Watt d'Or awarded for the tenth time

On January 7, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy awarded the prestigious Swiss Energy Prize Watt d'Or for the tenth time.

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 the Watt d'Or, the seal of approval for energy excellence, in 2006. The aim of the Watt d'Or is to publicize exceptional achievements in the energy sector and thus motivate business, politics and the general public to discover the benefits of innovative energy technologies for themselves. The Watt d'Or is not endowed, no prize money is distributed and there is no ranking among the winning projects.

49 applications were submitted by the end of July 2015 for the Watt d'Or 2016 and evaluated by a team of experts. Finally, 24 entries were nominated for the final round, from which the jury, chaired by jury president Pascale Bruderer, selected five Watt d'Or 2016 winning projects in five categories. In addition, the jury awarded a Watt d'Or special prize "Corporate Strategy".

CATEGORY SOCIETY
Groupe E - RoadLab
In order to look not only to the past but also to the future at its 100th anniversary, Groupe E has created RoadLab, a two-story bus designed as an energy experimentation laboratory for 13 to 16-year-old students at the orientation level. A project launched as part of the celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Groupe E and the more than 100 years of activity of its founding companies in the energy sector. Since the beginning of 2015, the rolling laboratory has now been traveling with great success to all secondary schools in the cantons of Fribourg and Neuchâtel, as well as in the Broye and Pays-d'Enhaut regions of Vaud, which are part of Groupe E's distribution network. The Watt d'Or 2016 in the Society category goes to Groupe E, which brings the fascinating world of energy closer to young adults.

CATEGORY ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES
Elektroplan Buchs & Grossen AG and ElektroLink AG - The SmartGridready Building
Ready for the smart, networked energy future is the SmartGridready office building in Frutigen. Thanks to intelligent building control and optimized load management, this energy-efficient building demonstrates how energy consumption and solar power production from its own roof can be optimally coordinated. The Watt d'Or 2016 in the Energy Technologies category goes to Elektroplan Buchs & Grossen AG and ElektroLink AG for proving that Swiss electrical planners can make our buildings fit for the future.

CATEGORY RENEWABLE ENERGIES
Designergy SA - The triactive roof element TCR
Integration is the leitmotif of Designergy SA from San Vittore in the canton of Graubünden. This is not only reflected in the name of the young company, a play on words from design and energy. Integration is also at the heart of their visionary product: just as a smartphone combines the functions of a phone, camera and computer, the novel roof element called TCR (Triactive Core Roof) combines three essential functions: Thermal insulation, waterproofing and power generation through photovoltaics. All integrated and prefabricated in one unit. The Watt d'Or 2016 in the Renewable Energies category goes to Designergy SA for a world first that stands out not only for its simple, rapid installation, but also for its appealing design and low cost.

CATEGORY ENERGY EFFICIENT MOBILITY
SBB AG - Green wave in rail traffic - ADL
As part of its energy strategy, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) aims to consistently save energy throughout the Group by 2025, particularly in the electricity consumption of its passenger and freight trains. After all, Europe's busiest rail network consumes more than 1,800 gigawatt hours of electricity a year - the equivalent of 460,000 households. A major contribution to the energy-saving program is made by the "Green Wave (Adaptive Steering - ADL)" system. The system calculates the optimum energy profile for each train and transmits the optimum speed to the locomotive crew as driving recommendations. This avoids unplanned stops and braking maneuvers and, above all, energy-intensive restarts. The 2016 Watt d'Or in the energy-efficient mobility category goes to SBB for its innovative, globally unique ADL system, which has been operating successfully for around a year.

CATEGORY BUILDING AND SPACE
Swisscom AG and Ernst Basler + Partner - New construction Swisscom Businesspark Ittigen
Swisscom's new Ittigen Business Park is located directly on the A1 motorway. What is special about it is the consistent coordination of the technology with the building. In combination with the innovative lung ventilation concept, this has resulted in an outstanding overall concept: The new building is impressive not only in terms of energy efficiency (Minergie-P-Eco) and comfort, but also in terms of costs and operational reliability. For this groundbreaking project, Swisscom AG and Ernst Basler + Partner (EBP) were awarded the Watt d'Or 2016 in the Buildings and Space category.

WATT D'OR 2016 - SPECIAL "CORPORATE STRATEGY" AWARD

Coop Group - Energy and CO2 vision: actions instead of words
CO2 neutrality, a 20 percent reduction in absolute energy consumption compared to 2008, and an increase in the share of renewable energy sources to 80 percent - these are Coop's declared goals by 2023. The major distributor is on track: By 2014, energy consumption had already fallen by around 6 percent and CO2 emissions by over 20 percent. For this ambitious target, which is embedded in a comprehensive sustainability strategy, Coop receives the Watt d'Or 2016 Special Award Corporate Strategy.

Migros - Generation M
Migros has been committed to energy efficiency and other sustainability issues for decades. Now it is receiving the 2016 Watt d'Or Special Award for its "Generation M" sustainability program. In it, Migros promises the generation of tomorrow to reduce electricity consumption by 10 percent in absolute terms and greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared to 2010.