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  • EWA – energieUri receives quality label

    EWA – energieUri receives quality label

    The association has developed the quality label vsas-certified.swiss in order to promote the profitability, product quality, specialist knowledge and safety of its member companies, writes the Association of Switchgear and Automatic Systems Switzerland ( VSAS ) on its Internet portal. EWA – energieUri has successfully passed the extensive audit to award the certification. This means that the Uri energy supplier is the first company in Switzerland to be awarded certification, writes EWA – energieUri in a press release.

    "We build switchgears of all sizes for customers all over Switzerland", Kilian Huwyler, Head of Switchgear Construction and Automation at EWA, is quoted in the press release. "The spectrum ranges from house panels to complex switchgear for industry." This year, the Uri-based energy service provider looks back on the company's 125th anniversary.

  • Uri adopts digitization strategy

    Uri adopts digitization strategy

    According to a press release , the Uri government council has passed its digitization strategy. This defines the general direction that the canton wants to take in the area of digitization. It also serves as an orientation framework for implementing strategic projects over the next five to ten years. Overall, the strategy should give the attractiveness of the residential and business location Uri a positive boost, it is said.

    Digitization could "become a real development driver for the canton of Uri and significantly strengthen Uri's positioning", the government council stated in the government program for 2020 to 2024. For this, the “social peculiarities of Uris as well as the special opportunities Uris as an economic and home office location with a quality of retreat” must be taken into account.

    The Canton of Uri was also supported by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences ( HSLU ) in developing the digitization strategy. As project manager Stephan Käppeli points out in a communication from the HSLU in February, the canton is suitable “in various ways as a model region for digitization”.

  • The rental agreement is digitally signed for the first time

    The rental agreement is digitally signed for the first time

    According to a press release , Flatfox , Verit Immobilien AG and Skribble have reached a milestone in the digitization of rental agreements: their jointly developed electronic rental agreement has now been signed with legally binding effect in Zurich. This was the first time that a rental process was handled digitally in Switzerland.

    With the electronic signature made possible by Skribble, prospective tenants and landlords can now sign a rental agreement “simply and securely” on their smartphone, computer or tablet. This means that rental contracts no longer have to be printed out and then time-consuming to be sent back and forth by post.

    “I'm a fan of online things,” said the first tenant to ever sign a rental agreement electronically in Switzerland. “I think it's great to sign a rental agreement at the push of a button. The concept enables me to file my rental agreement digitally. "

    According to the announcement, the Zurich manager of Verit Immobilien AG, who countersigned this contract, particularly appreciated the user-friendliness and the time saved. The successfully launched pilot project is to be fully integrated into the first and re-letting process of Verit Immobilien AG in the future.

  • Belimo integrates the platform for building data

    Belimo integrates the platform for building data

    The Facilio platform is intended to enable Belimo customers to use the Internet of Things (IoT) to collect real-time data on the processes in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC systems) and to check the building performance, explains the HVAC specialist -Systems from the Zurich Oberland in the message . Facilio, which has its headquarters in New York, and Belimo have agreed on a corresponding cooperation, it says there. “The synergy between Belimo’s digital ecosystem and Facilio’s operating and maintenance platform uses available data to unlock the potential of networked buildings and address the new challenges,” Salvatore Cataldi, Global Strategic Building IoT Expert at Belimo, is quoted in the press release.

    The data collected are intended to serve property owners and property operators as a basis for implementing efficient sustainability measures, the communication further explains. “Facilio and Belimo will provide customers who are switching to an agile, data-supported operating model with a single, networked operating environment through which they can view and control their rooms and equipment in real time,” said Prabhu Ramachandran, CEO and founder of Facilio, quote there. Through the cooperation, the two partners also want to respond to the growing demand for solutions for efficient building operation.

  • Lidl halves footprint

    Lidl halves footprint

    Lidl has exceeded a self-imposed environmental target. By 2020, the company wanted to reduce its relative CO2 emissions by 35 percent compared to 2013, Lidl Switzerland explains in a press release . Ultimately, however, the CO2 emissions were reduced by 53 percent. Lidl emphasizes a change in its own transport area as a particularly effective measure. Here, the company plans to only use trucks powered by bio-liquefied petroleum gas by 2030.

    Lidl Switzerland has introduced a CO2 management system in which the company’s annual CO2 emissions are recorded, the communication further explains. Building on this, the company derives measures to reduce emissions. The remaining emissions are offset.

    This is the fifth time that Lidl Switzerland has met the conditions for certification with the Swiss Climate Label CO2-neutral, according to the announcement. According to her, Lidl Switzerland is the first company of its kind in Switzerland whose branches and goods distribution centers are all certified according to the ISO 50001 energy efficiency standard.

  • Energy Lab aims to deliver innovations for the energy transition

    Energy Lab aims to deliver innovations for the energy transition

    The NTN Innovation Booster Energy Lab will officially start its work in January 2021. However, such a dynamic has already emerged that the first of a total of 50 planned projects have already been launched, writes the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences in a media release . They should lead to innovations in the efficient generation, storage and use of renewable energies that are also marketable.

    The consortium of over 200 members is strategically managed by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. In addition to the Central Switzerland Innovation Park and NEST – the research and innovation platform of the Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute and the water research institute of the ETH Domain – numerous other institutions, all Swiss universities of applied sciences and ETH Zurich . The Energy Lab is being funded by the Swiss innovation agency Innosuisse with CHF 1.5 million for an initial period of four years.

    More than 200 companies are already connected via the Central Switzerland Innovation Park, "and the trend is increasing", the message goes on to say: "Because the Energy Lab is an open network in which interested parties can contribute at any time."

    "The challenges are so complex that they can no longer be resolved with individual measures, but only in large-scale cooperation between industry, politics, science and society," the project manager and professor at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, Ludger Fischer, is quoted in the communication . "The solutions will offer concrete added value for the economy and can therefore be implemented!"

  • Algorithms help manage power loads

    Algorithms help manage power loads

    The simultaneous activation of many electrical devices creates enormous network loads. Since up to 60 percent of the grid usage costs for the energy supply companies are calculated from these load peaks, they have a vital interest in avoiding or at least smoothing them out as far as possible. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts ( HSLU ) has now found a solution together with partners, according to a press release.

    What is needed is “an intelligent and efficient energy and load management, with the help of which energy can be shifted”, Andrew Paice is quoted in this communication . He is the head of the HSLU Building Intelligence Research Center called iHomeLab . His team developed the prototype of such a system together with the HSLU Competence Center for Thermal Energy Storage, the Vilters-Wangs electricity company and business partners Asgal Informatik and Semax . The Swiss Agency for Innovation Promotion Innosuisse supports the project.

    The artificial intelligence developed by the teams and its algorithms use the data from intelligent electricity reading devices, so-called smart meters. The researchers used it to calculate thermal models of buildings. The algorithms “identify power-consuming devices such as heat pumps, boilers or e-mobiles and power-producing devices such as photovoltaic systems,” explains Paice. Then maximum power consumption, switch-on and switch-off times and energy consumption per day are combined with temperature and weather forecasts. This enabled precise predictions to be made.

    With these project results, the two companies involved in the project could now offer energy suppliers a service that would help them save costs – without the need for additional investments in their distribution networks.

  • Switzerland signs international declaration for e-mobility

    Switzerland signs international declaration for e-mobility

    According to a press release by the Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ), Switzerland signed an international declaration for the zero-emissions target in transport on Thursday as part of the Global e-Mobility Forum 2020 . This declaration is entitled " Katowice Partnership for E-Mobility ". She was born in December 2018 at the World Climate Conference in Katowice, Poland. Today it consists of 44 states and around three dozen sub-national administrative units, city associations and non-governmental organizations.

    According to the organizers, 38 countries from five continents as well as organizations and alliances had already joined this declaration, as well as 1,500 cities and regions and 1,200 companies. Overall, they represented over a third of the world's population. Switzerland did not sign the declaration at the time because of the “pending legislative and political work”, according to the SFOE in the communication.

    However, in December 2018, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications ( DETEC ) and “numerous Swiss players” launched the Electromobility Roadmap 2022 “very successfully”. The aim of this roadmap is to increase the share of electric vehicles in new registrations to 15 percent by 2022. "Nothing stands in the way of signing the 'Katowice Partnership for E-Mobility'."

    It brings "no rights and obligations" with it. But the undersigned countries and organizations should promote zero-emission vehicles, set fleet targets and work together internationally. Further goals are the promotion of green public transport, the expansion of an intelligent infrastructure, the improvement of air quality as well as research and development in these areas.

  • Private individuals can participate in large solar systems

    Private individuals can participate in large solar systems

    Romande Energie customers can invest in their own solar systems without having their own roof. The Vaudois energy supplier wants to build a solar system totaling 1,700 square meters on Bertrand Pittet’s Petite Chamberonne farm in Etagnières, he writes in a press release . He enables his customers to participate. In return, the corresponding share of the production of solar power on the farm would be deducted from their private electricity bills.

    Romande Energie wants to attract a sufficiently large number of investors for its Jardin Solaire – sun garden – project by spring 2021. The plant should go into operation before summer.

    The Vaudois energy supplier launched a similar project in Mont-sur-Rolle in December 2019. There 37 private customers took part in the Jardin Solaire.

  • Erstfeldertal power plant produces its first electricity

    Erstfeldertal power plant produces its first electricity

    In the canton of Uri, a further 7200 households can be supplied with CO2-free electricity. The hydropower plant of the energy supplier EWA at the entrance to the Erstfeldertal started up on Thursday and produced electricity for the first time. "In two and a half years from the first approval step to commissioning is absolutely unique for a power plant of this size," the chairman of the EWA management, Werner Jauch, is quoted in a press release from the EWA.

    Before that, a wide variety of studies and projects had been developed for a good 100 years. “They all disappeared back into the drawer,” writes the EWA. And this project, too, “stood on a knife's edge several times”. Speed was now of the essence because in a month's time the national subsidy contributions to the power plant would have expired. That would have failed the project. “We believed it was feasible and we succeeded in putting the power plant into operation more than a month before the deadline,” said Jauch.

    Around 45 companies from Uri were involved in the construction, explains Peter Dittli, Vice President of the Board of Directors of KW Erstfeldertal AG . 75 percent of the total investment of 37 million francs remained in Uri as added value. In addition, there would be water interest and tax revenues. And finally, operation and maintenance also secured jobs. All of this is "particularly valuable in economically challenging times," said Jauch. "The corona pandemic shows us how important local production is when the international supply chains collapse very quickly."

  • ZHAW researchers and Zühlke are making solar systems cheaper

    ZHAW researchers and Zühlke are making solar systems cheaper

    When building your own photovoltaic system, planning and bureaucracy costs are often more expensive than purchasing the electricity-generating modules. The researcher Franz Baumgartner from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences has dealt with this problem. According to a press release , he is using modern technology to reduce planning costs. Baumgartner, head of the energy and environmental technology course at the ZHAW School of Engineering, is quoted as saying: "With small photovoltaic systems on single-family houses, only a fifth of the costs are now attributable to the modules themselves." The planning of the system and the administration are now similarly expensive necessary documentation.

    Baumgartner and the ZHAW Institute for Energy Systems and Fluid Engineering, in collaboration with the Schlierem-based innovation specialist Zühlke , started at precisely this point. According to the press release, Baumgartner got to know the use of HoloLens glasses in the medical sector and wants to use their advantages in photovoltaics.

    “Up to 15 working hours per system are required for the administrative work,” says Baumgartner. Building applications, fire protection plans and approvals help to drive up costs. It is easier to save money with more efficient processes than with cheaper modules. According to Baumgartner, part of the solution could be the HoloLens. During measurements on flat roofs, for example, the HoloLens glasses show the assembly points of planned systems with an accuracy of two centimeters and then create a virtual image of the system.

    Baumgartner: "In addition to its potential for documenting the entire process, it has a great advantage: it can measure, plan, offer and demonstrate the system to end customers from a single source." Baumgartner: "Because of the high wages, the system will first pay off in Switzerland."

    ZHAW researcher Baumgartner wants to expand its application to all types of flat roofs and covered parking spaces. "We are in the process of formulating a project application for the Federal Office of Energy and have already received positive signals from Bern."

  • Innovative distillery goes into operation

    Innovative distillery goes into operation

    The new building in Amlikon-Bissegg is, among other things, the "most modern distillery in Switzerland", as it is called in a media release by Macardo Swiss Distillery GmbH . The barrel store is even the most innovative in Europe, the company from the St.GallenBodenseeArea continues. Two-day celebrations with a corresponding program were planned for the opening, but this was prevented by the Corona crisis. “Nevertheless, we will open on November 28, 2020 and start operating the distillery, the premium B&B, the event location and the honesty bar with cigar lounge. Countless people have worked intensively towards this in the last few months, ”Martina Bössow, owner of Macardo Swiss Distillery GmbH, is quoted in the press release.

    At the opening, the shop, which is also integrated in the new building, will be available to visitors. Fine brandies, Macardo disinfectants and a “world first for all whiskey fans”, as von Bössow put it, are offered there. And from November 30th, small groups of six people will be offered free guided tours for which registration is required.

    The new building was built around a cheese factory that is more than 100 years old. At the distillery, the focus is on craftsmanship, which is underlined by a sustainable process. Modern technology is also used in the drum store, which ensures an optimal room climate for the 400 barrels. In addition to the bar and lounge, shop and the event room, ten rooms and two apartments with a bed-and-breakfast offer (B&B) are also available for visitors.

  • The effects of the pandemic on industry and construction are weakening

    According to a report from the Federal Statistical Office ( FSO ), production in the Swiss secondary sector fell by 4.4% in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the previous year. At the same time, the turnover of Swiss companies in industry and construction fell by 6.3 percent. The coronavirus pandemic is thus continuing to "leave its mark on the secondary sector," write analysts at the FSO. Compared to the previous quarter, however, the declines were "only about half".

    In the industrial sector, production declined 5.1% year-on-year for the quarter. A weakening of the decline was observed over the three months. It was strongest in July with 6.7%. In August production was 5.6% below the previous year's figure, while it weakened to 3.8% in September.

    In the construction sector, production decreased by 0.4% in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the third quarter of 2019. A decrease of 7.2% was recorded in building construction. In contrast, production in civil engineering and other construction rose by 4.6% and 2.9%, respectively.

    Industry sales in the quarter under review were 7.9% lower than in the same quarter of the previous year. Gradually weaker declines were observed over the three months between 9.7% in July and 5.6% in September.

    Sales in the construction sector decreased by 0.6% in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the previous year. Here the range ranged from a decrease of 6.9% in building construction to an increase of 5.1% in civil engineering.

  • Zürich erhält Goldauszeichnung als Energiestadt

    Zürich erhält Goldauszeichnung als Energiestadt

    Zürich ist im Rahmen des Hackathons Climathon Zürich erneut mit dem Energiestadt-Label in Gold ausgezeichnet worden. Damit fördert der Trägerverein Energiestadt die Umstellung auf erneuerbare Energien und Energieeffizienz. Laut einer Medienmitteilung der Stadt hätten der Ausbau der Photovoltaikanlagen auf stadteigenen Liegenschaften zu dieser Anerkennung ebenso beigetragen wie die Realisierung des Energieverbunds Altstetten und Höngg. Auch die neue Tramlinie Hardbrücke und die weitere Elektrifizierung des öffentlichen Verkehrs hätten ihren Anteil daran.

    Zum ersten Mal war Zürich die Auszeichnung als Energiestadt vor 20 Jahren verliehen worden. Seither seien die langfristigen Ziele der Stadt „kontinuierlich angepasst worden“. Dazu gehörten etwa die Verankerung der 2000-Watt-Gesellschaft in der Gemeindeordnung und die aktuellen Bestrebungen in Richtung Klimaneutralität. Grundlage dafür seien die im Masterplan Energie der Stadt Zürich definierten energiepolitischen Schwerpunkte.

  • Intershop is building the AuPark in Wädenswil

    Intershop is building the AuPark in Wädenswil

    The AuPark is to be built in Wädenswil-Au on Lake Zurich in the next few years. It should be a place to live, work, shop, relax, play and be educated, as it says on the AuPark website . A public park is to be created in the middle of the complex as a connecting element and meeting zone for the population of Au. The apartments in AuPark have a view of the Au peninsula and Lake Zurich.

    The project is operated by the real estate company Intershop . According to a media release , this applied for the building permit on November 17th. The private design plan for today's industrial area was approved in July. According to Intershop, 231 apartments are to be built. A total of 54 apartments are reserved for affordable living. It is planned to build the buildings according to the Swiss Sustainable Building Standard (SNBS) and with an energy supply from heat pumps. Work is scheduled to begin in autumn 2021 and the first buildings will be ready for occupancy in winter 2024. The new building of the Zimmerberg Cantonal School is also planned. However, this is carried out by the Canton of Zurich and not by Intershop.

  • Public transport should expand photovoltaics

    Public transport should expand photovoltaics

    Photovoltaics offers all public transport companies the opportunity to take a large part of their energy supply into their own hands. A new guide from the Federal Office of Transport refers to this. The authority developed it together with the Swiss Association for Solar Energy, Swissolar .

    As Swissolar writes in a summary of this guide, solar energy can make a decisive contribution to replacing non-renewable energies in public transport. The electricity consumption of all transport companies is currently around 2.7 terawatt hours. In addition, there are 120 million liters of diesel. If all public transport is to be operated in a CO2-neutral manner in the future, it will need around 3.5 terawatt hours of electricity. Of this, 2 terawatt hours, or 60 percent, would already be produced by the hydropower plants of the SBB .

    The production of the remaining 1.5 terawatt hours with solar energy would require around 1 square meter of photovoltaic module area per inhabitant in Switzerland. The same area per inhabitant provides the energy required to transport a person 2,500 kilometers by train in one year. As the Federal Office of Energy states in its energeia plus magazine, the potential for solar power in the Swiss transport company's building stock is 67 terawatt hours per year. That exceeds the total current Swiss electricity consumption by 10 percent.

    The guide advises small and large transport companies on investment opportunities and approval procedures for real estate, rail technology and infrastructure. He also goes into funding opportunities and personal consumption. It also provides specific official recommendations that support public transport in becoming climate-neutral.

  • Quickpac now distributes packages from Dietikon

    Quickpac now distributes packages from Dietikon

    With the newly opened depot in Dietikon, the parcel delivery company Quickpac intends to serve large parts of the cantons of Aargau, Zug and Zurich in the future. With Dietikon, Quickpac expands the number of its distribution centers to three. Up to 25,000 parcels can be transported daily from the three depots. The subsidiary of Quickmail AG is planning to open further depots in St.Gallen in 2021 and, according to a media release , is currently looking for locations in the regions of Bern, St.Gallen, Upper Lake Zurich, Lucerne and Basel.

    55 new parcel deliverers have been hired in Dietikon. The number should double in 2021, it is said. 75 new electric vehicles were purchased for delivery. With 176 Renault Kangoo ZE, Quickpac has the largest electric car fleet in Switzerland. According to the announcement, the head of the Dietikon depot is Matthias Merz (47), previously Head of Operations at Cargo Solution GmbH.

    The new parcel center would allow even more recipients in Switzerland to benefit from “the fact that their parcels are delivered quietly and with low emissions,” says Thomas Ulmann, COO of Quickpac, quoted as saying. In addition, there is the rapid delivery. A quarter of the parcels are delivered on the day of delivery. Even between 5 and 9 p.m. when working people are at home. Ulmann: "That saves unnecessary and unecological trips to collection points."

  • BKW launches digital platform for energy suppliers

    BKW launches digital platform for energy suppliers

    With its new digital platform Energy Business , the Bern-based energy and infrastructure company BKW wants to give Swiss energy providers support in four areas, according to a press release : cyber security, law and regulation, innovative products for end customers and customer service. For this purpose, it launched the e4u platform at the beginning of November.

    The energy suppliers are facing a demanding future, it is said there. “That is why we want to team up with one clear goal: Economic success through scaling, synergies and the use of tried and tested solutions. We believe that we can only achieve this if we work together. ”With this, BKW is committed to a long-term partner strategy with other energy suppliers in Switzerland, she writes in her press release.

    In a first phase, BKW is offering service packages on the platform that give other energy suppliers access to their tried and tested skills. In parallel, she is planning various educational activities. In addition, it also offers "individualized advisory services for complex needs".

    Both energy suppliers and large end consumers could use the platform to procure their energy in a single system. The platform itself was developed in close cooperation with BKW customers.

  • Designwerk delivers the first electric garbage truck to Basel

    Designwerk delivers the first electric garbage truck to Basel

    Designwerk Products AG has made the first fully electric garbage truck available to the building and transport department of the canton of Basel-Stadt. In the first phase, Designwerk will deliver one vehicle to Basel “almost a week” according to its media release until the beginning of February. A total of eleven more garbage trucks are to follow.

    The first Basel e-truck, a Futuricum Collect 26E, is based on the Volvo FM chassis. It has four electric motors with an output of 680 hp. Its range is 160 kilometers. The batteries are charged overnight. Designwerk is cooperating with Contena-Ochsner AG for the construction of press waste. This is also operated electrically.

    The construction and transport department of the canton of Basel-Stadt is playing a pioneering role in electromobility across Switzerland, according to Designwerk. Within the next five years, 85 percent of cantonal vehicles are to be electric.

  • Zühlke modernizes Wincasa's digital presence

    Zühlke modernizes Wincasa's digital presence

    IT innovation service provider Zühlke from Schlieren brings the software used at Wincasa up to date, which meets today's market requirements. The real estate service provider from Winterthur has so far worked with the programs developed in-house. According to Zühlke's press release , these programs, which have been developed in the company over the last 15 years, are "extremely functional", but are not sufficient for Wincasa's expansion strategy. So far, data exchange with third-party applications has not been possible, nor is the software cloud-based. But both are necessary in order to use omni-channel marketing – the forwarding of product information to all sales channels and media – and to offer tenants and owners appropriate services.

    Zühlke helps the Wincasa experts to modernize the existing system. It should not be set up completely from scratch. For this purpose, the three existing areas of corporate planning, property management and construction project management are made cloud-enabled and prepared for use in the Microsoft Azure environment. The data that has been collected over many years now has to be cleaned up and transferred to the new platform. New projects are brought in there directly. Zühlke experts work together with Wincasa IT specialists on this work.

    The media release states the goal of the modernization: Wincasa wants to lead the digital revolution in the Swiss real estate market.

  • Andermatt Swiss Alps remains on the road to success

    Andermatt Swiss Alps remains on the road to success

    Between January and October 2020, the Andermatt Swiss Alps Group was able to sell properties worth more than 85 million francs, the company responsible for the development, realization and operation of the holiday destination informs in a message . In a year-on-year comparison, this corresponds to growth of 28 percent. The number of visitors to the SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun and the Andermatt Golf Course during summer operations increased by 12 and 50 percent respectively compared to the previous year. This means that the group has continued its positive business development from the first half of 2020, according to the announcement.

    The Hotel The Chedi Andermatt was also able to book significantly more overnight stays in the first ten months of 2020 than in the previous year, the Andermatt Swiss Alps Group continues in the message. Specifically, "the historically highest occupancy rate" of 68 percent was achieved. In the same period of the previous year, the hotel The Chedi Andermatt had an occupancy rate of 53 percent.

    As of October 31, skiing on the Gemsstock started due to the pandemic with a corresponding plan of action, is further explained in the communication. The canton of Uri has certified the operators safe operation, writes the Andermatt Swiss Alps Group. On the first two weekends of the winter season, the ski operation on the Gemsstock was sold out with around 1000 guests a day.

  • Climate Foundation Switzerland supports innovative projects

    Climate Foundation Switzerland supports innovative projects

    The Swiss Climate Foundation has distributed a total of 1.3 million francs in funding. Small and medium-sized companies that make a contribution to climate protection benefit from this financial support. A total of nine particularly innovative and five major projects for improving the energy efficiency of buildings receive funds from the Climate Foundation. “It is very important to us to promote such innovations more intensively”, their managing director Vincent Eckert is quoted in a press release .

    For example, the Ticino company iWin is now being supported with 50,000 francs. It produces windows with integrated photovoltaic blinds. In doing so, it transforms highly glazed buildings into solar power plants. The Zurich-based company Oxara is using the funding for the further development of cement-free concrete from loamy excavated material. FenX , based in Zurich, uses ash and other mineral waste to produce insulating foam for construction that is non-flammable and 100 percent recyclable. FenX receives CHF 200,000 for this.

    The supported projects also include the automated insect breeding solution from the Aargau company SmartBreed as well as the Ticino company Ponera . It develops shipping packaging for industrial goods, which is intended to create a circular economy for packaging material. Further funds will go to iWorks AG in Liechtenstein. It shows how public areas can be used to produce solar power.

  • Repower brings the largest Engadine solar system to the grid

    Repower brings the largest Engadine solar system to the grid

    A new wastewater treatment plant is being built in S-chanf. The Upper Engadine ARA is scheduled to start operations in mid-2021. Repower has installed a solar system with an area of 5800 square meters and 3447 solar modules on the roof of the system. The plant has an output of 1.1 megawatts and an expected annual output of 1.45 gigawatt hours. That corresponds to the consumption of 325 households, writes the Graubünden energy supplier in a press release . The system was designed in such a way that it can withstand heavy snowfall. The modules themselves have a total weight of 69 tons.

    The system has now been put into operation. Repower has invested 1.7 million francs.

    The ARA itself is operated with a combined heat and power unit. This means that electricity consumption on site can be optimized with the aim of using as much solar power as possible on site.

  • Agricultural Center Salez wins architecture award

    Agricultural Center Salez wins architecture award

    Constructive Alps is awarded to projects that are convincing in terms of sustainable building and renovation in the Alps. Switzerland and Liechtenstein have now awarded this prize for the fifth time, according to a media release . A total of almost 330 projects were submitted. A jury selected ten entries, of which the first three received a total of 50,000 francs. The Salez Agricultural Center took first place.

    The Agricultural Center Salez is one of the projects that show that architecture can combine aesthetics and climate protection, as stated in the communication from the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE). The building of the center relies on the simplest possible construction and a long lifespan. Canton and architect Andy Senn would have set new standards in terms of climate efficiency. An assembly hall in Vorarlberg and a mountain inn in Glarus made it into second and third place. In addition to seven recognition prizes, an audience award has also been determined for the first time.

    The Agricultural Center Salez consists of a conference center, farm, state farm and orchard. It is operated by the Agricultural Center SG (LZSG) together with the practical trial plots in Flawil. This also has advice centers in Kaltbrunn and Sargans.

  • T-Systems and Red Hat cooperate

    T-Systems and Red Hat cooperate

    T-Systems has received accreditation as an official Red Hat partner in Switzerland. According to a media release from T-Systems, the technology group relies on Red Hat solutions in application management. The two companies also want to work together on all cloud solutions and DevOps (Development and IT Operations) -based software development on the T-Systems platform AppAgile. The partners are already working together in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

    The new cooperation in Switzerland aims at reselling, it says in the announcement. In addition, it should “go in the direction of subscription models and the provision of managed services for Red Hat solutions by T-Systems”. In addition, both partners plan to jointly create new services based on proven Red Hat products. They are to be enriched with integration and managed services expertise from T-Systems.

    T-Systems certification as a Red Hat partner brings both companies more competitive strength. It opens up access to interesting tenders for regulated industries such as the public sector or the healthcare sector.

    "T-Systems is a well-known and active player in the Swiss IT landscape," Richard Zobrist, Head of Partner & Alliances Switzerland at Red Hat, is quoted in the press release. "We expect a lot from the reputation, the extensive know-how and the solid track record of the digital service provider for the expansion of our business in Switzerland and especially for the advance into new industries and customer segments."

  • Groupe E offers solar systems without investment

    Groupe E offers solar systems without investment

    Property owners in western Switzerland have the option of having solar systems installed on their roofs without having to invest. With My Sun Contracting, Groupe E is launching a product in which the Freiburg energy supplier takes over all investments as well as the other expenses.

    According to a statement from Groupe E, customers only pay for the generation of the solar electricity they use themselves. The electricity price is degressive: the more the customers consume, the lower the tariff. Customers can also buy the system on their roof later, for example if they want to benefit from tax advantages.

  • Thommen Medical lays the foundation stone for a new building

    Thommen Medical lays the foundation stone for a new building

    Thommen Medical CEO Livio Marzo laid the foundation stone for his company's new production and customer center on Friday. "With the new building in Grenchen, we are pursuing two basic goals," he explains in a press release from the manufacturer of dental implants. In the modern training center, customers can have direct contact with experts. In addition, the expansion of the production center "leads to a further increase in the efficiency of our production".

    The new building with its 2700 square meters of gross floor area enables automation in production and optimization of processes, according to the announcement. In addition, outsourced business areas would also be integrated there and space would be created for the training of customers, partners and employees. In the long term, 20 new jobs are to be created there.

    The new building is scheduled to open for Thommen Medical's 20th anniversary in the fourth quarter of 2021. It will be realized by a real estate company that will lease it to the company.

    Thommen Medical AG produces in its own factory in Grenchen. It has subsidiaries in Switzerland, Germany and North America. The company is represented by distributors in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

  • Riehen receives the green light for geothermal expansion

    Riehen receives the green light for geothermal expansion

    Riehen can continue with its planning for the expansion of another geothermal system. It would increase the number of residents supplied with climate-friendly thermal energy from the current 8,500 to 12,500. The referendum period expired at the end of October. The positive decision from the residents' council is now legally binding. This is now announced by Wärmeverbund Riehen AG ( WVR ).

    In the next step, seismic surveys to explore the subsurface for the geo2riehen project are due in summer 2021. A suitable location for the boreholes is thus sought. If the feasibility of the plant is confirmed, drilling could begin in 2023. They should open up more naturally occurring thermal water for heat utilization.

    An already existing feasibility study confirms that the project has “good prospects for success”. The drilling to promote the thermal water and the construction of the facility will cost around 20 million francs. The costs are shared between the two shareholders, the municipality of Riehen and the Basel energy supplier IWB . The Swiss Federal Office of Energy has promised a grant of 1.2 million francs and has announced a further 5.1 million francs.

    IWB's stake has risen from initially 27 to 50 percent. According to the WVR, this not only makes financing easier. The operation of the systems and the growing supply network can also be better coordinated with IWB: "The gradual and partial shutdown of the gas supply is thus optimally coordinated with the growth of the Riehen heating network."

  • Standortförderung Dietikon legt Zwischenbericht vor

    Standortförderung Dietikon legt Zwischenbericht vor

    Die Standortförderung Dietikon hat ihren Zwischenbericht für die Zeit von Mai bis Oktober vorgelegt. Die Auswirkungen und Beschränkungen aufgrund der Corona-Pandemie machten sich deutlich bemerkbar. So zwang diese Situation die Gemeindeführungsorganisation GFO der Stadt Dietikon laut dem Bericht dazu, den Herbst- und Weihnachtsmarkt mitsamt dem Chlauseinzug abzusagen. Die Standortförderung habe allerdings die Einschränkungen als Chance gesehen und die frei gewordene Kapazität dazu genutzt, verschiedene Initiativen zur Stärkung des Zentrums und des lokalen Gewerbes ins Leben zu rufen.

    So lancierte die Stadt Anfang Oktober eine Testimonial-Kampagne mit 19 Dietiker Persönlichkeiten. Die drei Staffeln der Imagekampagne dauern bis Herbst 2021. Der Imageförderung dient auch eine 40-seitige Broschüre über Dietikon, die  an Schulen, Neuzuzügerfeiern, zur Personalrekrutierung sowie für die Ansiedlung von Unternehmen und Arbeitskräften eingesetzt werden soll. Sie ist gedruckt und online erhältlich.

    Schon im Juli hat sich auf Initiative der Standortförderung das NetzwerkStadt gebildet, das sich für ein attraktives Zentrum und den Einzelhandel einsetzt. Weitergeführt wird auch „Kunst und Kulinarik in leeren Mieträumen“, durch die Mieträume sichtbar gemacht und durch Veranstaltungen belebt werden.

    An weiteren Projekten nennt der Zwischenbericht die Suche nach einem Standort für die Schaffung eines Wirtschaftsclusters und das mit den Elektrizitätswerken des Kantons Zürich (EKZ) durchgeführte Projekt „Smart City im öffentlichen Raum erlebbar machen“. Positiv vermerkt wird, dass trotz der Corona-Beschränkungen seit Mai der im Zentrum stattfindende Frischmarkt wieder geöffnet ist und, dass die Bauarbeiten der Limmattalbahn nach Plan verlaufen. Eine anlässlich des Herbstmarktes geplante Baustellenbegehung dort allerdings musste wegen Corona abgesagt werden.

  • Westhive attracts digital nomads to the mountains

    Westhive attracts digital nomads to the mountains

    The Berghuus Radons is located above Savognin at an altitude of 2000 meters. Now it is also becoming a place of work for digital nomads. As Westhive reports , it is setting up a location for flexible workplaces and workshops in the mountain inn with the Westhive Retreat. “We wanted to expand the Westhive ecosystem with locations for undisturbed meetings away from day-to-day business right from the start,” Andreas Widmer, co-founder of the Zurich-based provider of community workplaces, is quoted in a press release.

    From Widmer's point of view, the location is particularly suitable for strategy meetings. "Nature is incredibly inspiring, and the rooms in the Berghuus are perfect for seminars and conferences." A total of twelve rooms are available.

    According to information on its website, the Berghuus will open again on December 19. However, it is already possible to reserve jobs at Westhive. Members of existing Westhive locations can register using the existing infrastructure and access the same infrastructure as at the previous locations.

    Westhive opened its first location in Zurich-West in 2018. Four more have now been added, including one in Basel. Another location at Zurich Airport is to follow in the first quarter of 2021.