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Category: immoNews

  • Climeworks removes CO2 from the air in Iceland

    Climeworks removes CO2 from the air in Iceland

    Climeworks , the Reykjavik energy supplier ON Power and the Icelandic company Carbfix have agreed to combine their technologies for capturing CO2 from the air and for its permanent storage. Climeworks and Carbfix describe these agreements in their respective media releases as “groundbreaking” as well as a “milestone in the fight against climate change” and “turning point in climate protection”: “For the first time, the technologies for a project of this magnitude to remove carbon dioxide from the air combined with each other ”, it says there. The new facility will permanently remove 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year.

    At the site of the third largest geothermal power plant in the world, the Icelandic Hellisheiði, Climeworks is building systems for the separation of CO2 from the air. The Direct Air Capture Technology (DAC) from Climeworks is used for this. The geothermal energy and heat provided by ON Power ensures that DAC technology has a constant supply of renewable energy.

    The Climeworks agreement with Carbfix ensures the safe and permanent storage of carbon dioxide through natural underground mineralization. According to Carbfix , the underground basalt rock formations in Iceland offer ideal conditions for this process.

    "This collaboration with ON and Carbfix is a big step forward," said Jan Wurzbacher, co-founder and co-CEO of Climeworks, in a press release from Climeworks. "We can reach net zero."

    ON Power is “immensely proud of this collaboration” between ON, Carbfix and Climeworks. It shows "how innovative projects can come together to create and expand one of the solutions to global warming". The company is pleased to "support the work of Climework in the future".

  • CKW relies on intelligent electricity meters

    CKW relies on intelligent electricity meters

    According to a media release , CKW has already used intelligent measuring systems in the past “in selected regions and specifically in larger new buildings”. Now all conventional electricity meters in the supply area are being replaced by smart meters. Accordingly, CKW will now replace 180,000 meters.

    The intelligent measuring systems have several advantages for consumers, as CKW informs. In future, customers will be able to track their electricity consumption online and thus “identify potential energy savings more easily”. In addition, the meter reading no longer has to be read on site, which makes things easier when moving, for example. "Furthermore, the CKW customer service can answer questions about energy consumption or the electricity bill faster and more competently with the current measurement data," says the message.

    CKW will benefit from the experience it has already gained with intelligent measuring systems. The company tested various communication technologies. "The radio technology used has proven itself particularly in the predominantly rural areas of Central Switzerland compared to other technologies in terms of stability," said CKW. This stability is "of central importance" for the operating costs.

  • Alpiq benefits from long-term contracts

    Alpiq benefits from long-term contracts

    According to the key figures of the Alpiq Group , the Lausanne-based energy group generated net sales of 1.83 billion francs in the first half of 2020. Compared to the previous semester, this corresponds to a decrease of 18.3 percent. The operating result (EBIT) reported a loss of 70 million francs, compared to a loss of 206 million francs in the first half of 2019. The net result improved from a loss of 206 million to a loss of 84 million francs.

    The operating result at the EBITDA level before special items increased from 55 million to 116 million francs year-on-year, said Alpiq in a statement on the half-year results. All three Alpiq divisions contributed to the positive operational development.

    Specifically, a result of 37 million francs was achieved in Swiss electricity production, compared to a loss of 56 million francs in the previous semester. International energy trading increased its result year-on-year from CHF 53 million to CHF 58 million. In international electricity production, after 60 million francs in the previous year, a positive result of 24 million francs was achieved “despite the coal phase-out”, writes Alpiq.

    The coronavirus pandemic caused electricity prices to fall sharply, especially in April and May, Alpiq said in the press release. The Lausanne group was well protected against this development due to the safeguarding of electricity production for two to three years.

  • Tenant platform shows data on electricity consumption

    Tenant platform shows data on electricity consumption

    The Basel company Allthings offers a digital platform for tenants, via which they can communicate with property management and roommates, for example. Allthings is now teaming up with the Bern-based company Blockstrom , according to a press release . A solution from Blockstrom for measuring energy consumption in real time will be integrated into the Allthings platform. This means that tenants can also use the platform to track their electricity consumption.

    "The interface between the two systems enables an overview of the consumption data in real time," explains David Gundlach, Product Manager at Allthings. “The cooperation with Blockstrom not only creates added value for the tenants, but also allows us to make a contribution to the very relevant topic of sustainability,” he adds.

    The joint solution of the two companies is initially being tested as part of a pilot project on the Schöngrün residential area in the canton of Solothurn. There, AXA has converted a former penal institution into a housing estate. The new building with 160 apartments places a high value on sustainability. District heating from the waste incineration plant is used for heating. A solar system on the roof also provides 200,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The apartments and shops on the site are supplied with solar power as part of an association for self-consumption (ZEV).

  • The first multi-energy systems from Soleco are in use

    The first multi-energy systems from Soleco are in use

    A ready-to-use multi-energy management system has evolved from an award-winning product idea from Soleco . It has already been put into operation in two single-family houses in Maur in the canton of Zurich. It will soon also be used in an apartment building there. According to a message from startupticker.ch, talks are currently underway about equipping a district under construction in Zurich.

    In the year it was founded, Soleco, together with its partners Geminise and Vela Solaris , won the CSEM Digital Journey Award in the amount of 100,000 francs in 2018. The private and non-profit Swiss Electronics and Microtechnology Research Center ( CSEM ) claims to promote "added value for a sustainable world". CSEM provided Soleco with technological expertise in order to realize their "groundbreaking digital idea".

    Together they developed an intelligent and predictive control system. The software intended for laypeople is based on weather forecasts, the available infrastructure, consumption habits of the residents and energy costs on the market. "The platform then functions like a conductor who manages the resources autonomously and reduces costs," the message says.

    "All decisions that the control system makes are associated with an optimal cost," explains Tomasz Gorecki, one of the CSEM engineers. "If, for example, the photovoltaic system is in operation, the controller can determine whether it is better to charge your electric vehicle, store the energy or sell it to the grid." The platform works for individual households, but is above all suitable for self-consumption communities that jointly use different renewable energy sources for several apartments.

  • Energie Zukunft Schweiz launches climate bonus for wood heating

    Energie Zukunft Schweiz launches climate bonus for wood heating

    Energie Zukunft Schweiz and Holzfeuerungen Schweiz ( SFIH ) are promoting wood heating systems with a new climate bonus. This is intended to reward those who replace the fossil fuels oil or gas with local wood. Because, according to a press release , previous funding programs are aimed primarily at small residential buildings and not at industrial and commercial buildings, this premium is aimed at medium-sized and large heating systems.

    “Thanks to the generous climate bonus from the funding program and the simple handling of Energy Future Switzerland, this gap has now been closed. And that is the same for the whole of Switzerland, ”says the announcement. This would mean that medium-sized and large wood heating systems would be “not only the most climate-friendly, but also the most economical variant”. Heating with wood protects the climate, promotes local added value and contributes to a healthy forest. This program is regulated by the Federal Office for the Environment ( FOEN ).

    The subsidy amounts to 18 cents per kilowatt hour or 1.80 francs per liter of oil or cubic meter of natural gas saved. Energie Zukunft Schweiz calculates that “with correctly dimensioned heating” this corresponds to 360 francs per kilowatt of power. For example, for a block of flats with ten apartments, the investment costs could be reduced by 70 percent. According to Energie Zukunft Schweiz, the savings for large heating systems with an output of more than 200 kilowatts, for example for community buildings, industrial companies and large office buildings, are particularly interesting.

  • Fabian Streiff becomes the top Zurich location promoter

    Fabian Streiff becomes the top Zurich location promoter

    There is a change at the top of the business location promotion department at the Zurich Office for Economics and Labor. Markus Assfalg is retiring after eleven years as head of location promotion, as announced by the office. He will be replaced by Fabian Streiff . The 35-year-old has been with the Basel Area Business & Innovation since the beginning of 2019 and heads the DayOne healthcare initiative. Prior to that, he was co-head of Basel-Stadt's economic development department.

    Streiff holds a doctorate in economic geography from the University of Bern and a Master of Science from the University of Zurich .

    One of the first to congratulate the cantonal location promotion and to Fabian Streiff is the location promoter of the city of Schlieren , Albert Schweizer. "We are very pleased with the choice of Fabian Streiff," he says. "We have known Fabian Streiff for a long time and have followed his work in the canton of Basel-Stadt very carefully."

  • Basel zero energy house exceeds planning values

    Basel zero energy house exceeds planning values

    The first apartment building in the canton of Basel to be certified according to the highest Swiss Minergie-A-Eco standard was moved into in 2015. As an investor, Immobilien Basel-Stadt commissioned the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland ( FHNW ) to carry out a study three years ago. This long-term monitoring should clarify whether the demanding energy goals are being achieved and how the house is being accepted by the residents.

    The new building at Basel Aescherstrasse 12 includes seven age-appropriate apartments with two and a half and three and a half rooms. According to a media release from Immobilien Basel-Stadt, the team of experts from the FHNW Institute for Energy in Buildings compared the calculated demand values from the planning with the actual consumption values in operation. The survey of the residents showed that the room temperature in most apartments is higher than the standard value from the planning.

    Since the house should generate at least as much energy for the Minergie-A certification as is used all year round for heating, cooling and ventilation, it was then examined how the increased room temperatures affect heating energy consumption. The measurement results showed that, on the one hand, the heat pump was “much more efficient than assumed”. "On the other hand, the yield from the photovoltaic system on the roof was significantly higher than planned."

    The energy production in the house today also exceeds the total electricity demand on an annual basis. There is potential for optimization through a partial waiver of building automation. This could improve the solar input in winter and night cooling in summer.

    "The building concept has proven itself in operation", summarizes Immobilien Basel-Stadt. "The ambitious goals of sustainable building could also be achieved in practice without having to accept compromises in terms of comfort."

  • Primeo Energie is planning two wind turbines in Muttenz

    Primeo Energie is planning two wind turbines in Muttenz

    Primeo Energie intends to build two wind turbines by 2023 in one of the six wind farm areas that the district administrator identified in the Basel structure plan in 2015. The location is in the Muttenzer Hard between the A2 motorway and the tracks of the Swiss Federal Railways ( SBB ). According to a press release , the electricity provider will be working with the municipality of Muttenz and the canton of Basel-Landschaft .

    With an annual output of 4.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity, the new wind turbine could supply an average of 1200 households with ecological energy. Primeo Energie is thus following the guidelines of the federal government's energy strategy and that of the canton of Basel-Landschaft.

    "All necessary preliminary investigations" have already been carried out for the construction. "The location of the two turbines is ideal," says the message. The area is not in a landscape protection area. In addition, consumers in industrial and residential areas are close. Therefore, a network connection can be implemented with little effort.

    In the trinational region of Basel there are not yet any wind farms except in the Black Forest. Primeo Energie cites the good ecological balance of wind turbines as a further plus point. In addition, they only had a minor impact on flora and fauna.

  • The first high-alpine solar plant will be in production from September

    The first high-alpine solar plant will be in production from September

    From September the first high-alpine solar project in Bergell will deliver natural electricity. As the operator Elektrizitätswerke der Stadt Zürich ( ewz ) announced in a press release , most of the more than 1200 photovoltaic (PV) panels have now been installed on the Albigna dam.

    For the assembly work, a so-called bridge inspection device was transported to the dam wall with the Albigna cable car. Most of the construction work was carried out by ewz employees from Bergell.

    Citizens from Zurich and Graubünden have the opportunity to purchase half, one, three or five square meters of the PV area and thus make a contribution to environmental and climate protection. The public participation model ewz.solarzüri provides that ewz customers are credited 180 kilowatt hours of solar power per square meter per year on their electricity bill. The term is 20 years. The one-off costs per square meter are CHF 560.

    From August 14, interested parties can find out more and order panel space on the websites ewz.ch/solargrischun and ewz.ch/solar-für-alle . Until then, these links lead to the current page of ewz.solarzüri.

  • Implenia wins building construction projects in Germany

    Implenia wins building construction projects in Germany

    The construction service provider Implenia has received new building construction contracts in Germany. According to a press release , the order is worth around 108 million francs.

    Implenia will construct three buildings with an area of around 25,000 square meters for Landmarken AG in an industrial park in Bochum-Laer. Construction is scheduled to start this fall.

    As a European pilot project, the new construction of an innovative sports and leisure facility on an industrial wasteland in the Ruhr area "which is being built for the first time in continental Europe" is intended. The 60 systems of this type that already exist worldwide serve as a model. They should offer a mixture of entertainment, sport, music, gastronomy and events. Further systems are to follow, it says in the message. Construction will start in October and handover is planned for February 2022.

    Prior exclusive partnership phases were decisive for the commissioning of both projects. Implenia worked with the customers and their planning teams to develop economic and technical suggestions for optimizing the project. "The result is cost and deadline security for the client as well as for Implenia."

    In addition to these two projects in the Ruhr area, Implenia will build a residential complex in Mannheim-Waldhof and the expanded shell “for a well-known hotel chain” in Munich near the train station.

  • St.Gallen receives future-oriented development

    St.Gallen receives future-oriented development

    Previs Vorsorge is responsible for the new development in St.Gallen, according to a media release from the pension fund. The wooden superstructure will consist of two buildings with space for 110 rental apartments. The focus is on future viability and sustainability.

    Certified wood and recycled concrete are used as building materials. Since the components are prefabricated, the construction time can also be reduced. It will be possible to move in as early as autumn 2021. There are numerous different apartment sizes available to those interested, from studios to 5.5 rooms.

    A roof system contributes solar power, in principle the apartments are supplied with 75 percent renewable energy via district heating. There is a car sharing service available to residents, and they can also charge their electric cars in underground parking spaces. In addition, they can read their personal electricity consumption in real time via a so-called smart home system. A green space will be created between the two buildings, which will contribute to biodiversity with birdhouses and insect hotels.

    Interested parties already have the opportunity to view the apartments in advance using VR (virtual reality) glasses.

  • Solar power could solve Swiss energy problems

    Solar power could solve Swiss energy problems

    Only photovoltaics can show Switzerland the way to a CO2-free future, writes the Deputy Director of the Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute ( Empa ), Peter Richner, in an article for Avenir Suisse . It is based on the so-called Kaya identity, which the Japanese scientist Yoichi Kaya used in 1993 to describe the total amount of anthropogenic CO2 emissions as a function of four factors. The fourth alone, a reduction in the CO2 footprint, has enough potential, according to Richner, to achieve Switzerland's climate goals – through massive expansion of photovoltaics.

    If only 50 percent of all Swiss roofs were equipped with solar modules, electricity production from nuclear power plants would be superfluous. Richner demonstrates this in terms of electricity supply and demand for 2015. However, if all roofs and increasingly also building facades were equipped with solar panels, the output gap in winter could also be compensated for. At the same time, however, solutions would have to be found in order to be able to utilize the largest possible proportion of the electricity surplus in summer, both on a daily basis and at other times of the year.

    For increased flexibility of use, day storage systems could shift loads, for example through batteries or hydrogen. Digitization offers opportunities for the necessary creation of flexibility in consumption and production. Excess electricity could be converted into hydrogen in summer and possibly, together with CO2 from the air, into methane or liquid synthetic hydrocarbons. These chemical energy carriers can be stored easily and used in a variety of ways. And finally, seasonal heat storage systems could be charged with excess electricity in order to reduce energy requirements in winter.

    The potential of energy efficiency, another influenceable factor of the Kaya identity, is far from being exhausted, says Richner. However, achievements in this area would be compensated for by higher electricity demand, fossil electricity imports from abroad in winter or increased electricity consumption.

    In order to achieve a climate-neutral Switzerland, one of the four factors in the Kaya identity must be zero or the remaining product is offset with CO2-negative technologies such as the separation of CO2 from the air and its storage. Politicians must provide a decisive framework for this, as long as the nuclear power plants are still running.

  • Innovation in concrete can make buildings leaner

    Innovation in concrete can make buildings leaner

    A team of researchers from the Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt ( Empa ) has developed a new technology. This enables concrete to be produced and used more sustainably. For this purpose, the materials used in the manufacture of self-prestressed concrete elements are reduced.

    With conventional prestressing, steel tendons are usually anchored on both sides of the concrete element, put under tension and then removed again. Because the steel is susceptible to rust, “the concrete layer around the prestressing steel must have a certain minimum thickness”, according to Empa in a press release . Researchers have therefore been working on replacing steel with carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) since the 1990s. However, this process is very expensive and also significantly more complicated than the prestressing process with steel.

    Empa has now completely solved these problems. Thanks to her method, she can dispense with anchoring on the sides of the element. Instead, its recipe enables the concrete to expand as it cures. "As a result of this expansion, the concrete puts the CFRP rods inside under tension and thereby automatically pretensions them."

    "Our technology opens up completely new possibilities in lightweight construction," said Mateusz Wyrzykowski, who heads the Empa team together with Giovanni Terrasi and Pietro Lura. "Not only can we build more stable, but we also need considerably less material."

    The team recently received patents in Europe and the United States for its technology. It is now developing new applications together with industrial partner BASF.

  • Rental prices also rise in the Corona crisis

    Rental prices also rise in the Corona crisis

    As a result of the corona pandemic, an escape from the cities to the countryside or to rural residential areas was expected in the real estate sector because of the supposedly lower risk of infection there compared to overcrowded cities. That has not happened so far. On the contrary, according to the press release on the half-year report prepared by homegate.ch in collaboration with Zürcher Kantonalbank ( ZKB ), cities in particular continue to be very attractive.

    Throughout Switzerland, asking rents have risen by 0.4 percent since the beginning of the year. The slight downward trend of previous years has thus ended and was already broken in mid-2019. The higher rents are particularly evident in the cantons of Geneva with a plus of 4.5 percent, Jura with 1.7 and Uri with 1.5 percent. This trend can also be seen in most of the other cantons, with a few exceptions such as in the cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden with minus 0.5 percent each, Graubünden and Basel-Land (-0.4 percent) and Ticino (-0.3 percent ). They are still suffering from the weakness in rent trends over the past few years. Vacancies are recorded in many rural cantons and municipalities.

    The half-yearly balance points to the robust rental price development in the cities of Geneva (+3.8 percent) and Zurich (+1.4 percent). This contradicts the expectations regarding the effects of the Corona crisis. However, the report points out, the rental situation could change for another reason, but one caused by Corona. The influx from abroad is likely to decrease and this can lead to downward pressure on rental prices in the case of vacancies, especially in many rental apartment projects that have been started due to the high influx of people to date.

  • Energiedienst Group remains on course for growth

    Energiedienst Group remains on course for growth

    According to a communication from Energiedienst Holding AG , the Swiss-German Energiedienst group achieved operating income of 532 million euros in the first half of 2020. In the same period of the previous year, 49 million euros less had been generated. The company attributes the growth primarily to higher prices in the sales business and increased electricity trading volumes.

    Negative effects on the capital market, however, would have reduced the operating result (EBIT) year-on-year by 1 million euros to 12 million, said Energiedienst in the press release. Adjusted for non-operating effects, however, EBIT rose by 8 million to 24 million euros. "Operationally, the Energiedienst Group is doing better in the first half of 2020 than in the same period of the previous year", Jörg Reichert, CEO of Energiedienst Holding AG, is quoted in the announcement. "But the pandemic is not leaving the Energiedienst Group unaffected." The group expects that it will not be able to achieve its originally targeted operating result of 41 million euros for the year as a whole.

    In terms of profit for the period, a year-on-year decline of 6 million to 8 million euros had to be accepted. According to the announcement, the background to this is a negative performance of the company's securities. It reduced the financial result year-on-year by 5 million euros to a loss of 3 million euros.

    "The Energiedienst Group has been one of the first integrated energy companies in Germany and Switzerland to be climate-neutral since January 2020," explains Reichert. This climate neutrality is "the foundation of their business activities", it says in the announcement. According to her, the group was able to win several large business customers in the six months under review “thanks to its climate neutrality”.

  • Calatrava embellishes Chicago with a new sculpture

    Calatrava embellishes Chicago with a new sculpture

    The Zurich architect Santiago Calatrava, who comes from Valencia, Spain, designed an idiosyncratic sculpture for the park in front of the River Point building in Chicago. It is a 8.8 meter high red leaf formation. "The outwardly extending spiral made of overlapping, leaf-like elements winds in a spiral from very large at the base to very small to the outer edge of the sculpture," says the media release .

    River Point is a 52-story building that contains offices, but also a convention center and the shopping malls often found in American skyscrapers. It stands in the park of the same name on the banks of the Chicago River and belongs to the companies Ivanhoé Cambridge, Hines and Levy Family Partners. The huge work of art will be installed in the coming weeks.

    “I feel honored that my work was chosen to be integrated into the cityscape of Chicago, a city that looks back on an impressive tradition of urban art and architecture,” Calatrava is quoted as saying, and photos can be seen on his website . The international architect, whose company Santiago Calatrava GmbH is based in Zurich, is known for many unique buildings and structures, such as the Milwaukee Museum of Art, the so-called Oculus Station of the Century in New York City and the Peace Bridge in Calgary, Canada.

    "This downright spectacular new addition to the fascinating and renowned public works of art at River Point Park is another example of how unbelievably special this office building really is with its first-class furnishings and extensive offerings for the city, its residents and our tenants," says Jonathan Pearce, Vice President of Ivanhoé Cambridge.

  • PriceHubble takes over Checkmyplace

    PriceHubble takes over Checkmyplace

    PriceHubble takes over 100 percent of the shares in Checkmyplace GmbH , according to a media release . According to co-founder Markus Stadler, the company wants to strengthen its position in the German-speaking area. "We can now also offer multinational real estate companies in the DACH region additional added value," he says.

    PriceHubble makes it possible to gain useful knowledge for the valuation of real estate from large amounts of data. For example, it includes data on the location, the neighborhood or noise pollution in the assessment. The data is evaluated and clearly presented with the help of big data analytics and artificial intelligence. PriceHubble is aimed at all parties in the real estate value chain, such as real estate portals, banks, asset managers, insurance companies, real estate investors and private individuals.

    Checkmyplace delivers services and products based on various data and supports professional users in the real estate industry in working more efficiently. After completion of the takeover, the company will appear under the name PriceHubble Austria.

    PriceHubble was founded in 2016. The Zurich-based company already has locations in Paris, Berlin and now also in Vienna. As a result of the takeover, over 70 employees work for the company.

  • E-mobility is one of the Swiss winners from the crisis

    Despite the Corona crisis, a total of 17 percent more electric vehicles hit the streets in Switzerland in the second quarter of the year than in the same quarter of the previous year. The plug-in hybrids recorded massive growth of 186 percent. In contrast, new registrations of all-electric cars fell by 12 percent. These are the main results of the current edition of the " E-Mobility Sales Review Q3 2020 " from PwC Autofacts and the strategy consultancy from PwC , Strategy & .

    "During the crisis, the development of e-mobility proves that the path towards a strategically important market segment is not only being pursued, but is even being accelerated," comments Andreas Schlegel, automotive expert and director at Strategy & Switzerland . "With this tailwind, the charging infrastructure in Switzerland in particular should now be further expanded."

    The current strong growth in plug-in hybrids could be an indication that Swiss consumers are not yet completely convinced of the practicality and range of pure e-cars, according to a media release . At the same time, it is now important for manufacturers to advance the technical development of batteries and thus create additional arguments for e-mobility.

    In the same period, conventional drive technologies with diesel and gasoline recorded a significant drop in sales of 57.9 percent in Europe. In contrast, the European mobility segment remained comparatively unaffected by the lockdown measures: In the first half of the year, the number of newly registered e-vehicles in the ten markets examined rose by 25.6 percent. Plug-in hybrids saw a strong increase of 121 percent in new registrations. Across Europe, all-electric cars experienced an increase of 35 percent.

    According to Schlegel, electric vehicles have proven to be an "island of stability" during the crisis. “Whether this trend is sustainable will only be shown when government subsidies expire.” Now retailers have to react and approach customers in a fundamentally different way than in traditional sales with combustion engines. mm

  • Axpo President calls for a sliding market premium

    Axpo President calls for a sliding market premium

    In a joint guest commentary for the “Tages-Anzeiger”, two leading representatives of the Swiss energy industry take a hard line against the Federal Council's plans to implement the Energy Strategy 2050. “Switzerland has the wrong instruments for promoting renewable energies. We have a suggestion on how this can be changed, ”write Thomas Sieber, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the energy company Axpo , and Gianni Operto, President of AEE Suisse , the umbrella organization for renewable energies and energy efficiency.

    The proposal can be summarized in two words: Moving market premium. The Federal Council proposes a model with investment contributions for the energy law revision. The amounts are fixed in advance. From the authors' point of view, the problem is that it will hardly be possible to determine the most economically efficient contribution amount. Either there is unnecessary over-funding or too little funds are budgeted, which leads to the shutdown of plants that are no longer profitable. The sliding market premium, for which a “broad alliance of the Swiss energy industry” advocates, is already being used successfully in other countries. Production capacities would be put out to tender in a competition. "Those interested with the lowest offers are guaranteed a minimum remuneration for the electricity produced over a certain period of time – but only if the market price does not cover this." The sliding market premium supports precisely and only as much as necessary. It is therefore not a subsidy, but a fair price tag for a central service.

    Since the expansion of renewable capacities in Switzerland is currently not profitable for electricity suppliers, Swiss energy suppliers and institutional investors invested abroad. At the end of 2019, the expansion of renewable capacities financed in this way had increased to 11.5 terawatt hours, almost a fifth of the total annual production in Switzerland.

  • Administrative court slows down the innovation park

    Administrative court slows down the innovation park

    The cantonal administrative court is withdrawing the legal basis for the planned construction of the Zurich Innovation Park. As the court wrote in a statement on Tuesday, with a ruling on July 8th, it revoked the cantonal building department's ruling on the cantonal design plan for the innovation park.

    Such a design plan is only possible for specific individual buildings or individual systems. The design plan for the innovation park with its perimeter of 36 hectares and a total usable area of up to 410,000 square meters does not fall below that. The “special purpose of promoting innovation” does not change anything. "Due to its dimensions and the intended uses, the design plan does not create a project-related, but a general construction zone," says the message.

    The canton has thus exceeded its competencies: Only the municipalities are responsible for defining general building zones. “That is why the cantonal design plan is not available for the intended planning.” In addition, the judges believe that the design plan violates the cantonal framework plan because most of the site is in the cantonal agricultural zone.

    The building management set the design plan on August 9, 2017. Two residents appealed to the cantonal building course court, but were rejected. Its decision is now also overturned by the administrative court. An appeal can now be made to the Federal Supreme Court against the judgment of the Administrative Court.

    The idea of an innovation park in Zurich on the site of the Dübendorf military airfield was the inspiration behind the creation of the Switzerland Innovation Parks . While such parks in Aargau, in the greater Basel area, in Biel, in western and central Switzerland are already making good progress, the idea generator is now in danger of failing. The Zurich government had already applied for a loan of CHF 217.6 million in 2018 for the construction, development and support of the innovation park in Dübendorf.

  • Reconstruction displaces new construction

    Reconstruction displaces new construction

    Overall, the construction industry barely moved in 2019. According to the provisional figures from the Federal Statistical Office ( BFS ), an increase in construction investments in civil engineering of 3.9 percent offset a decline in building construction of 0.9 percent.

    There was a change from new buildings to renovations and expansions. Investments in new civil engineering buildings fell by 6.9 percent, while investments in conversions and expansions rose by 13.2 percent. In building construction, too, investments in renovations and extensions rose by 1.6 percent, while investments in new buildings fell by 2.0 percent.

    This switch to renovations was particularly pronounced among public clients: Last year they invested 8.8 percent more in renovations and extensions and 7.2 percent less in new buildings. Private clients invested 2.2 percent more in conversions and expansions than in 2018, but 1.4 percent less in new buildings.

  • Canton Police of St.Gallen runs on hydrogen

    Canton Police of St.Gallen runs on hydrogen

    "Ecological and sustainable action by the organizations has long since ceased to be desirable, but is expected," said the St.Gallen cantonal police in introducing a report on the authority's latest achievement. Specifically, the canton police now want to meet their responsibility for the environment by using a hydrogen car. So far, a total of 20 electric vehicles have been used by the St.Gallen canton police.

    The new Hyundai Nexo, like electric cars, does not emit any harmful emissions, the press release said. Fast refueling and a range of 600 kilometers per tank are named as further advantages of the hydrogen car.

    However, there are currently hardly any hydrogen filling stations in the region, explains the canton police. She identified Osterwalder St.Gallen AG as currently the only operator of a hydrogen filling station in Eastern Switzerland. The newly acquired Hyundai Nexo is therefore to be assigned to the traffic instruction stationed in St.Gallen.

  • Axpo places green bond via Loanboox

    Axpo places green bond via Loanboox

    Axpo has placed a so-called green bond via the digital capital market platform of the Zurich fintech Loanboox , according to a media release . The fixed-interest bond of CHF 133 million has a term of seven years.

    Axpo intends to use the net proceeds from the bond to invest in renewable energies. The company highlights wind energy and photovoltaic projects. Overall, Axpo wants to use the Green Bond to “strengthen its position as the largest Swiss producer of renewable energies” and expand its group of investors, it is said.

    According to Loanboox, Axpo is the first issuer to place a green bond entirely digitally via the debt capital market platform. "This first bond is proof that our digital process creates added value for all market participants," says Philippe Cayrol, CEO of Loanboox. "We are proud and happy to work with innovative customers and partners to create new standards in terms of transparency, pricing and allocation in the primary market – in Switzerland and Europe," he adds.

  • ABB Switzerland modernizes SBB locomotives

    ABB Switzerland modernizes SBB locomotives

    As part of the new order, 18 SBB locomotives of the latest generation will be modernized with traction converters from ABB, according to a press release. The Zurich-based and internationally active technology group has its Swiss headquarters in Baden and manufactures traction converters in its plant in Turgi AG. In 2014, ABB received an order from SBB to modernize locomotives with traction converters. With the follow-up order now received, ABB will modernize the entire Re 460 fleet. These are the locomotives of most intercity trains.

    SBB is implementing a modernization program for the fleet, which will extend its service life by 20 years. The new traction converters and additional technical measures can save around 30 gigawatt hours of energy annually, "that's five gigawatt hours more than originally expected," says ABB. According to the report, these energy savings correspond to the “average electricity consumption of 10,000 Swiss households”. For this purpose, the power electronics based on the technology of the 90s are being replaced by energy-efficient, water-cooled IGBT traction converters (insulated-gate bipolar transistor). This retrofit and cooling systems operated with water instead of oil can reduce energy consumption.

    "We are pleased that we are a partner in this major modernization project in the Swiss home market with our drive solution and that we are working closely with SBB to ensure that the vehicles continue to be operated in an energy-efficient manner," said Robert Itschner, Country Managing Director at ABB Switzerland.

  • UBS and iptiQ launch new insurance

    UBS and iptiQ launch new insurance

    UBS joins forces with iptiQ , a subsidiary of reinsurer Swiss Re . Together they are testing a new insurance solution specially designed for UBS's mortgage customers in Switzerland. The offer is accessible via the iptiQ digital platform, according to a communication . Initially, it will be tested for around six months from July 15. Then it should be optimized based on feedback.

    "Protecting yourself against unforeseen events is of central importance for every homeowner," says UBS Switzerland boss Axel Lehmann. "We are pleased to be able to offer our mortgage customers, in cooperation with the Swiss Re subsidiary iptiQ, an innovative offer with which they can cover personal risks quickly and easily."

    Cooperations between banks and insurance companies are already successful in many countries, UBS states in its announcement. In Switzerland, the bank still sees untapped potential in this area.

  • Swiss Prime Site Solutions is developing a new quarter

    Swiss Prime Site Solutions is developing a new quarter

    Swiss Prime Site Solutions is developing a new “living space” for the Swiss Prime Investment Foundation, as stated in a press release by Swiss Prime Site Solutions . The foundation stone for the Riverside project was laid on July 10, 2020. The development is under the motto "Urban living – surrounded by nature". Construction work will begin in the northwest, where the area is located directly on the Aare and closest to the city of Solothurn. From there, the new quarter will develop in further construction stages to the south and east.

    "Anyone who lives and works in the Riverside has, in addition to a chic apartment or a modern workplace with modern infrastructure, a multi-faceted quarter including local recreation on the Aare that meets the highest demands," explains Anastasius Tschopp, CEO of Swiss Prime Site Solutions. He speaks of a "lighthouse project for our client Swiss Prime Investment Foundation (SPA) and at the same time important for the entire Solothurn region".

    Initially, 140 rental apartments are to be built directly on the banks of the Aare. The first tenants should be able to move in in winter 2021. More than 280 Swiss pension funds are both financiers and investors in the SPA. "We are currently carrying out the sixth emission for the SPA," said Tschopp. The subscription period lasts until July 22, 2020. The development program of the customer SPA currently amounts to around CHF 600 million and includes projects and real estate across Switzerland.

  • Solar offensive should create thousands of jobs

    Solar offensive should create thousands of jobs

    Many jobs have already been destroyed throughout Switzerland by the Corona crisis, others are in danger. The Swiss Energy Foundation ( SES ) sees the increased use of renewable energies, especially solar power, as a means of counteracting this. The SES has commissioned a study on this at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ( ZHAW ) in Wädenswil ZH. According to the press release on this, a “courageous solar offensive” can create thousands of new jobs in a short period of time. Jürg Rohrer, author of the study and head of the Renewable Energy Research Group at the ZHAW, states: "If we equip the most easily usable areas with solar systems, we need around 14,000 additional jobs." A total of 12,000 of them would be in the Installation of photovoltaic systems, which employees can carry out after only a short training period. In 2000, specialist planners required more specialist knowledge, for which, depending on their previous education, they would need around six months of further training.

    The package of measures of the Energy Strategy 2050, which was adopted in a referendum in May 2017, provides for more energy efficiency and renewable energies to be used in the future energy supply. However, the implementation has so far only got off to a slow start. The SES proposal, which should also be included in the consultation on the revision of the Energy Act, should help to compensate for this deficit. Felix Nipkow, Head of Renewable Energies at SES, mentions a threefold benefit of the initiative: “Investing in solar energy now helps to achieve the climate goals, creates new jobs and strengthens the security of supply in the electricity sector.” The new Energy Act will only be able to come into force in a few years. A solar offensive would trigger investments today and create new jobs quickly. In this way, photovoltaics will become a job engine.

  • Hans Eberle AG produces its own green electricity

    Hans Eberle AG produces its own green electricity

    Around 10 percent of the electricity consumption of the metal goods factory Hans Eberle AG has come from in-house production since this summer. According to the company's media release, the heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting of the new company building, which was also completed this summer, are powered by clean energy from the newly installed hydropower screw in Ortsbach. The Francis turbine that was used earlier "got out" in 2014 after more than 100 years of operation, as the company reports. With this investment, Hans Eberle AG wants to underline its commitment to the sustainable use of resources and make a contribution to climate protection.

    Hans Eberle AG, together with other members of the cooperative, uses the Ennendaner Ortsbach to produce its own electricity. The water is led from the Linth into the Ortsbach and has a constant flow of three cubic meters of water per second, which is quite sufficient for electricity production. The use of water power from the Ortsbach has a long tradition in Ennenda; it used to be used in the textile industry for weaving fabrics.

  • RVBW plans to use four e-buses

    RVBW plans to use four e-buses

    Four electric buses will be operating on RVBW Line 5 from March 2021. They will transport passengers between Baldegg via Baden train station to Ennetbaden. The new buses are equipped with innovative technology from ABB Switzerland. The canton of Aargau announced this in a media release as the customer for the public transport services.

    The project will be carried out in close cooperation with ABB. The Federal Office of Energy has classified it as a flagship project worth supporting. The drive technology is developed at the ABB site in Turgi. The charging station is also from ABB. The batteries are produced in Baden.

    A charging station will be installed at each of the two terminal stops. There buses can be charged in up to six minutes. The canton is contributing almost 1.5 million francs to the investment costs for the charging infrastructure.

    RVBW line 8 between Neuenhof and Wettingen has been operated with an electric bus on a trial basis for two years since mid-December 2019. On these two lines, the RVBW wants to gain initial operational experience with the use of e-buses. In the future, RVBW intends to operate all city bus routes electrically. The switch from internal combustion to electric motors is to take place gradually.