immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: ErneuerbareEnergien

  • AEW invests in energy grid stability

    AEW invests in energy grid stability

    AEW Energie AG has launched a battery storage project together with Hitachi Energy. The storage facility is scheduled to go into operation on the AEW site in Baden-Dättwil AG in October 2023.

    The pilot project is intended to establish a solid energy supply and provide information about energy systems of the future. This is according to a media release. According to the statement, the companies have joined forces with students from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) in Windisch AG. The operating concept for the battery energy storage system (BESS) was developed as part of a student project. The goal is intelligent battery storage and innovative analysis, software and digital functions to cover peak loads, they say. The storage system is mainly used when demand is particularly high, for example at lunchtime.

    The energy service provider AEW is thus responding to the increasingly decentralised expansion of sustainable energy supply. In the development towards an energy mix, the regeneratively generated electricity must be distributed among photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, storage units and electromobility. At the same time, the storage system is intended to increase the level of knowledge on the operation of battery technologies, grid stability and ageing behaviour.

    Hitachi is providing the battery system. It provides 10 megawatt hours of usable capacity and an output of 5.5 megawatts. With a fully charged battery, the annual energy consumption of two four-person households can be covered or a community of 11,000 inhabitants can be supplied with electricity for about 45 to 60 minutes. The storage unit can be charged in less than two hours.

  • Energie 360° launches sustainable project for Zurich-Lengg and Zollikon

    Energie 360° launches sustainable project for Zurich-Lengg and Zollikon

    Energie 360° will start construction work on a new energy network on Monday, 17 April. According to a media release, the energy provider, together with the Lengg health cluster and the municipality of Zollikon, wants to heat and cool clinics and urban residential areas with climate-friendly Lake Zurich water from 2027. Zollikon still has to vote on whether to join the network.

    Regarding the suitability of the planning area for such a solution, the press release states that several large health care institutions and residential areas are located close to each other in the Lengg district of Zurich. This is an ideal prerequisite for an energy network to heat and cool the clinics, institutes and flats in a climate-friendly way. The water is to be collected in Lake Zurich near Zollikon and piped to Lengg.

    In addition to the health cluster and two urban residential areas with around 100 flats, the project will also be the starting signal for the construction of a district heating network in Zollikon, according to the energy company. It should then be possible to supply heating and cooling in Lengg and Zollikon for the first time from 2027. According to Energie 360°, the investment sum for the Lengg energy network is around 90 million Swiss francs.

    The health cluster will be the largest hospital landscape in Europe to use climate-neutral energy, it continues. This would save up to 10,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year at the hospitals alone. This is equivalent to the exhaust gases from the use of about 4 million litres of fossil fuel oil.

    Energie 360° has set itself the goal of supplying its customers exclusively with renewable energy by 2040.

  • Solar module return rate is close to 100 per cent

    Solar module return rate is close to 100 per cent

    Photovoltaic modules installed in Switzerland are almost all recycled at the end of their service life, informs SENS eRecycling in a press release. The foundation, which is organised in the private sector, relieves its partners at manufacturers and importers of the associated work. According to SENS eRecycling, this system benefits manufacturers, importers, homeowners and the environment.

    The price of a solar system already includes an advance recycling fee. This is currently 40 francs per tonne, explains SENS eRecycling. However, the foundation itself currently spends around 440 francs per tonne on collection, transport and recycling. “The financing of the system only works because the current quantities of installed photovoltaic systems still significantly exceed the quantity of discarded material and thus the fund continues to accumulate from year to year,” the statement says. For 2035, SENS eRecycling expects to have to dispose of 70,000 tonnes of photovoltaic modules.

    According to the foundation, the current quantities are too small to make recycling worthwhile for disposal companies in Switzerland. SENS eRecycling is therefore currently working with KWB Plan Real GmbH. The German company has the modules dismantled at a recycling plant near the Swiss border. Metals can be completely recycled, and the glass is used together with the silicon to produce glass wool. In this way, around three quarters of the raw materials can currently be returned to the cycle, according to SENS eRecycling.

  • Energie 360° begins renovation of its headquarters

    Energie 360° begins renovation of its headquarters

    Energie 360° can begin the conversion of its headquarters in Zurich Altstetten. The energy provider, which is majority-owned by the city of Zurich, is investing almost 28 million Swiss francs in the redesign and expansion of its offices into an open office landscape, the construction of a large-scale photovoltaic system and the optimisation of the building services, according to a media release.

    According to the release, Energie 360° received the building permit in January. The construction site can now be set up from the end of March. The renovation work should be completed by late autumn 2024. In the meantime, the employees will move their workplaces to a temporary headquarters in Zurich Altstetten.

    The building is already fully supplied with renewable energy and is energy-optimised. In the course of the conversion, it will receive additional solar panels designed by Jessenvollenweider Architektur from Basel. The office is reportedly a pioneer in the field of photovoltaic systems. In future, the modules will produce around half of Energie 360°’s electricity requirements.

    “The additional photovoltaic systems on the façade and the extension on the roof turn the headquarters into a green power plant with an exemplary function and a strong external impact,” Jörg Wild, CEO of Energie 360°, is quoted as saying in the media release.

    The company wants to offer its customers exclusively renewable energy by 2040. As a sustainable energy and mobility service provider, it therefore also has its own energy consumption in mind.

  • Federal Council facilitates approval of large solar installations

    Federal Council facilitates approval of large solar installations

    On 17 March, the Federal Council made several amendments to ordinances in the energy sector. According to a press release, these implement the urgent measures for the short-term provision of a secure electricity supply in winter, which were adopted by parliament in 2022.

    The amendments facilitate the approval of large photovoltaic plants. The building permit itself is issued by the canton and must also contain conditions for dismantling. The site municipality and the landowner must have given their consent. The federal government in turn approves the electrical connection.

    The large-scale plants can receive a one-off payment of up to 60 per cent of the eligible investment costs. To qualify, they must have fed at least 10 per cent of the plant’s expected production or 10 gigawatt hours into the grid by the end of 2025. The entire plant must have been connected to the grid by the end of 2030.

    The relief applies until these new large-scale plants generate a total of 2 terawatt hours of electricity. The plants may not be built on crop rotation areas.

  • City of Lucerne wants to heat entirely with renewables

    City of Lucerne wants to heat entirely with renewables

    The Lucerne City Council is requesting a special credit of 5.05 million Swiss francs from the City Council for the conversion of the heating supply to 100 per cent renewable energy. In addition, a supplementary credit of 194,000 francs was requested for the 2023 budget. According to a press release, this is to finance the increase in staffing in the real estate department that is needed until 2034.

    Additional staff percentages had become necessary because the voters of Lucerne had approved the city’s climate and energy strategy in September 2022. It stipulates that the city’s own buildings and facilities of the administrative assets, such as schools and administrative buildings, must be supplied with 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

    Thanks to the increase in personnel in the real estate department, the conversion to renewable heat supply should be implemented by 2035 and the upcoming renovations of the properties in the financial assets can be managed. This is planned for a total of 39 properties.

    With the conversion of the properties of the financial assets to 100 per cent renewable energy, the city council wants to set a good example for its own properties, according to the statement. The city will help with any interim solutions for tenants.

  • Voters approve credit for district heating in Chur

    Voters approve credit for district heating in Chur

    Chur’s energy supplier Energie Wasser Chur(IBC) can massively expand its district heating network. The electorate approved a corresponding municipal proposal by 60.85 per cent. It states that the city will contribute 80 million Swiss francs to the total costs for the expansion of the heating network over a period of twelve years. These costs amount to 314 million francs.

    According to its message to the polls on 12 March, the municipal council supported the proposal with 17 votes in favour and 4 against. Now Chur is supporting the generation project of the IBC, which is an independent institution under public law in the sole ownership of the city, with 60 million francs to increase the endowment capital and in the form of a loan. The city is holding a further CHF 20 million in reserve for any guarantee that may be required.

    In the view of the municipal council, the investment is necessary to ensure the conversion to a renewable heat supply within the city. “At the same time, the loss of the previous added value from the sale of gas can be absorbed and the revenues increased elsewhere,” the message continues. “The money that flows out today for the purchase of oil and gas will remain in the region in the future.”

    According to the information, IBC wants to borrow a total of 160 million Swiss francs from financial institutions. In addition, a contribution of 56 million francs from the federal government and the canton is expected. The company intends to invest 38 million francs of its own funds.

  • One of the largest solar plants is to be built in the Valais Alps

    One of the largest solar plants is to be built in the Valais Alps

    The municipality of Grengiols and five energy companies are planning to set up one of the largest solar plants in Switzerland: 910,000 solar modules with a total output of around 440 megawatts peak are to be installed on the southern slope of the Saflis Valley in the Valais, inform Industriellen Werke Basel(IWB) in a statement. In addition to IWB, the two Valais energy companies Energie Brig-Aletsch-Goms(EnBAG) and Forces Motrices Valaisannes(FMV), as well as the Zurich Cantonal Electricity Works(EKZ) and the French-speaking Swiss energy company Groupe E are involved in the project. A feasibility study completed at the beginning of the year has already confirmed the potential of Grengiols-Solar.

    The plant is planned in an area that receives around 1500 hours of sunshine per year, which is considerably more than the Unterland. According to IWB, 42 per cent of the 600 gigawatt hours of electricity that are possible per year will be generated in winter. In combination with the Chumensee storage power plant planned by Gommerkraftwerke(GKW), 1200 gigawatt hours of electricity could be generated annually “in a plannable manner and available at any time through storage”.

    The project partners are planning several years for the realisation of the plant. By the end of 2023, they want to have prepared the environmental impact report and the construction project. The investment costs are also to be calculated in connection with the latter.

    By the end of 2025, the partners want to connect Grengiols-Solar to the grid with the capacity required by law. Initially, the electricity will be supplied via a temporary overhead line to a 65-kilovolt line in the Rhone Valley.

  • Wallisellen switches to LED

    Wallisellen switches to LED

    Wallisellen is increasingly relying on LED luminaires for lighting in public spaces. As it says in a media release, the utility company die Werke operates the lighting of public streets and squares with energy-saving LED lamps on behalf of the city of Wallisellen. Already today, 65 percent of the city in the canton of Zurich is equipped with intelligent LED lamps. These can be switched on or off as required and can also be dimmed.

    “With LEDs, electricity can be saved and light pollution reduced,” says Philipp Maurer, Head of Civil Engineering + Landscape at the City of Wallisellen, explaining the conversion. The measures taken are part of the project “More Night for Wallisellen”, according to the press release.

    Compared to their predecessors, the sodium vapour lamps, the new LED lights only need about half the electrical energy. This large saving is also achieved by the fact that the LED luminaires are equipped with sensors. When vehicles or pedestrians approach, the light is raised via motion sensors. At times of low activity, it is reduced by 50 percent.

    By mid-2023, all street lighting should be equipped with the new system. The city buys the electricity required for operation from local solar power producers.

  • AEW installs district heating at Mutschellen

    AEW installs district heating at Mutschellen

    The Aargau energy supplier AEW Energie has plans to build a heating centre for the Mutschellen area on the Sika factory site in Widen, according to a media release. Private and municipal consumers in the heating network around the Mutschellen Pass are to be supplied with sustainable energy via a district heating network. The communities of Widen, Berikon AG and Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg AG are connected.

    The local heating concept envisages predominantly regionally grown wood to generate the heat. The installation of modern, low-emission plant technology is intended to prevent the formation of a steam plume.

    Letters of intent have been signed with Sika Schweiz AG, the Turidomus investment foundation and other owners. The interest of the population in a district heating solution is being ascertained by means of a survey.

  • The first solar community on the Bödeli is created in Matten

    The first solar community on the Bödeli is created in Matten

    Around 220 people have come together to form the IBI solar community based in Matten. According to a media release from Industrielle Betriebe Interlaken AG (IBI), the large-scale plant on the roof of the equestrian centre will be equipped with 2390 square metres of solar panels. The photovoltaic system will produce 463,000 kilowatt hours of solar power per year. This corresponds to the annual electricity needs of up to 120 households.

    According to the media release, the IBI has found that there is a great deal of interest among residents of the Bödeli, the area between Lakes Thun and Brienz in the Bernese Oberland, in solar installations. However, not all interested people have the roof space to install their own photovoltaic system. The solution is solar communities, in which several people participate in a communal system.

    Such a community system is now being built on the roof of the large equestrian centre in Matten. The interest was so great that the investment was ready just 18 days after the booking began. According to IBI, about 220 customers have participated in the roof, 40 per cent of them with a maximum area of 20 square metres. The participation amounts to 250 francs per square metre of panel area. In return, the investors receive a credit of 100 kilowatt hours of solar electricity per year over 20 years. IBI bears 100 per cent of the risk for the operation of the system. In the event of operational failures, snow on the roof or hail damage, the customers bear no risk.

    At the moment, the power grid in this area still needs to be strengthened and a transformer station may have to be built. According to the press release, IBI is already planning to invite tenders for a second solar community in 2023.

  • Axpo supplies wind power to Borealis

    Axpo supplies wind power to Borealis

    Axpo and Swedish plastic film producer Borealis have signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA), according to a media release. According to the agreement, Axpo’s wholly owned subsidiary Axpo Nordic will supply more than 130,000 megawatt hours of electricity from wind power to Borealis’ production plant in Stenungsund for ten years starting in January 2024.

    For Borealis, the contract with Axpo means that the share of renewable energy consumed at the Stenungsund plant will be significantly increased, the media release says. Indirect carbon dioxide emissions at Borealis operations will be reduced by nearly 10,000 tons annually. Borealis aims to increase the share of renewables in its electricity mix to 40 percent by 2025 and achieve 100 percent electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

    “This transaction marks another milestone in our corporate PPA business and demonstrates the crucial role Axpo Nordic plays in the energy transition. Sweden is an attractive market for international investors in renewable energy,” Cecilia Bergman of the Axpo Sweden management is quoted as saying. The continued expansion of wind farms allows industrial companies to source renewable power locally for their facilities to reduce their emissions and meet their sustainability goals, Bergman added.

    “The contract brings us closer to our ultimate goal of covering all our electricity consumption from renewable sources by the end of this decade. This is another step in our journey to reinvent ourselves and live more sustainably,” Wolfram Krenn, Executive Vice President Base Chemicals & Operations at Borealis, is quoted as saying.

  • Saint-Gobain joins Megasol

    Saint-Gobain joins Megasol

    Saint-Gobain is entering into a partnership with the solar manufacturer Megasol based in Deitingen, according to a press release . With this, the French building materials company wants to expand its range of sustainable solutions for facades. Meanwhile, Megasol gains access to Saint-Gobain's customer base.

    As part of the agreement, Saint-Gobain will also acquire a minority stake in Megasol's business, which develops and manufactures building-integrated solar modules at its Deitingen site.

    "Saint-Gobain, with its sustainability strategy and extensive expertise in glazing and building envelopes, as well as its global presence, is the ideal partner for the rapid development of our solar building materials business," says Markus Gisler, Managing Director of Megasol, as quoted in the press release.

    Megasol develops and produces various photovoltaic solutions that can be optically integrated into buildings. Its products include, for example, solar roof tiles, which are available in different colours. The company is represented in 18 countries and employs over 250 people worldwide. ssp

  • Venture Kick supports Solaxer with CHF 150,000

    Venture Kick supports Solaxer with CHF 150,000

    According to a press release , the start-up Solaxer based in Écublens has developed a new generation of receivers for the efficient use of solar heat. The Schlieren-based start-up promoter Venture Kick is supporting Solaxer with CHF 150,000 to accelerate the upscaling and complete the first pilot systems with Solaxer receivers.

    According to the announcement, Solaxer receivers are equipped with an innovative selective absorber coating that has better durability and optical performance compared to existing absorbers. In industry worldwide, more energy is used for process heat than for electricity. Today, industrial heating requirements are almost entirely covered by fossil fuels and are responsible for 20 percent of global CO2 emissions per year, it is said.

    Solaxer aims to accelerate the use of solar process heat by developing a new generation of receivers for the efficient use of solar heat. Such concentrating collectors deliver solar steam and process heat with high efficiencies and are among the most cost-effective and mature technologies for decarbonizing industrial processes. Annual growth rates of 90 percent are forecast for this special sector. The worldwide addressable receiver market amounts to 4 billion dollars. Based on the declarations of intent alone, Solaxer can supply receivers for more than 800,000 square meters of installed collector area over the next five years.

    The Venture Kick program helped Solaxer "develop from an idea to a company," Anna Krammer, co-founder of Solaxer, is quoted as saying.

  • Hilcona installs new solar power plant

    Hilcona installs new solar power plant

    The Hilcona Group has installed a photovoltaic system at its Landquart site. The international food producer invested CHF 920,000 in this. The almost 4,000 square meter solar power plant produces up to 830 megawatt hours of electricity per year, which according to a press release is sufficient for around 165 households.

    The head of quality management and sustainability, Oliver Bindel, is quoted as saying that the Hilcona catchment area already uses 100 percent hydropower. "Our electricity is already 100 percent renewable today." Hilcona wants to further expand its own electricity production and gradually reduce the proportion of purchased electricity.

    "Lighthouse projects such as the current one at the Hilcona site in Landquart show that Hilcona is not too big a project to have net zero CO2 emissions in the long term. It is important to us to make a positive contribution to achieving global climate goals.”

  • Ernst Schweizer is the energy transition maker 2022

    Ernst Schweizer is the energy transition maker 2022

    According to a press release , Ernst Schweizer AG was named Energy Transition Maker 2022 as one of eight innovations in the energy sector for its climate-optimized photovoltaic mounting system MSP project at the 8th national congress of AEE Suisse .

    The MSP mounting system developed for the positioning of solar modules creates the structural basis for the attachment of photovoltaic modules and thus for solar power production. According to the company, it can be adapted to any roof topography and uses low-emission aluminum with an above-average recycled content. This climate-optimized design promises CO2 savings of an estimated 7,400 tons in the current year compared to the EU average for the same production volume.

    Of central importance and rare in the industry is the property of the MSP system to transparently display the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the respective photovoltaic installation. "Environmentally conscious investors, architects, planners and installers can thus optimize the CO2 footprint of their construction project," it says.

    AEE Suisse is the industry's umbrella organization for renewable energies and energy efficiency and, according to its own information , represents 35,000 companies and energy suppliers from 32 industry associations.

  • Home2050.ch now advises on solar, heating and e-charging stations

    Home2050.ch now advises on solar, heating and e-charging stations

    The Basel-based energy supplier Primeo Energie , the Elektra Baselland cooperative ( EBL ) and the Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank ( BLKB ) have transformed their joint solar advice platform sun2050.ch into home2050.ch . According to apress release , they are reacting to the fact that their customers' requests for advice are increasingly going beyond the optimal photovoltaic solution for their property.

    That's why the range of advice on home2050.ch now also includes questions about heating replacements and your own e-charging stations. As before, homeowners receive free reference offers for photovoltaic systems on the newly designed website and can then register for a fee-based individual consultation. BLKB continues to support interested parties with a specially created energy mortgage.

    According to EBL CEO Tobias Andrist, the energy transition can only succeed in cooperation with the population. The three partners therefore want to "generate real added value" for their customers by "with the cooperation home 2050.ch we offer a simple and effective solution for the procurement of your solar system, your new heating system or your new e-charging station".

  • Cantons are phasing out fossil fuel heaters

    Cantons are phasing out fossil fuel heaters

    The Conference of Cantonal Energy Directors ( EnDK ) passed "a comprehensive paper on the principles of building policy 2050+" at its plenary meeting on August 26, the EnDK informs in a statement . Among other things, it stipulates that by 2030 at the latest, no more fossil fuel heating systems will be installed in Switzerland. This is the only way Switzerland can achieve its goal of emitting no net CO2 by 2050, writes the EnDK. The future cantonal energy laws must be based on this principle decided by the EnDK.

    In the new policy paper, value is also placed on electricity production on the building itself. Above all, photovoltaic systems are to be used on roofs and facades. "The building will become an energy hub that not only consumes energy for the usual applications, but also increasingly uses it for the rapidly increasing electromobility and produces and stores electricity itself," Mario Cavigelli (CVP) is quoted as saying in the statement. The Head of the Department for Infrastructure, Energy and Mobility of the Canton of Graubünden, who is leaving the Government Council at the end of the year, handed over his office as President of the EnDK to the Head of the Department of Finance and Energy of the Canton of Valais, Roberto Schmidt (CVP). .

    Canton-owned buildings should be operated exclusively with renewable energies as soon as possible. The cantons are also currently preparing for a possible supply crisis. Here, too, the cantons want to “set an example” and coordinate the development of their own energy-saving measures, writes the EnDK.

  • Study sees significantly higher potential for wind energy

    Study sees significantly higher potential for wind energy

    Switzerland could generate significantly more electricity from wind energy than previously assumed. According to a study by the Bern-based company Meteotest on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ), wind turbines could produce 19 terawatt hours in the winter months alone, according to a press release from the SFOE. In a previous study from 2012, the scientists had assumed 3.7 terawatt hours per year. For comparison: Switzerland consumed a total of 58.11 terawatt hours of electricity in 2021.

    With 17.5 terawatt hours, most of the potential lies in the Central Plateau. In the Jura arc and in the large Alpine valleys together, more than 7.8 terawatt hours could be produced per year, in the Alpine region over 4.2 terawatt hours.

    Both political conditions and technology have evolved since the last study. Today's wind turbines are taller, have larger rotors and produce much more than older systems. In addition, more areas such as forests and areas in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments ( BLN ) are eligible "with the recognition of national interest for wind farms". However, they are subject to higher demands on wind energy production.

    "Even a partial expansion of 30 percent of the total wind energy potential – which corresponds to around 1000 wind turbines – could make a significant contribution to a more secure electricity supply in Switzerland and to reducing dependence on foreign countries," says the press release.

    Inhabited areas with a buffer of 300 meters, protected landscapes such as moors, national parks and biotopes as well as secret facilities of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport were excluded from the calculation.

  • Solar and heat pump technology companies join forces against the shortage of skilled workers

    Solar and heat pump technology companies join forces against the shortage of skilled workers

    According to a press release , St.Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke AG ( SAK ) and Heizplan AG from Gams are founding a joint venture for the training of skilled workers. The background is the increasing order situation for photovoltaic systems, for which additional specialist staff is required.

    As a result of the high demand for solar roof systems for single and multi-family houses as well as for commercial properties, customers have to wait longer for the craftsman. SAK and Heizplan want to tackle the growing need for additional skilled workers under a joint company roof. The first positions are to be advertised in the course of the week.

    According to the head of the energy solutions and production divisions at SAK, Adriano Tramèr, who was quoted in the media release, the expansion of photovoltaics can be accelerated together. "By founding the company, we are pooling our strengths and supporting the energy transition in Eastern Switzerland – and thus the energy policy efforts of the Eastern Swiss cantons."

  • Surselva gets a test facility for wind and solar energy

    Surselva gets a test facility for wind and solar energy

    The Federal Office for Armaments wants to set up one of the first small wind and solar systems in Switzerland in the Alpine region next to the middle station of the former military transport cableway above Medel, armasuisse informs in a press release . The test system is intended to test “the suitability of a hybrid system for generating sustainable energy in alpine terrain”, it says there.armasuisse Immobilien has now submitted a corresponding planning application. It can be viewed from August 29th to September 28th at the Municipality of Medel.

    The planned small wind turbine with bifacial solar panels is scheduled to go into test operation next autumn. Armasuisse expects a yield of 27 megawatt hours per year for the wind turbine, for the wind flower the estimated annual yield is 35 megawatt hours. Based on the evaluations of the actual results planned for the fourth quarter of 2024, armasuisse wants to decide whether a total of nine hybrid systems will be installed in the La Stadrea area in Surselva. The location offers "good conditions both in terms of existing and no longer used infrastructure, as well as in terms of wind conditions and solar radiation," writes the Federal Office.

  • EWA-energieUri creates a new solar community

    EWA-energieUri creates a new solar community

    EWA-energieUri is realizing the Uri solar community in Schattdorf. As the Uri energy provider announced , it wants to set up a photovoltaic system on the roof of the Uri Foundation for Disabled Persons, in which interested private parties can also participate. They can now reserve individual square meters of the facility for a fixed price of CHF 339. In return, they receive solar power for over 20 years.

    The plant is to generate a total of 49,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year on 260 square meters. That is 165 kilowatt hours per square meter, around 4 percent of the consumption of an average household. Commissioning of the plant is planned for spring 2023. Interested parties can already reserve their share at meinurstrom-sun.ch .

    "The Uri solar community is an attractive product for producing and purchasing solar power easily and easily, even without your own roof," Werner Jauch, CEO of EWA-energieUri, is quoted as saying in the press release.

  • Galileo cooperates with solar manufacturer Pagra from Poland

    Galileo cooperates with solar manufacturer Pagra from Poland

    Galileo and Pagra have signed a partnership agreement for the Polish market. According to a press release , the Zurich-based platform Galileo, which specializes in renewable energies, and the photovoltaic provider Pagra from Rogaszyce in Poland want to join forces to reduce the energy bills of companies in Poland.

    Galileo, which traded as Galileo Green Energy GmbH until mid-July, has acquired a 35 percent stake in Pagra as part of the partnership, with the option to further increase its stake after 24 months, according to the partnership announcement.

    “Pagra is a dynamic company that is at the forefront of the energy transition in Poland. It develops very effective power supply solutions for business customers in Poland,” Ingmar Wilhelm, CEO of Galileo, is quoted as saying. These customers are suffering from the sharp rise in wholesale prices, as price volatility is high and supply security is low, Wilhelm continued. Galileo will support Pagra in expanding its business across Poland and will complement its technical and energy competencies.

    Since 2020, Pagra has been offering photovoltaic roof systems in south-west and central Poland and is now expanding its activities throughout Poland. Business customers are offered the opportunity to save on investment costs by concluding a long-term electricity supply contract based on a photovoltaic system financed by the installer. This solution is called Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS).

    "We see a growing interest in this solution from both private companies and public institutions," Kornel Dybul, President of Pagra, is quoted as saying.

  • ewz builds second solar system on dam wall

    ewz builds second solar system on dam wall

    ewz is building its second large-scale solar system on the Valle di Lei dam at over 1,900 meters above sea level. The Graubünden municipality of Ferrera issued the building permit for this in November 2021. According to a press release , more than 1,000 modules will be installed on the Valle di Lei dam wall of the Hinterrhein power plant ( KHR ) over a length of 550 meters. Most of the construction and installation work is carried out by KHR employees.

    The system was developed and planned by Reech GmbH from Landquart GR. It will have an output of 343.2 kilowatt peak. Annual production will be around 380 megawatt hours. According to ewz, this corresponds to the annual electricity requirements of around 160 households in Zurich.

    High alpine photovoltaic systems are particularly efficient. According to the information, they deliver 25 percent more electricity on average over the year than systems in the Mittelland. They also produce around half of the annual electricity in winter. As a result, according to ewz, they contribute to security of supply in the winter months.

    Similar to the first photovoltaic system from ewz on the Albigna dam, ewz customers can also participate in Lago di Lei – Solar. 73 percent of the available space has already been sold.

  • Nüssli puts a large photovoltaic system into operation

    Nüssli puts a large photovoltaic system into operation

    Nüssli has put its photovoltaic system into operation. With its 8000 square meters, this is the fourth largest solar system in the canton of Thurgau. It is operated by the electricity company of the canton of Schaffhausen (EKS). According to a media release , this was also the impetus for the construction of this plant. The 1.5 megawatt hours of solar power produced annually by the approximately 4,100 modules are fed into the network of the Hüttwilen power station .

    This is two and a half times what the plant needs to be fully self-sufficient. The surplus is available to more than 300 four-person households in the area.

    "We realize sustainable or even self-sufficient buildings for our customers," Nüssli CEO Andy Böckli is quoted as saying. “With the new system, we are now taking on even more responsibility on our premises. We are happy to go one step further towards a sustainable future together with EKS and to be able to supply ourselves with electricity.”

  • Demand for local solar energy has doubled

    Demand for local solar energy has doubled

    According to a press release , the electricity works of the city of Zurich ( ewz ) have sold 7,544 square meters of solar space. This means that the demand for solar energy has doubled compared to the previous year. The increased popularity of sustainably produced electricity is attributed to the commitment to the net zero goal, the solar offensive launched by the city and the consequences of the Ukraine war.

    ewz announces that with the second high-alpine solar system currently under construction in Graubünden with an area of 1795 square meters, it will again rely on the willingness of the public to participate in local solar systems and thus accelerate the energy transition.

    The large-scale photovoltaic system in the high mountains is to be built in the course of the summer on the dam wall of Lago di Lei. According to the company, it has a potential of 1,000 photovoltaic modules that could generate 380 megawatt hours of electricity per year. The dam wall belongs to the power plants Hinterrhein AG, in which ewz has a stake.

    ewz customers in the city of Zurich and in the Mittelbünden supply area now have the opportunity to participate on the ewz website for as little as half a square meter for CHF 280. In return, ewz announces that it will credit 90 kilowatt hours of sustainably produced electricity from renewable energy to the bill every year for 20 years.

  • Heat concept from waste incineration and heat from the lake is being examined

    Heat concept from waste incineration and heat from the lake is being examined

    According to a press release , the energy supply companies Energie Kreuzlingen , Stadtwerke Konstanz , the KVA Thurgau association from Weinfelden TG and EKT AG from Arbon TG want to join forces in order to use new heat sources more optimally in a cross-border alliance.

    A heat supply concept is being considered in which the use of CO2-neutral waste heat from the waste incineration plant of the KVA via district heating line and seawater heat from the Constance funnel are combined.

    The four partners called in Swisspower AG to examine the feasibility of the project from a technical, economic, legal and organizational point of view. A result is expected in the course of the year.

    Swisspower supports municipal utilities and energy suppliers with cooperation initiatives, consulting services and networking offers on the way to energy systems without CO2 emissions.

  • Housing estate receives self-sufficient lighting

    Housing estate receives self-sufficient lighting

    The outdoor lighting in the Moosbühlstrasse housing estate in Moosseedorf near Bern is no longer dependent on the power grid, BKW said in a statement . The Bernese energy and infrastructure company has installed 27 solar-powered LED lights here, which throw sufficient light onto stairs and into house entrances, but emit as little light as possible that is irritating to people and the environment. With the project, which is financially supported by the municipality , BKW is “for the first time equipping an entire settlement with sustainable solar lights,” project manager Simon Jakob from BKW is quoted as saying in the press release.

    The innovative lighting has a whole range of advantages over conventional outdoor lighting, as explained in more detail in the press release. Not only can the lamps be operated independently of the mains supply, but there is also no need to pull cables when setting up and replacing them. The solar panels attached to all four sides of the lamp posts generate enough energy to operate the lights even on dark winter days. Motion-dependent control also helps to save energy. "The trend towards as little light as necessary and the population's greater environmental awareness makes solar outdoor lighting interesting for residents and owners," says Jakob.

  • Heating advice from EnergieSchweiz is now free of charge

    Heating advice from EnergieSchweiz is now free of charge

    The impulse advice on renewable heating has been free of charge for owners of residential properties since April 1, 2022, according to a press release . With this SwissEnergy program, the federal government is promoting the switch to a renewable heat generation system.

    The approximately one and a half hour on-site consultation can be used for any residential property whose heating system is more than ten years old and is used as the main heating system for room heating. The building category and the energy source of the old heat generator are irrelevant.

    Interested parties can use the postcode search to get a list of approved impulse counselors in their area and make an appointment. There are only two categories: a single-family house or a multi-family house with up to six residential units, as well as a multi-family house with more than six residential units or condominiums.

  • Coop builds new solar system on shopping center

    Coop builds new solar system on shopping center

    The retail cooperative Coop has installed a photovoltaic system on the roof of the Friborg Süd shopping center. According to a press release , Coop has installed a total of 60 solar systems on the roofs of its supermarkets, shopping centres, production facilities and distribution centers since 2016. The commitment is part of a new sustainability strategy for the Basel-based company.

    At 4,300 square meters, the new facility in Villars-sur-Glâne is one of the largest at Coop to date. All systems together result in an area of 115,000 square meters of solar cells. They produce 19 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year. According to the information, this corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of 5800 households.

    Coop uses the electricity to supply its own infrastructure in the sales outlets, including refrigerated shelves and lighting. The Friborg South location uses 90 percent of its solar power.

    In the future, Coop wants to switch to 100 percent electricity from renewable energy sources. As part of its sustainability strategy, the cooperative also wants to reduce its direct CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2026. Furthermore, Coop wants to expand the transport of goods by rail and implement projects to reduce carbon dioxide along the supply chain.