immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Negativemissionen

  • New partnership promotes hydrogen from wood waste

    New partnership promotes hydrogen from wood waste

    H2 Bois has a new minority shareholder. According to a press release, the Vaud-based energy supplier Romande Energie will acquire a 33.7 per cent stake in January 2025. Groupe Corbat, based in Vendlincourt JU and active in the timber industry, will then hold 50.3 per cent and the consulting firm Planair Vision SA, based in La Sagne NE, 16 per cent of the company they founded in 2021.

    H2 Bois plans to build a plant to produce hydrogen from wood waste in 2025 and put it into operation in 2026. The production process also produces biochar, which can permanently store some of the CO2 contained in the wood. When fully operational in 2030, the plant will be able to produce a total of 450 tonnes of clean hydrogen from 14,000 tonnes of wood and wood waste and store 2,500 tonnes of CO2 per year. H2 Bois utilises technology from the French company Haffner Energy.

    The hydrogen is transported to an industrial zone in the village via a 1.5 kilometre long gas pipeline. There it is used by industrial companies and for mobility via a petrol station. The biochar is used in agriculture.

    For Romande Energie, the investment is a step towards a decarbonised western Switzerland. “This investment allows us to participate in a bold project that is a pioneer in Switzerland in the use of an innovative negative emissions technology,” said Jérémie Brillet, responsible for hydrogen at Romande Energie, in the press release.

    Benjamin Corbat, CEO of Groupe Corbat, welcomes Romande Energie’s involvement. “We are looking forward to the start of production, but also to breaking new ground in the local use of wood.”

  • Zug adopts sustainable energy targets

    Zug adopts sustainable energy targets

    Energy consumption in the canton of Zug amounts to almost 3,000 gigawatt hours per year, with buildings and mobility accounting for the largest share. The cantonal government’s new energy and climate strategy (EKS) aims to reduce energy consumption and rely more heavily on renewable energies. At the same time, the government wants to strengthen security of supply in the canton and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. With clear interim targets up to 2030, the government is concretising the path to these ambitious goals.

    Investments in solar power and energy storage
    A central component of the strategy is to increase the production of solar power in the canton. At the same time, investments in innovative energy storage technologies such as hydrogen are planned. “We want to shape the energy infrastructure of the future through close collaboration with industry and science,” explains Construction Director Florian Weber. Buildings in the canton should also increasingly serve as energy producers and thus become an energy hub.

    Sustainability in agriculture and negative emission technologies
    As part of the KERB sustainability project, the canton is focussing on measures in agriculture to reduce CO2 emissions. Forests and moors play a central role in CO2 sequestration. For unavoidable emissions, the canton is focussing on negative emission technologies that are intended to permanently remove CO2 from the atmosphere. A study is to determine the potential of these technologies in the canton.

    Adapting to climate change
    In addition to reducing emissions, the canton of Zug is also preparing for the effects of climate change. A cantonal natural hazard strategy aims to minimise climate-related risks such as heat and invasive pests. At the same time, investments are being made in climate-adapted road surfaces and sustainable forest management to ensure both protection and recreational areas.

  • Negative emissions for a climate-neutral future

    Negative emissions for a climate-neutral future

    Energie 360° is opening up the market for permanent CO2 removal to interested companies and private individuals. According to a press release, the Zurich-based energy supplier is now enabling them to buy certificates for negative emissions online.

    The physical removal of CO2 takes place in the pyrolysis plant of Energie 360° subsidiary Bioenergie Frauenfeld. There, CO2 is extracted from waste wood with the help of renewable energies and bound as pure carbon. This is mixed with an earth substrate, for example, and can thus be permanently removed from the atmosphere. Bioenergie Frauenfeld produces around 3500 tons of biochar per year. This corresponds to over 10,000 tons of stored CO2.

    One of the first customers for the certificates is Zürcher Kantonalbank(ZKB). “Our goal is to achieve net zero in our operations by 2030,” ZKB CEO Urs Baumann is quoted as saying in the press release. “In order to permanently remove some of our unavoidable CO2 emissions from the atmosphere, we are purchasing negative emissions certificates from Energie 360°’s Frauenfeld bioenergy plant.”

    Energie 360° also invested in two German start-ups in September in order to develop products for the Swiss market with them. Ucaneo Biotech in Berlin has developed an electrochemical process for the direct removal of CO2 from the air. Planeteers in Hamburg removes stored CO2 from seawater and can thus produce mineralized water and improve the acid-binding capacity of the sea.

  • Increased efficiency in construction through negative emission technologies

    Increased efficiency in construction through negative emission technologies

    In order to ensure a clear distinction between the greenhouse gas emissions of the building and the negative emissions, these should be reported separately. Offsetting at the building material and component level is not recommended. Although buildings with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions are not yet achievable, they could be within reach in the future if greenhouse gas emissions from the production of building materials such as cement, steel, brick or glass are massively reduced.

    In order to significantly reduce urban emissions by 2035/2040, the implementation and accounting of negative emissions technologies (NET) in the building sector is essential. A recently completed study has developed methods for integrating NETs into urban carbon reporting and formulated clear recommendations for the building sector in Switzerland.

    A key finding of the study is that biogenic CO² and CO² extracted directly from the atmosphere must be stored for thousands of years in order to have a lasting impact on global temperatures. Temporary storage is not enough, as it cancels out the positive effects of subsequent re-emissions. A binding guarantee of permanence is therefore essential to ensure recognised NET accounting.

    The study recommends accounting for NET in accordance with the SIA 2032 and 2040 standards. To ensure transparent accounting, it is essential to distinguish between negative emissions and greenhouse gas emissions from the building. Offsetting at material and component level should be avoided. The SN EN 15804 standard has shortcomings, as it shows an even balance of biogenic CO² even with permanent sequestration. It is important to use clear and precise language to emphasise the credibility of the statements.

    Timber construction offers the greatest potential for negative emissions. Other renewable raw materials such as straw or hemp lime are promising but not yet widely used. Research should focus on ensuring durability and increasing the contribution of forced carbonation in mineral building materials. Although a net-zero greenhouse gas balance for buildings is not currently achievable, an important step in this direction can be made by drastically reducing emissions in the production of building materials.

    The study emphasises the need for increased efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in the production of building materials. It is recommended that local authorities provide financial support for the development of NET in order to achieve the desired climate targets.

  • Wooden buildings get CO2 certificates

    Wooden buildings get CO2 certificates

    The Swiss competence center Timber Finance Initiative and the Seattle, Washington-based company for construction technology, real estate development and fund management, Green Canopy NODE , are working together with the Zurich-based project developer South Pole and the consulting firm Gordian Knot Strategies from Portland, Oregon the development of a methodology for issuing CO2 certificates for wooden buildings, the partners inform in a communication . In concrete terms, the methodology should make it possible to measure the carbon stored in timber construction and monetize it via CO2 certificates. As a result, wooden buildings could be recognized as a negative emission technology and wood could be established as a low-emission building material.

    The globally recognized program for awarding so-called carbon credits, Verified Carbon Standard , will serve as the standard for the globally applicable methodology. "The UN Climate Change Council has recently officially recognized the storage potential and benefits of wood," Thomas Fedrizzi, co-founder of the Timber Finance Initiative, is quoted as saying in the release. "Wood is not only a carbon sink, but as a building material it also achieves emission reductions by replacing emission-intensive building materials."

    As a renewable, low-emission alternative to concrete and steel, wood can protect the environment twice, according to the statement. On the one hand, by trees removing CO2 from the atmosphere and on the other hand, by timber storing the carbon in buildings in the long term. "Houses made of solid wood are more durable and can be less expensive," explains Aaron Fairchild, co-CEO of Green Canopy NODE. "This makes climate-friendly houses accessible to people of all income levels."