildings, around 40% of the total energy required can be generated on site. “Moreover, other aspects of comprehensive sustainability are explored in practically every project, be it through “building recycling”, ie intelligent conversion of the existing building, the use of CO ₂ -optimized construction principles such as timber construction, or through intelligent sharing offers in the field of mobility,” explains Lukas Fehr, Head of Development at the Cham Group.

Lighthouse character for municipality and canton
So far, only 43 areas in Switzerland have been certified with this label by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy –
26 of them as a 2000-watt area “in development”. Government Councilor Florian Weber is also pleased that the canton of Zug is playing a role in this. “100 percent for 2000 watts: the Cham Group is opening up a new era of comprehensive and sustainable energy concepts for large-scale developments at the Papieri site,” says the construction director. As Energy City Gold, the municipality of Cham also celebrates the award of the papers as a “2000-watt area”. “The award is a seal of quality for the Cham Group’s site development, an incentive for others and at the same time corresponds to the community’s commitment to climate protection. After all, Cham wants to become climate-neutral internally by 2030; by 2050, “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions should even be achieved for the entire municipality,” explains Drin Alaj, Head of Traffic and Safety for the Cham municipality. And Mayor Georges Helfenstein adds: “We see the developments on the Papieri site as an opportunity and are pleased about this certification and about the new, vibrant and now also certified sustainable quarter”.

Marketing start of the first office and commercial space
On February 10, 2022, the rental of the shop, office and commercial space on the ground floors of the properties in the first construction phase, which will be ready for occupancy at the end of 2022, will start on the papieri-cham.ch website. The Papieri area offers space for every business model and company of different sizes. Not interchangeable and arbitrary, but sustainable, well thought out and in the middle of a lively district.

February 2022
Federal Council wants to accelerate procedures for renewables

Switzerland is lagging behind in the expansion of wind energy. The procedures for the construction of large hydroelectric power plants also take a long time. The Federal Council now wants to speed up the planning and approval procedures for large plants, it writes in a statement . No compromises should be made when it comes to protecting nature, the environment and monuments.

The Federal Council wants to develop a concept with the locations of the most important hydropower and wind turbines. This should serve as a guideline for cantonal structural planning. The systems listed there should then only be subject to a cantonal planning approval procedure. This should be able to issue all permits. Thus, in the event of an objection, only one appeal through the instances should be possible.

In addition, the Federal Council wants to accelerate the installation of photovoltaics on roofs and facades. Investments in new buildings should also be tax deductible. The approval of solar systems on facades is to be regulated via a notification procedure.

The Swiss Energy Foundation welcomes the initiative of the Federal Council. “Switzerland needs a booster for renewable energies,” said Managing Director Nils Epprecht in a statement . “The Federal Council has recognized the urgency. In doing so, he does not question the two political cornerstones of Switzerland, the balancing of interests and federalism.”

The consultation on the Federal Council’s proposal lasts until May 23, 2022.

February 2022
«When it comes to energy, the construction and real estate industry must reinvent itself»

Zur Person
Pascal Bärtschi,
Bauingenieur ETH, ist
Vize-Präsident von
Entwicklung Schweiz und seit 2015 CEO der Losinger Marazzi AG. Der 52-Jährige leitete zuvor bei Losinger
Marazzi die Region Mitte (Bern-Freiburg-Basel).

Wo sieht der Branchenverband Entwicklung Schweiz seine Kernaufgaben?
Wir vertreten Unternehmen, die in der Lage sind, Gesamtleistungen zu übernehmen. Also solche, die von der Projektentwicklung bis und mit Realisierung alles abdecken können. Unsere Hauptaufgabe sehen wir darin, mit unseren Kunden, Investoren, den zuständigen Behörden wie auch mit politischen Verantwortlichen übergeordnete Themen wie etwa Verdichtung und Raumplanung auf einer entsprechenden Flughöhe zu besprechen. Unsere Mitglieder erhalten so die Möglichkeit, via Entwicklung Schweiz mit den zuständigen Personen in Dialog zu treten. Darüber hinaus haben wir als Verband verschiedene Positionspapiere verfasst – derzeit entsteht zum Beispiel gerade ein Positionspapier zur Frage, was man unter Qualität eines Bauprojekts versteht.

Von welchen Vorteilen profitieren Ihre Mitglieder?
Wir organisieren für unsere Mitglieder und assoziierte Partner regelmässig Anlässe, bei denen sie sich mit Stakeholdern wie Politikern oder Investoren austauschen können. Darüber hinaus ist es deutlich einfacher als Verband, Gespräche zu übergeordneten Themen mit Kantonen oder auch Instanzen wie zum Beispiel dem Bundesamt für Bauten und Logistik (BBL) zu führen, als wenn dies jedes Mitglied für sich tun müsste. Gerade bei regulatorischen Themen profitieren unsere Mitglieder von der direkten Schnittstelle zur Politik, die wir dank unserem Präsidenten, Ständerat Martin Schmid (FDP), haben. Er ist Rechtsanwalt und somit nicht in der Branche tätig, was wir als weiteren Vorteil sehen.

Welchen Einfluss hat der Verband in der Schweiz und insbesondere auch in Bundes-Bern?
Wir bieten den Ämtern, Investoren und unseren Kunden eine bewährte Schnittstelle. Ich bewerte unseren Einfluss als gut. Wir haben uns als Gesprächspartner der grossen Instanzen sehr gut etablieren können. Die Immobilienbranche ist dezentralisiert aufgestellt. Für uns ist es deshalb wichtig, dass wir nicht nur in Bern Gehör finden, sondern auch bei den Kantonen und Gemeinden. Denn ein Projekt wird von einer Gemeinde oder einem Kanton bewilligt. Dank unserem Präsidenten und den Kontakten der Geschäftsstelle haben wir einen guten Draht zu Bundes-Bern, was natürlich hilft, wenn es um Themen wie etwa das Raumplanungsgesetz geht.

Braucht es so einen Verband zwingend für eine erfolgreiche Zukunft der Baubranche?
Ich würde sagen, es ist wichtig und notwendig, dass ein solcher Verband existiert. Die Zahl der Schweizer Gesamtdienstleister in der Immobilienbranche ist überschaubar. Unser Verband kann diese Unternehmen optimal auf den verschiedenen Ebenen vertreten.

Welche Verantwortung nimmt Entwicklung Schweiz in Bezug auf die Wohn- und Lebensqualität bei Bauprojekten wahr?
Wir setzen unseren Mitgliedern keine Rahmenbedingungen. Die Wahrnehmung der Wohnqualität ist jedoch auf jeden Fall gegeben, da wir uns als Entwicklung Schweiz mit damit zusammenhängenden Themen wie Lärmschutz, Verdichtung nach innen und Raumplanung intensiv auseinandersetzen. Aber bei uns ist jedes Mitglied selbst dafür verantwortlich, die Projekte entsprechend zu entwickeln und die nötige Qualität zu liefern. Man darf nicht vergessen, dass sich die Mitglieder in einer Wettbewerbssituation befinden.

«
CO2-arme
Baumaterialien, flexiblere
Umnutzungen
»

Welche Bedeutung hat die Energiestrategie 2050 für den Verband?
Die Energiestrategie hat eine grosse Bedeutung für uns. Wir versuchen, Partner und Kunden dafür zu sensibilisieren. Der CO2-Verbrauch in der Immobilien- und Baubranche ist immer noch relativ hoch. Der eine Teil fällt beim Bau an, der andere während des Lebenszyklus einer Immobilie. Geht man von einem Lebenszyklus einer Liegenschaft von 60 Jahren aus, haben Entscheidungen, die heute für einen Neubau getroffen werden, langfristige Auswirkungen. In diesem Zusammenhang wird sich die Immobilien- und Baubranche neu erfinden müssen.

Wie meinen Sie das?
Vor zehn Jahren fielen etwa 50 Prozent der CO2-Emmissionen bei der Herstellung der Baumaterialien sowie in der Bauphase selbst an. Die anderen 50 Prozent fielen auf den Unterhalt einer Liegenschaft. Heute sind wir, was Unterhalt und Betrieb eines Gebäudes betrifft, bei etwa einem Drittel des CO2-Ausstosses; bei der Herstellung der Baumaterialien sowie dem Bau selber bei zwei Dritteln. Wir müssen uns Gedanken machen, wie wir den CO2-Fussbadruck einer Immobilie reduzieren können. Eine Lösung besteht darin, dass man wirklich nur die für ein Gebäude notwendige Fläche bebaut. Ein anderer Ansatz ist die Wahl der Materialien – heute gibt es bereits CO2-armen Beton oder die Möglichkeit des umweltfreundlichen Holzbaus. Ausserdem müssen bestehende Strukturen später umgenutzt werden können. Schauen wir uns die Investitionen in der Immobilienbranche an, fallen 99 Prozent auf Neubauten und nur 1 Prozent geht in Sanierungen. Hier sehen wir Handlungsbedarf.

Wie hat die Bau- und Immobilienbranche die Pandemie bis jetzt bewältigt?
Die Baubranche ist relativ gut durchgekommen – es gab wenig Umsatzeinbussen, da die Baustellen mit Ausnahme des Kantons Genf auch während des Lockdowns offengeblieben sind. Etwas schwieriger gestaltete sich die Immobilienentwicklung. Die Entwicklung eines Projekts startet in der Regel mit einem Quartierplan und einer Baubewilligung. Die Pandemie hat vieles ausgebremst. So mussten Gemeindeversammlungen, bei denen beispielsweise über ein Vorhaben abgestimmt werden sollte, häufig verschoben werden. Damit verschiebt sich automatisch auch das Projekt. Bei der Bearbeitung der Baugesuchdossiers hat man die Verlagerung zur Arbeit im Home-Office gespürt: Der Austausch wurde erschwert; es hat alles etwas mehr Zeit in Anspruch genommen, was wiederum zu Verzögerungen geführt hat.

Zeichnet sich beim Arbeitsleben durch die Pandemie eine Veränderung ab?
Die Pandemie hat Tendenzen, die sich schon vorher abgezeichnet haben, beschleunigt. Ein Beispiel hierfür ist die pro Person weniger benötigte Bürofläche. Bei der Konzeption von Wohnungen dürfte die Berücksichtigung des immer öfter benötigten Home-Office langfristig Einfluss haben. Wobei dies nicht zwingend in einem zusätzlichen Arbeitszimmer in der Wohnung selber resultieren muss. Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass man innerhalb eines Quartiers verschiedene kleine Co-Working-Spaces entwickelt. Diese könnten auch Mischnutzungen aufweisen, also beispielsweise über Mittag als Restaurant fungieren.

Wohnen die Menschen in der Romandie anders als in der Deutschschweiz?
Die Nachhaltigkeitsaspekte werden zurzeit in der Romandie noch weniger wahrgenommen als in der Deutschschweiz. Ich vermute, das kommt daher, dass die grünen Tendenzen zunächst aus Deutschland kamen und somit zuerst die Deutschschweiz erreicht haben. Auch im Bereich des Öffentlichen Verkehrs hat die Deutschschweiz einen gewissen Vorsprung – wobei die Romandie hier am Aufholen ist.

Welche Meilensteine hat Entwicklung Schweiz in den letzten Jahren erreicht?
Der wichtigste Punkt ist sicher, dass wir heute etablierte Ansprechpartner für übergeordnete Themen auf Stufe Kantone und Bund sind.

February 2022
Climate-friendly concrete

The construction project in the Tech Cluster Zug is the largest construction project to date in which CO2-enriched concrete is used. For this purpose, CO2 from Switzerland is used for the first time, which the ETH spin-off neustark obtains from the wastewater treatment plant of ara region bern AG. In addition to binding CO2, the client also required the use of high-quality recycled concrete. In this way, V-Zug relies on the efficient use of concrete. "For example, the ceiling systems were optimized in terms of material consumption, and hollow core ceilings are planned in places with low static stress," says Christoph Graf, "Zephyr Ost" project manager at Tech Cluster Zug AG.
The recycled concrete EvopactRecarb is manufactured and supplied by Holcim. Using state-of-the-art technologies, the company processes regional mineral demolition material into high-quality secondary raw materials, which flow back into the building material cycle in cement and concrete production. "We are delighted to be taking a step closer to our vision of climate-neutral and circular concrete production with the help of the innovative neustark process," adds Giovanni Barbarani, Head of Concrete Performance at Holcim Switzerland. "This project is a milestone on the way to sustainable construction in Switzerland, also thanks to its regionality and short transport routes."

February 2022
Henriette Wendt elected to the CKW Board of Directors

Due to the measures to combat Covid-19, the 128th CKW General Assembly on January 28, 2022 was held in a small group. The shareholders exercised their voting and election rights in writing to the attention of the independent proxy. They approved the annual report, the consolidated financial statements and the annual financial statements for the 2020/21 financial year. The CKW Group closed the past financial year very successfully with an operating profit of CHF 174.5 million.

Dividend increase and special dividend
The net financial assets of the CKW Group increased by a further CHF 35 million to CHF 574 million compared to the previous year. This initial situation and the financial planning for the coming years allow the ordinary dividend to be increased from CHF 3 to CHF 6. In addition, with the conclusion of the energy tariff proceedings and the subsequent compensation for the former transmission grid in the past financial year, CKW has obtained legal certainty in two long-term proceedings. The Board of Directors has therefore decided to propose an additional one-off special dividend of CHF 15 per share to the Annual General Meeting. The shareholders followed the suggestion and approved the dividend increase as well as the special dividend.

New name: CKW AG instead of Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke AG
They also elected Henriette Wendt, Chief Operating Officer and member of the Executive Board of the Axpo Group, as the new member of the Board of Directors. She succeeds Michael Schmid, who has resigned from the Board of Directors. As COO of Axpo, Henriette Wendt plays an important role in the strategic and cultural development of the Axpo Group nationally and internationally. Before joining Axpo, Wendt worked for Microsoft Switzerland, where she held the role of Chief Marketing & Operations Officer.

The General Assembly approved the actions of the members of the Board of Directors and confirmed President Christoph Brand, the government councilors Marcel Schwerzmann (Lucerne) and Dimitri Moretti (Uri), Anita Eckardt, Joris Gröflin and Hansueli Sallenbach for another one-year term as members of the Board of Directors. KPMG AG, Lucerne, was elected as auditor for another year.

CKW has been operating under this name as a uniform brand on the market for around 5 years and enjoys the trust of customers in and outside of Central Switzerland. This strategy is now continued in the official company name. Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke AG becomes CKW AG. The AGM approved the application in terms of simplification and as a sign of modernization.

The next General Assembly will take place on Friday, January 27, 2023.

February 2022
Synhelion and Cemex produce the first solar concrete

Synhelion and Mexico’s Cemex , the world’s fifth largest cement producer in 2020, have produced the world’s first solar clinker. As both companies write in a media release of the same name, this “revolutionary innovation” is a “first step towards the development of completely solar-powered cement plants”. dr Gianluca Ambrosetti, CEO and co-founder of Synhelion, is proud to “join with Cemex to demonstrate a concrete, industrially relevant application of our fully renewable high-temperature solar heating”.

Synhelion emerged from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in 2016. The company’s technology aims to replace all types of fossil fuels with solar fuels. According to the information, it converts concentrated heat from the sun into “the hottest process heat available on the market”. Cemex wants to supply CO2-neutral concrete worldwide by 2050. A key part of this strategy is CEMEX Ventures and its research and development center in Brügg BE.

Research teams from both companies installed a pilot plant on the premises of the Madrid Regional Government’s Imdea Energy Research Institute . There, the solar receiver from Synhelion delivered “record-breaking” temperatures of over 1500 degrees with concentrated sunlight. A gaseous heat transfer medium is thus heated. This provided the heat needed to melt limestone, clay, and other materials together.

The clinker obtained in this way was used to manufacture cement and then processed into concrete. In the next phase of their joint research and development project, Synhelion and Cemex intend to work towards an industrial-scale pilot plant.

February 2022
When the current can be felt

Riccardo Pozzi is Head of Energy Management at Primeo Energie AG and responsible for procuring electricity, including for EKZ customers. To understand the price of electricity, you have to look at the prices for other energy sources. Because the price of electricity is closely linked to this. So let's look at the price of gas. Because it currently determines the electricity price and there is a lot to be read, seen and heard about it in the media: it is reaching record values. And a rapid price recovery is not yet in sight. "The reasons for this high gas price are, on the one hand, that the gas storage facilities could not be filled in the summer months," explains Riccardo Pozzi. The price of gas was already rising back then. In the hope of a price recovery, the annual filling of the gas storage facilities had been postponed. Added to the wait is the delayed commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. In the future, this will transport Russian gas directly to Germany via the Baltic Sea. However, political and legal issues have delayed commissioning until now. Thus, the demand is greater than the supply, which drives up the price on the market.
dependence of the electricity price
But what does the price of gas have to do with the price of electricity? Electricity is traded on various exchanges on the European electricity market. The price is determined by the most expensive technology used to generate electricity. This is because these power plants are deployed in the order of their marginal costs (variable costs). And so until the demand is met. The most expensive power plant used thus determines the price. This mechanism is expressed by the so-called "merit order curve".
“Currently, it is mainly gas-fired power plants that determine the price,” explains the energy specialist. This explains the sharp rise in electricity prices. But there is another reason for the increase in electricity costs: CO2 certificates. Power plants have to purchase certificates for the CO2 emissions they produce. These are also traded and their prices are largely influenced by the EU. As a result of the EU's ambitious emission reduction targets, the prices for CO2 certificates have also risen.
Electricity price prospects
"Currently, business customers on the open market who are still without a contract, i.e. customers with a consumption of more than 100 MWh, are feeling the high electricity price very badly," says Riccardo Pozzi and adds: "Up to now, many customers have hoped that the prices would would go down." Customers in basic services would have it better. Because while business customers buy electricity at the current price, the price for customers with basic supply is made up of an average over two years. "Our customers will feel the effects of the current electricity price trend in 2023 and 2024 through a major price increase," explains Karl Resch, Head of Regulation Management and Network Management at EKZ. "Since we have hardly any own production in Switzerland and are therefore dependent on market prices, our price increase will be somewhat larger than that of energy suppliers who have a large proportion of their own production," adds the expert. And he says: "These companies tend to have higher electricity prices over the years, but they don't fluctuate as much". EKZ will also be one of the cheapest electricity suppliers in Switzerland in 2022. The extent to which electricity prices will increase in 2023 has not yet been determined. Because the tariffs will not be determined until summer 2022. However, EKZ continues to work to keep electricity prices as low as possible.
Composition of the electricity price
If you want to know how the electricity price is made up, read the article on energie-experten.ch by Claudio Maag, Deputy Head of Network Management and Regulatory Management at EKZ.

February 2022
Daiwa House Modular Europe names four trends that will be essential for the real estate industry in 2022

Global scarcity of resources
The prices of many building materials are currently skyrocketing. This will not change this year either – insulating materials, steel, everything will become more expensive and scarce. Construction prices are rising accordingly and threaten to make many projects unprofitable. In addition, the emerging countries in particular are currently asking for a lot of material and are buying the market empty. So the situation will continue to worsen. In the long term, only improved project planning with a greater focus on reusability can help, because circular economy and resource protection already begin in the planning phase. If entire buildings, parts of buildings and building materials can be recycled or found a subsequent use, this not only reduces the material requirement, but also contributes to greater sustainability at the same time. It is important to think big about Cradle to Cradle in the future.
Sustainability not only through energy savings in the usage phase
The German construction industry in particular has an urgent need to catch up when it comes to sustainability. In the Netherlands there is already a CO ₂ cap per square meter of new construction. With the new government with green participation, it is quite conceivable that such a cap will also become the new guideline in Germany. In addition, disposal costs will remain a major issue and will increase proportionately. Due to the still immature framework conditions for recycling processes and the low landfill capacities, waste is becoming a further driver of construction costs. This shows how important it will be in the future to use building materials and building parts for a long time and to reuse them later – as is already possible in modular construction by refurbishing reused modules. The circular economy should therefore be the focus of the project early on in the planning.
Digitization and AI also in construction
In order to increase sustainability across the entire industry and to counteract the scarcity of resources, both planning and production must be optimized. Both must become more intelligent overall and network. The use of “artificial intelligence” is ideal for this. It supports construction projects, for example, through generative design, proactive problem detection and the avoidance of delays and cost overruns. But it also has to be used in production. An example: Digitizing the cut leads to less offcuts and waste. Thanks to good advance planning and the use of an AI, the remaining material from a cut can be used for further use in other future projects. This not only saves material, but also additional work steps and thus increases the efficiency of the entire production process. After all, residual materials are also resources.
Industrialized manufacturing as in the automotive industry
The advance of digitization within the construction industry also enables the use of semi- or fully automated processes. They reduce sources of error and make production more efficient. Affordable living space can be optimally realized with robot-supported construction processes in connection with the necessary digital management of the construction data – from planning to construction site. In view of the acute shortage of skilled workers, which will not be solved in the next few years, this development is the logical consequence. Daiwa House Modular Europe will also rely on automated processes in the already planned German gigafactory.
These four trends should encourage the construction industry to rethink. In addition, there are a number of other changes such as a generational change in the ranks of managers as well as political and social change. Builders are now open to standardized building solutions. Modularly planned and built buildings offer a short construction time and high quality thanks to around 90 percent prefabrication in the factory. In the residential, care, hotel and education segments in particular, there are similar needs despite the different locations – so not every building has to be a prototype.

February 2022