immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Bundesamt für Energie

  • Disused borehole in Trüllikon: potential for CO2 storage is being examined

    Disused borehole in Trüllikon: potential for CO2 storage is being examined

    The disused Trüllikon-1 deep borehole is being transferred from Nagra to swisstopo, according to a statement from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy(SFOE). The Federal Office of Topography intends to investigate the potential and challenges of injecting CO2 underground.

    The borehole was drilled by Nagra as part of the search for a suitable repository for radioactive waste. According to a study carried out by swisstopo in 2023 together with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the University of Bern, it is in very good condition and suitable for safely carrying out a CO2 injection test.

    The feed-in test could last from 2025 to 2030 at the latest as part of a pilot project. According to the SFOE, however, it is still unclear whether the test will be carried out. However, swisstopo is already in contact with the municipal council of Trüllikon and the landowner, according to the press release. Furthermore, the potential pilot project does not represent a preliminary decision as to whether CO2 should be stored underground in Switzerland at all.

  • Building program paid out record sum

    Building program paid out record sum

    According to a press release from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ), around 361 million francs in subsidies for energy-efficient building refurbishment were approved by the federal government and the cantons in 2021. This is the highest amount that has been invested in renovation and new construction projects since the program was launched. Compared to 2020, the funding amount has increased by CHF 62 million.

    Thermal insulation projects, which were funded with CHF 126 million, received the largest amount. The highest increase of 70 percent compared to 2020 was achieved by building services projects, which received CHF 106 million in grants. The commitments for energy-related measures that will be implemented over the next five years have reached a new high of CHF 490 million.

    The high demand for subsidies can be attributed to the broad approval of owners for energy-efficient renovation of their properties or new builds. According to calculations, the measures approved in the year under review will lead to a reduction in energy consumption in buildings throughout Switzerland by 6.5 billion kilowatt hours and lower CO2 emissions by around 1.8 million tonnes over their lifetime.

    According to the statement, the building program has proven to be an effective instrument of Swiss energy and climate policy. A total of around CHF 2.7 billion has been paid out under the funding program since its introduction in 2010. The building program also has a positive effect on the economy. In 2021, 2,300 full-time jobs and around CHF 97 million in additional domestic value were created.

  • Photovoltaics accelerate growth

    Photovoltaics accelerate growth

    The share of solar power in the total electricity consumption in Switzerland has reached almost 6 percent, explains Swissolar in a statement . The association of the Swiss solar energy industry relies on the solar energy statistics published by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy . According to her, the expansion of photovoltaics in 2021 rose by 43 percent year-on-year to 683 megawatts. In total, systems with a total capacity of around 3.65 gigawatts have been installed. They produced a total of 2.84 terawatt hours of solar power in 2021.

    However, in order to close the gap created by the planned phase-out of fossil fuels and nuclear power, solar power production would have to be increased to 45 terawatt hours per year, says Swissolar. This goal can be achieved by using almost 40 percent of the currently existing roof areas by 2050. In an 11-point plan , Swissolar sets out how solar production can be increased to 25 terawatt hours by 2035. “This would mean that the water reserves in the reservoirs would be sufficiently large even in late winter and spring, despite the nuclear phase-out,” the statement said.

    For 2022, Swissolar is expecting further growth of 25 to 30 percent to 850 to 900 megawatts. Without bottlenecks in personnel and material, the increase could be even higher, believes Swissolar. The association demands reliable framework conditions for this. “Anyone who is now aligning their professional career with solar energy wants to be sure that the politically induced ‘stop-and-go’ of the last decade is a thing of the past,” Swissolar Managing Director David Stickelberger is quoted as saying in the statement.

  • Energy Savers promote energy efficiency

    Energy Savers promote energy efficiency

    The alliance of municipal utilities, Swisspower , Services industriels de Genève ( SIG ) and the Swiss Energy program of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy have launched a new platform. Energy Savers aims to increase energy efficiency “by bringing together players from the energy sector, business and associations and supporting specific projects,” explains Swisspower in a corresponding statement . Energy suppliers and local and regional authorities are named there as the primary target group.

    “Only by reducing our consumption can we ensure a secure supply and achieve our climate goals,” Benoît Revaz is quoted as saying in the statement. According to the director of the Federal Office of Energy, there is still a lot of room for improvement here in Switzerland: “In housing, in mobility, but also in companies, this potential is at least 30 percent.”

    The platform, which was only recently activated, is already showing a strong increase in members, is explained further in the communication. Other interested parties are invited to register directly on the platform or to arrange a meeting with the operators.

    The Energy Savers work towards reducing dependence on non-renewable energy and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. To this end, three strategic goals are defined in the communication. On the one hand, energy saving should be given a higher priority. On the other hand, the Energy Savers campaign for more investments in energy efficiency and better exploitation of energy efficiency potential. The third objective mentioned in the communication is the dissemination of success stories.

  • Consolidation in the Swiss label market

    Consolidation in the Swiss label market

    The handling of the Ecobau requirements, which sometimes formed the basis for the Minergie ECO label, has apparently not yet been finally clarified. As is well known, they have largely been included in the SNBS (Swiss Sustainable Building Standard), as they include topics that will become even more important in the future, namely the circular economy, gray energy, etc. – sustainable buildings are not just buildings that have been optimized in terms of operational energy .

    And yet, this consolidation creates clarity in the market and is also a clear commitment to the SNBS, as a key benchmark in the Swiss construction and real estate market and an important instrument for implementing the Energy Strategy 2050.

    Click here for the media release from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy

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

    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.

  • Switzerland launches building education offensive

    Switzerland launches building education offensive

    The shortage of skilled workers in the construction and real estate industry is to be remedied. To this end, the Swiss “Building Education Offensive” has now been launched. The starting event will take place on January 20 at 4 p.m. and will be streamed live. According to a press release from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy , a “roadmap with 32 measures and four fields of action” will be presented.

    Ultimately, the building sector in Switzerland should make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. To do this, “hundreds of thousands of fossil-based heating systems would have to be replaced by renewable ones, a large number of buildings would have to be renovated in terms of energy, intelligent control systems would have to be installed and the power supply of the buildings would have to be completely converted to renewable energies”. However, there is already a shortage of skilled workers. At the same time, the number of those who decide to do an apprenticeship in this industry is declining.

    The education offensive was developed by all relevant representatives of the building and education sector. They were supported by EnergieSchweiz , the Swiss Federal Office of Energy’s program for renewable energy and energy efficiency. The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation , the Federal Office for the Environment and the State Secretariat for Migration were also involved.

  • Watt d'Or honors innovative companies

    Watt d'Or honors innovative companies

    The Swiss Watt d'Or 2022 Energy Prize was awarded on January 6th. The Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ) has been presenting this seal of approval for energy excellence every year since 2007 on the occasion of its New Year's event. The prizes are not endowed. They should motivate business, politics and the general public to discover the advantages of innovative energy technologies for themselves.

    Schaerraum ag received the award in the building and space category. In just eight months of construction, she built a climate-neutral multi-storey residential and office building made of regional wood in Horw LU. According to a press release by the SFOE, it produces 50 percent more electricity than it needs. In addition, the rental prices are around 20 percent below the local average. This is made possible by the modular planning principle RaumRaster.

    In the renewable energies category, Verora AG is awarded to a group of farmers from the Zug mountain region. Since 2012, it has been producing biochar from tree and shrub cuttings with a pyrolysis system that has been further developed in-house. As a feed additive, it reduces the formation of gas during the digestion of cows and the smell of ammonia in the barn. It also increases the nutrient content of fertilizer and compost and binds CO2 for centuries.

    No winner was chosen in the mobility category this year. SBB receives the Watt d'Or 2022 in the energy technologies category. It has developed intelligent load management software that replaces the construction of new, expensive electricity production plants. In the event of peak loads, for example when many trains are accelerating at the same time, it switches off the train car and point heating for a short time. In this way, SBB can flexibly control 70 megawatts by 2023, according to the SFOE: "It is thus assuming a role model for the general electricity grid in Switzerland."

  • Subsidies result in record expansion at solar

    Subsidies result in record expansion at solar

    According to a media release by the Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), the federal funds for photovoltaic systems are having an effect: The record construction of photovoltaic systems from 2020 will probably be exceeded this year.

    According to the information, more than 18,000 photovoltaic systems with a total output of 360 megawatts were registered for one-off remuneration from January to the end of October 2021. That is around 25 percent more than in the same period last year. In the third quarter, their number even increased by 40 percent.

    All system operators who have submitted their complete application to Pronovo AG on time could expect a payment. A total of CHF 150 million would be paid out as a one-off payment for 26,000 small photovoltaic systems. 500 applications have been received for large photovoltaic systems. As confirmed by the SFOE, the planned funding amounts could be paid out to all applicants who correctly submit their application by the respective deadline in the coming year.

    No further systems were added to the feed-in tariff system in 2021. After completion, 19 photovoltaic, 79 hydropower, 422 wind energy and 42 biomass projects would have received funding approval.

    The investment contributions made available for small and large hydropower plants were only partially called up in 2021. New requests could be processed immediately without a waiting list.

    No applications have been received for an investment contribution in favor of electricity-producing sewage gas and waste incineration plants, wood power plants or geothermal projects. New ones could be processed immediately.

  • Empa achieves record for flexible solar cells

    Empa achieves record for flexible solar cells

    The Empa team from the Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics , headed by Ayodhya N. Tiwari, has set its seventh record for the efficiency of flexible CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide) solar cells. After a record high efficiency of 12.8 percent in 1999, it has now reached 21.38 percent, according to a press release. This new record was confirmed by the independent Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, Germany.

    The value now measured is already close to the best efficiency of conventional, non-flexible solar cells made of crystalline silicon of 26.7 percent. The highly efficient flexible solar cells are particularly suitable for use on roofs and building facades, for greenhouses, transport vehicles, aircraft and portable electronics. Together with the Niederhasli ZH-based company Flisom , a spin-off from Empa and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ( ETH ), the researchers are developing roll-to-roll production of lightweight, flexible solar modules for such applications.

    These solar cells are produced on a polymer film using a low-temperature evaporation method. The light-absorbing semiconductor material lies on top as a wafer-thin film. Empa researcher Shiro Nishiwaki optimized their composition. In this way he was able to further increase the efficiency. According to the team’s measurements, the increase in photovoltaic output remained stable even after several months.

    Tiwari’s team works closely with the Kovalenko Lab for Functional Inorganic Materials at ETH Zurich. The research and development work was supported by the Federal Office of Energy .

  • Umwelt Arena implements lighthouse project in Urdorf

    Umwelt Arena implements lighthouse project in Urdorf

    The development of the Umwelt Arena in Männedorf received the Watt d'or 2021 from the Federal Office of Energy. The two multi-family houses in Männedorf can cover their energy needs with photovoltaic modules on the facades and roofs and two wind turbines. This means that your residents are exempt from electricity and heating costs up to an upper limit.

    The Umwelt Arena is now following up with a new lighthouse project. In Urdorf, three more energy self-sufficient residential buildings are to be realized, is explained in an article on energeia + . The blog of the Federal Office of Energy will accompany the implementation of the project in a loose series of articles. In the first article, Walter Schmid, investor and initiator of the Umwelt Arena, explains the planned development.

    As in Männedorf, the buildings in Urdorf will also produce their own energy, explains Schmid. “Photovoltaic systems are installed on the facade, on the flat roof or the entrance to the underground car park.” Excess energy produced in summer is to be fed into the gas network and withdrawn in winter. In order to convert the gas back into electricity and heat, a hybrid box will be installed in the basement of the building. The tenants of the residential buildings are to be exempted from electricity and heating costs up to an upper limit.

    In the brochure for the project, the development in Urdorf is referred to as a “national future project”. Because the project should show "that it is worthwhile to build energy-efficiently and win everyone in the process," says the initiator Schmid. Männedorf has already shown that the idea works, that the larger project in Urdorf should "make it even cheaper, more economical". Because this is the only way to attract imitators.

  • Portal documents the development of charging stations

    Portal documents the development of charging stations

    More than a third of energy consumption occurs in traffic, writes the Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ) in a press release . The increased use of electric cars is intended to increase efficiency here. The communication names the expansion of the corresponding charging infrastructure as an important factor in promoting e-mobility.

    In order to be able to document the development of the charging infrastructure, providers of charging stations and the SFOE have set up a joint data infrastructure, the SFOE explains further in the communication. With their help, the availability of public charging stations in Switzerland is displayed in real time on the www.ich-tanke-strom.ch portal. This data is used by the SFOE to generate key figures for the public charging infrastructure. They are made available on the portal as data visualization. The SFOE makes the underlying data available as open data on the opendata.swiss portal.

    20 providers are now taking part in the project to document the development of the public charging infrastructure, including the largest charging networks in Switzerland, evpass, MOVE, swisscharge and Plug'n Roll. Interested providers of public charging stations are invited to join the project.

  • Electromobility needs new goals

    Electromobility needs new goals

    Federal Councilor Simonetta Sommaruga discussed with those involved in electromobility what would be beneficial for its rapid expansion. At a top meeting with high-ranking representatives from the automotive, electricity, real estate and vehicle fleet sectors as well as the cantons, cities and municipalities, new objectives were outlined.

    They should join in with the goals that were set for the year 2022. According to a joint media release by the Federal Department for the Environment, Energy and Communication and the Federal Offices for Energy and Roads , they had already been reached in February 2021, with electric vehicles accounting for 15.1 percent.

    One of the proposals provides information and advice as well as more attractive and attractively priced services relating to the purchase of plug-in vehicles. In addition, the number of public charging stations should increase faster. This requires suitable measures to accelerate planning and construction. In addition, use and billing systems should become simpler and more transparent. Ultimately, it is important to create more charging options in the parking lot in front of the house or in the underground car park of apartment buildings.

    The actors in the Electromobility Roadmap would work out these goals in the coming months and derive suitable measures from them. Implementation should begin quickly. "The success in electromobility shows that the population wants to live in a climate-friendly way and be clean on the road," said Sommaruga. "Together we make it possible."

  • ETH model paves the way for the energy transition

    ETH model paves the way for the energy transition

    At the Energy Science Center ( ESC ) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ( ETH ), an interdisciplinary research group is working on the Nexus-e platform. It is intended to help answer the fundamental questions that the energy transition that has been adopted will raise for politics, business, science and society now and in the years to come. The project is supported by the Federal Office for Energy .

    As a video from ETH shows, Nexus-e is supposed to map the entire complex Swiss electricity system. “In order to find solutions for the future, you need more flexibility,” project manager Marius Schwarz is quoted in an article by the ETH. "With Nexus-e we want to provide a platform with which we can model different scenarios and thus facilitate the transformation of the energy sector in the coming decades."

    This transparent platform is supposed to be a kind of toolbox. Its flexible modules are intended to represent the Swiss economy as a whole and the electricity market as well as the electricity market, investments in decentralized and centralized energy systems, network security and network expansion.

    It also serves as a modeling infrastructure that is continuously used in research and teaching. This will make it a modeling platform for interdisciplinary research within the university. But it should also be used outside as a test environment and further developed. "We are therefore open to new collaborations in the academic field, but also with political decision-makers or representatives from industry," said ESC director Christian Schaffner.

  • Switzerland must accelerate the energy transition

    Switzerland must accelerate the energy transition

    Switzerland has set itself less ambitious goals for the energy transition up to 2020 and is likely to achieve them. This is shown by the third monitoring report by the Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ). After that, the new renewable energies achieved an electricity production of 4186 gigawatt hours in 2019. The SFOE writes in a press release that the target of 4400 gigawatt hours in 2020 is within reach. But if the guideline value of 11,400 gigawatt hours is to be achieved in 2035, the annual additions must amount to an average of 451 gigawatt hours, one and a half times as much as in the past decade.

    The final energy consumption per capita is similar: the reduction target of minus 16 percent by 2020 compared to 2000 was already achieved in 2016. By 2019, minus 19.1 percent was achieved. But if the benchmark for 2035 of minus 43 percent is to be achieved, then the average annual decline would have to be minus 2.2 percent. In the past decade it was only minus 1.4 percent.

    The Energy Perspectives 2050+ published at the same time by the SFOE came to the conclusion that if Switzerland continued with the existing practice, it would fall far short of its climate target in the long term. Switzerland has committed itself to reducing its CO2 emissions to net zero by 2050. But with a “keep it up” it comes to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 30 percent compared to 2020.

    However, the Energy Perspectives 2050+ assume that Switzerland can achieve its climate target with the technologies that are already available or currently being developed. The investment requirement would be only 8 percent higher than a continuation of the previous practice, according to a BFE announcement . If the current practice were retained, a total of CHF 1,400 billion would have to be invested in energy infrastructure, systems, devices and vehicles by 2050. If the net zero climate target is to be achieved, it would be a good 1,500 billion Swiss francs.

  • Federal government continues electricity saving program

    Federal government continues electricity saving program

    The ProKilowatt office received a total of 16 applications for the 2020 competitive tender for programs. According to a press release , twelve of them received funding approval. The programs with the best cost-benefit ratio, i.e. with the cheapest kilowatt-hour saved, were awarded the contract. These programs range from energy saving measures for companies in the food and feed industry to energy optimization in data centers.

    In addition, nine new projects were selected at the beginning of July. In this way, the Federal Office of Energy supports, among other things, the renovation of ventilation systems in a food company and the replacement of motors in industrial production processes. This year the Federal Office of Energy has awarded applicants CHF 29 million in funding.

    A total of 50 million francs is available to the federal government for calls for tenders for projects and programs in 2020. The deadline for submitting the third project round of the year and for programs to promote energy-efficient household appliances expired on September 4th. The applications received are currently being examined. The applicants will receive the funding notices in mid-November. Applications for the 2021 competitive tenders can be submitted from the beginning of November. The submission deadlines for projects are February 5, April 23 and September 3, 2021.