immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Eigenverbrauch

  • Local energy cooperatives are driving the expansion of solar energy

    Local energy cooperatives are driving the expansion of solar energy

    Since the start of the year, owners of solar panels have been able to sell their surplus electricity locally via local electricity communities (LEG). The City of Zurich’s electricity utility (ewz) offers a straightforward way to do this with its new product, ewz.solarquartier.

    According to a press release, 130 such electricity communities are already feeding their surplus electricity into the grid. In return, they receive a guaranteed purchase price of 14 centimes per kilowatt-hour. Already 6,000 customers are purchasing this electricity from ewz.

    The product is designed to promote the use of roof space for solar installations. “With our LEG product ewz.solarquartier, we have created a further economic incentive to ensure that solar installations are not simply built, but that high returns can be achieved in the long term,” Corinne Pellerin, Head of Market and Customers at ewz, is quoted as saying in the press release. The local use of the electricity also reduces the load on the grid.

    The Allgemeine Baugenossenschaft Zürich (ABZ) is already feeding in the surplus electricity from all its installations. “Thanks to the LEG solution from ewz.solarquartier, it was clear to us that we would register all 28 photovoltaic installations in our housing estates within the city limits,” says Eliane Hurni, Head of Buildings and Environment and a member of the Executive Board at ABZ.

    In total, there are currently almost 2,900 photovoltaic systems installed in the city, with a peak output of almost 100 megawatts. They produce around 80 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. By 2040, production is set to rise to 500 gigawatt-hours.

  • ZEV energy communities as the key to the future

    ZEV energy communities as the key to the future

    The ZEV is an innovative solution for energy supply in properties. This form of cooperation allows owners and tenants to benefit from renewable energy that is generated and consumed jointly. ZEV makes it possible to cover energy requirements more efficiently, not only reduces operating costs, but also makes an important contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions. In the SVIT Zurich seminar series, the basics of ZEV are presented in detail and their relevance for property management is comprehensively examined.

    A legal framework for ZEV
    In order to successfully implement ZEV, it is essential to understand the legal framework. The seminar provides an overview of relevant regulations and legal aspects so that the legal requirements are known. This knowledge is crucial in order to avoid potential legal pitfalls and ensure legally compliant implementation.

    Focus on successful implementation
    Practical examples are used to illustrate individual building solutions and comprehensive site solutions. By analysing specific projects, participants will learn how these concepts not only work in theory, but are also successfully applied in reality. The exchange of best practices will encourage participants to develop innovative ideas for their own realisations.

    Efficient structures
    Another focus of the seminar is on organising the operation of ZEV in rental and condominium properties. Efficient management and transparent billing are crucial to the success of these projects. Experts will explain how an optimal operational organisation can be designed to maximise the benefits of the ZEV for all parties involved and guarantee smooth implementation.

    Future prospects
    Finally, we will take a look into the future. How will ZEV continue to develop in the property sector? What trends are emerging and what opportunities are there for professionals? The SVIT seminar not only offers valuable impulses for current practice, but also visionary perspectives for the property management of tomorrow. Let us drive forward the energy transition and establish ZEV as the key to a more sustainable property industry.

    Register here
  • Solar park project completed five months earlier than planned

    Solar park project completed five months earlier than planned

    Nexans Switzerland has commissioned its new solar park at the Cortaillod site five months ahead of schedule. It consists of ten individual systems, each of which was installed on a different roof. These independent units were then connected together to form a higher-level system. According to a statement from the cable manufacturer, this required adaptations to the specific architectural and structural features.

    This approach made it possible to completely avoid interfering with production activities at the site during the installation work. “The result: a 100 per cent successful commissioning, almost five months earlier than planned.”

    Since the summer of 2023, a team of Groupe E Greenwatt specialists from the Boudry NE site has installed over 4,000 solar modules, each with a capacity of 430 watts, “under demanding technical conditions”. The solar park has a total output of 1.7 megawatts. Together with a 700 kilowatt system previously installed by Groupe E, Nexans now achieves a self-consumption rate estimated at over 90 per cent.

    “This strategic partnership supports our goal of continuing to reduce our environmental footprint and develop our business sustainably, and strengthens our energy resilience,” Nexans Switzerland CEO Marco Spinelli is quoted as saying. “Even without these plants, Nexans only consumes electricity that comes 100 per cent from renewable sources, and has done so since the beginning of the year.”

  • New grid platform facilitates self-consumption of solar power and battery storage

    New grid platform facilitates self-consumption of solar power and battery storage

    According to a press release,Evaarist is launching a grid platform “for the democratisation of energy self-sufficiency”. The Sion-based start-up wants to enable more owners of existing solar installations to consume more of their solar production themselves. In addition to the autarcie.ch platform for controlling solar power from the roof, Evaarist also offers easy-to-install battery packs.

    “Energy self-sufficiency is something that is close to our hearts,” says Loïc Viret. He founded Evaarist 2023 with Julien Morard and Stéphane Curchod. The engineering firm specialises in renewable energies and energy self-sufficiency and launched the autarcie.ch platform as part of the Espace Innothèque at the Foire du Valais 2024, according to the press release.

    Evaarist’s considerations were based on the observation that almost 98 per cent of the 240,000 or so existing solar installations in Switzerland are not equipped with batteries. Evaarist offers universal battery systems for solar roofs. A battery pack is installed in parallel with the electricity grid, the solar modules and the existing inverters. “This will make it possible to store and work with additional energy. And above all, the degree of self-sufficiency can be increased to 65 to 85 per cent, compared to 20 to 30 per cent without batteries,” Viret is quoted as saying.

    Furthermore, Evaarist wants to bring the material directly from the manufacturer to the customer and the installation will largely be carried out as a “do it yourself” project. Thanks to an agreement with a German importer, autarcie.ch offers battery packs from CHF 5800 for 10 kilowatt hours.

    Autarcie.ch is not an anti-blackout system. “But our systems can be equipped to work if the grid fails,” Viret is quoted as saying.

  • Schlieren continues to make progress with solar expansion

    Schlieren continues to make progress with solar expansion

    According to its press release, the city of Schlieren is taking another step towards sustainable energy supply and mobility: by the end of August, it will have put six new charging stations for electric vehicles into operation, as well as the largest municipal photovoltaic system at the IJZ Innovation and Young Entrepreneurs Centre on Rütistrasse.

    Each of its 1278 latest-generation modules has an output of 425 watts peak. The solar power generated is not only fed into the grid, but is also used for self-consumption: “The project at the IJZ exemplifies the progress in the energy turnaround, to which we attach great importance in this and many other projects,” Dr. Martin Nicklas, who heads energy contracting at the Canton of Zurich’s electricity utility(EKZ), is quoted as saying. This is because the solar power produced there is used to supply the IJZ and the commercial businesses located there as well as the surrounding flats. “This means that the PV electricity is produced and used at the same location – you can’t get more local than that.”

    Schlieren wants to set a positive example, especially in view of the solar targets that have so far been missed in the canton. The city is pushing the expansion of solar energy on its own municipal properties, especially on flat roofs, says Albert Schweizer, Head of Real Estate and Location Promotion at the City of Schlieren. “Our own municipal authorities, as well as the protection of historical monuments and our grid provider EKZ, provide us with significant support in promoting solar energy

  • IWB and Kiwigrid cooperate for decentralized energy supply

    IWB and Kiwigrid cooperate for decentralized energy supply

    The Basel Industrial Works ( IWB ) and the German IT company Kiwigrid , which specializes in decentralized energy and e-mobility, are working together to set up energy communities. Both companies have jointly developed software for energy management and asset management, IWB and Kiwigrid inform in a joint statement . It is to be used for the first time on the Westfeld site in Basel. There, the housing cooperative is realizing a new quarter with around 500 cooperative apartments.

    IWB will equip the district with an integrated heating, cooling and power supply. The Basel energy supplier obtains the necessary energy management from Kiwigrid. Using the Energy-IoT platform of the Dresden-based company, the district’s electricity meters, photovoltaic systems, charging stations and heat pumps can be integrated into a network for self-consumption, intelligently controlled and managed.

    “Our goal is a completely renewable, climate-friendly energy supply,” says Markus Balmer, Head of Sales and member of the management board at IWB. The company wants to contribute to the development of sustainable living and working spaces. “As an expert in energy management systems and IoT for renewable energies, Kiwigrid has proven to be the ideal partner in the implementation of our ambitious goals,” explains Balmer.

    The energy community in Westfeld should not remain the only joint project between IWB and Kiwigrid. According to the announcement, the partners have already found interested parties for further mergers. hs