immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Energiemanagement

  • Investment supports expansion of decentralised energy infrastructure

    Investment supports expansion of decentralised energy infrastructure

    Youdera Group SA has secured a strategic investment from Amundi Energy Transition. According to a statement, the funds will support the company’s next phase of growth and an implementation plan of around 150 million euros for decentralised energy infrastructure in the European commercial and industrial sector.

    Youdera offers companies energy management, which involves the planning and development, financing, construction and operation of energy systems. The aim is to reduce dependence on the electricity grid, make energy costs more predictable and drive electrification. The offering includes photovoltaic systems, battery storage, building envelope refurbishments, heat pumps and other measures to increase energy efficiency.

    The investment by Amundi Energy Transition, a subsidiary of French asset manager Amundi S.A., offers the opportunity to scale the model across Europe, says Pedro Miranda, CEO and co-founder of Youdera. “In a more volatile world, European companies need to act decisively to remain competitive.”

    Youdera was founded in 2015, is based in Ecublens and has its main site in the EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne. Its core markets are Switzerland, Spain and Portugal, but the company sees further growth potential in Europe. “As commercial and industrial customers are looking for more resilient and cost-efficient energy solutions, we are convinced that Youdera is ideally positioned to meet this growing market demand,” says Claire Chabrier, Head of Direct Investments – Private Markets at Amundi.

  • Financing secured for market entry in Germany

    Financing secured for market entry in Germany

    Viboo AG has successfully completed its second financing round, the Dübendorf-based company, which was founded in 2022, announced in a press release. A total of 3.3 million euros was raised from existing and new investors. The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology has developed a tool for optimising the use of energy in buildings.

    Viboo intends to use the new funds for its upcoming entry into the German market. To this end, the start-up wants to expand its energy management tool into a comprehensive tool for building management. “We have laid the foundations in Switzerland – with over 40 satisfied customers, some of whom are already in the portfolio roll-out phase, and significant energy savings in existing buildings,” said viboo co-founder Felix Bünning in the press release. “We are now taking the next big step by entering our first EU market, where the combination of energy prices and regulation is providing a strong pull.”

    The financing round that has now been concluded was led by Realyze Ventures from Cologne. “With viboo, we are investing in an innovative software solution that drives the decarbonisation of the existing building segment and thus addresses a very large market,” said Marnix Roes, Investment Manager at Realyze Ventures, in the press release. Viboo has also gained Zürcher Kantonalbank(ZKB) as a new investor. The bank is looking forward to “supporting viboo in the upcoming scaling process”, explains Nicola Leuenberger, Investment Manager at ZKB.

  • New generation of gateway for efficient energy management

    New generation of gateway for efficient energy management

    Solar Manager has launched a new version of its gateway for solar power. According to a press release from the energy management specialist based in Muri and Isernhagen in Germany, Solar Manager Connect 2 is easy to integrate into existing systems as a top-hat rail version. The hardware is also being launched with the new Solar Manager software. According to the company, the gateway is compatible with over 500 devices from different manufacturers.

    Connect 2 can be used to control a home network (Home Energy Management System, HEMS). The new features include two integrated relay inputs for controlling wallboxes and heat pumps, two digital inputs and an analogue output as well as an RS-485 industry standard for communication with third-party devices, which was already built into the previous model. There is also an integrated EEBUS standard for communication with grid operators as a smart meter gateway.

    “Our aim was to make installation as simple as possible, even in increasingly complex energy systems,” said Andreas Kuhn, founder and CEO of Solar Manager AG, in the press release. “The feedback from our partners was crucial. We incorporated their wishes directly into the development of Solar Manager Connect 2 so that installers can continue to do their work quickly and reliably.”

  • Focus on solar technology for agriculture

    Focus on solar technology for agriculture

    The international energy company Eaton and the agrivoltaics specialist Insolight, also based in Lausanne, have agreed on a strategic collaboration to optimise the use of solar power in agriculture. According to a press release, Eaton’s experience in intelligent energy management will be combined with Insolight’s solar technologies. In particular, it will be investigated whether Insolight’s photovoltaic systems can be coupled with Eaton’s battery storage systems (BESS) and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Insolight plans to install more than 100 projects with a capacity of 300 megawatt peak by 2026. For its part, Eaton intends to support the projects with technical expertise and product training.

    Both companies will also support the farmers involved in the integration, commissioning and ongoing maintenance of new sustainable energy systems. Insolight’s agrivoltaic systems not only generate electricity that can be used on the farms, but also protect plantations against wind, hail and heavy rain.

    “This collaboration with Eaton represents an important milestone in our endeavour to bring innovative agrivoltaic solutions to the market,” said Luiggino Torrigiani, Head of Marketing and Partnerships at Insolight, in the press release. “By partnering with Insolight, we can extend our capabilities to the agrivoltaic sector, where energy efficiency can have a real impact alongside agricultural productivity,” added Anne Lillywhite, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Energy Transition, Digital and Services at Eaton.

  • Efficient utilisation of building heat – EMPA’s HEATWISE project

    Efficient utilisation of building heat – EMPA’s HEATWISE project

    At a time when sustainable energy management is becoming increasingly important, the unused waste heat from IT systems in buildings represents a considerable waste. Hospitals, universities and office complexes have extensive IT infrastructures that not only consume energy but also produce a significant amount of heat that remains largely unutilised. The Horizon Europe project HEATWISE addresses this challenge and brings together twelve research and industry partners from eight countries to develop innovative solutions for utilising this waste heat.

    The project, which was launched in early 2024 and will run for three years, is funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. A key element of HEATWISE is the development of predictive control algorithms that not only link the IT infrastructure and building technology, but are also designed to enable energy-efficient, low-carbon and cost-effective operation.

    One example of the practical realisation of these goals is Empa’s “NEST” research building in Dübendorf, which serves as a real pilot plant. Here, the waste heat from a microcomputing centre is already being successfully used for heating, supported by innovative cooling technologies such as the “on-chip liquid cooling” system from Israeli project partner ZutaCore. This enables optimum heat recovery and the utilisation of the recovered heat for high-temperature-intensive applications, such as hot water supply.

    For specialists from the property and location development sector, HEATWISE not only offers insights into pioneering heat recovery and energy efficiency technologies, but also concrete application examples that show how IT infrastructures and building technology can be used synergistically for more sustainable energy management.

  • Partino and ecocoach agree partnership in the energy sector

    Partino and ecocoach agree partnership in the energy sector

    Partino Mobile Energie AG, an electric charging station company based in Oberentfelden, and the Schwyz-based technology company ecocoach have agreed a strategic partnership. According to a press release, both companies want to offer their customers a complex energy management system. Both companies are convinced that the partnership marks a significant step towards a sustainable energy future.

    It will combine the elements of photovoltaic charging stations and load management from Partino with ecocoach’s energy storage solutions and management systems for residential and industrial buildings. According to the press release, customers will be able to further increase their energy efficiency, optimise their own consumption and thus reduce costs with the innovative solutions from the cooperation.

  • Energie 360° steigt bei Solarmotion ein

    Energie 360° steigt bei Solarmotion ein

    Energie 360° steigt mit einer Minderheitenbeteiligung bei Solarmotion ein. Die Mehrheit des Ostschweizer Solarunternehmens verbleibe bei Gründer Stefan Merz, informiert Energie 360° in einer Mitteilung. Über den Kaufpreis der Beteiligung werden dort keine Angaben gemacht.

    Mit dem Einstieg bei Solarmotion will Energie 360° in den Ausbau von Photovoltaik investieren. „Die Beteiligung an Solarmotion leistet einen Beitrag zur konsequenten Umsetzung unseres Leitsterns: Energie 360° will bis 2040 ausschliesslich erneuerbare Energie liefern“, wird Ruth Happersberger, Bereichsleiterin Strategie und Beteiligungen bei Energie 360°, in der Mitteilung zitiert. Gemeinsam wollen die beiden Unternehmen Energie- und Mobilitätslösungen weiterentwickeln. Als Beispiele werden in der Mitteilung Contracting-Modelle oder Kombinationen von Ladeinfrastruktur für Elektrofahrzeuge mit Photovoltaik genannt.

    Im Zusammenspiel mit weiteren Beteiligungen sowie innovativen Unternehmen aus dem Start-up-Fonds von Energie 360° sind zudem Projekte im Bereich Energiemanagementsysteme geplant. „Ich bin glücklich, dass ich mit Energie 360° die ideale Partnerin gefunden habe“, erklärt Merz in der Mitteilung. „Sie zeichnet sich nebst grossem Netzwerk und Fachexpertise auch durch denselben starken Innovationsgeist aus – wir ergänzen uns auf ideale Weise.“