Watt d'Or: Swiss Energy Award presented for the twelfth time
On January 10, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy awarded the prestigious Swiss Energy Prize Watt d'Or. Innovative Swiss companies and universities are already successfully and courageously putting the energy future into practice. In their honor, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy created Watt d'Or, the seal of approval for energy excellence.
In 2007, the Watt d'Or was awarded for the first time. Its aim is to publicize exceptional achievements in the energy sector. They are intended to motivate business, politics and the general public to discover the benefits of innovative energy technologies for themselves. The Watt d'Or is not endowed, so no prize money is distributed.
44 applications were submitted by the end of July 2018 for the Watt d'Or 2019 and evaluated by a team of experts. Finally, 20 entries were nominated for the final round. From these, the jury, chaired by jury president Pascale Bruderer, selected the winning projects in the four Watt d'Or categories. In addition, the jury awarded the Watt d'Or special "Transition" prize.
CATEGORY ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES
DEPsys SA and IBB Energie AG
GridEye: Autopilot in the Smartgrid
DEPsys SA from Puidoux in the canton of Vaud has developed the GridEye smartgrid platform to market maturity. It supports grid operators in the task of integrating ever greater amounts of decentralized and fluctuating energy into the power grid. GridEye can be easily integrated into the existing infrastructure. Through measurements, the intelligent software learns how the grid behaves. From this, it derives information on the current state of the grid and can thus control the energy flows optimally, safely and efficiently. GridEye was installed on the Birrfeld airfield on behalf of IBB Energie AG. Since then, the 200 kW photovoltaic system on the hangar of the Aargau Aero Club has been able to feed in its maximum power without endangering grid stability.
CATEGORY RENEWABLE ENERGIES
dhp technology AG and IBC Energie Wasser Chur
Floating solar power plants: cableway technology enables dual use of infrastructure space
In order to make multifunctional use of infrastructure surfaces such as parking lots or sewage treatment plants, dhp technology AG from Zizers in the canton of Graubünden has developed the movable lightweight solar system "HORIZON" to market maturity. Thanks to cable car technology, HORIZON floats five meters above the infrastructure surface and can be folded like a hand organ. A meteo algorithm automatically extends the system when the sun is shining and retracts it in the event of strong winds or snowfall. The first large HORIZON plant was realized on behalf of IBC Energie Wasser Chur at ARA Chur and put into operation in 2018. It produces around 540,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, which covers around 20% of the wastewater treatment plant's total electricity requirements.
CATEGORY ENERGY EFFICIENT MOBILITY
BLS AG and University of Basel
Step by step to more energy efficiency
If you want to save energy, you first have to measure consumption in detail. With the idea of carrying out such a measurement campaign in rail vehicles, the emeritus physicist Prof. Dr. Peter Oelhafen found an open ear at BLS AG. The impressive measurement results have led to a comprehensive modernization program for the 36 NINA commuter trains, which will be completed in 2019. With this and further efficiency measures on the remaining rail vehicle fleets, BLS will save around 13 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, the annual consumption of over 3,000 households. Other transport companies and many partners from research and industry are involved in sub-projects of the energy-saving program initiated by Peter Oelhafen.
CATEGORY BUILDING AND SPACE
Habitat Foundation and ADEV Energy Cooperative
Erlenmatt Ost: A sustainable and colorful area with local energy production and supply
On the site of the former Deutsche Bahn freight station in Basel, the Habitat Foundation is developing the new Erlenmatt Ost urban district. The first building was occupied in 2017, and by the end of 2019 around 500 people will live there in over 200 apartments. It is already evident today that the neighborhood is lively, colorful and sustainable: in keeping with the 2000-watt society. The specifications for neighborhood sustainability are measurable and form a logical framework that is understood and lived by the residents. The ADEV energy cooperative, which has realized one of the largest solar power self-consumption communities in Switzerland, also contributes to this. When completed, Erlenmatt Ost will supply over 70% with electricity and heat produced directly on site.
WATT D'OR 2019 - SPECIAL PRICE TRANSITION
Empa, Eawag and dransfeldarchitekten ag
NEST - A Lego house as an innovation accelerator
Energy- and resource-saving innovations are making only slow progress in the building sector. The willingness of investors and developers to innovate and take risks is low, and existing solutions are often preferred. NEST, the "living lab" initiated by Empa and Eawag in 2016, aims to accelerate innovation processes in the building sector in collaboration with around 140 partners from research, industry and the public sector. Thematic "units", which can be built into NEST like Lego bricks, make this possible. One particularly attractive unit is the fully solar-powered fitness and wellness facility, which uses six times less energy than conventional facilities. It was planned by dransfeldarchitekten ag from Ermatingen.
