A supply network for greenhouses, electric vehicles or the energy network of an EPFZ campus are among the winners of the Watt d’Or 2020, which will be awarded Thursday in Bern. In the shape of a giant snowball, the Watt d’Or is purely honorary, specifies the Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) in a communicated. They are presented by the president of the jury, former State Councilor Pascale Bruderer (PS / AG).
The Meyer Orchideen AG greenhouse in Wangen near Dübendorf (ZH) is awarded in the energy technology category. It produces orchids in a climate-neutral way. These are thermochemical networks studied within the framework of the European research project H-DisNet. These networks can store energy in the form of chemical potential in a saline solution for an indefinite period, without loss of energy.
In the orchid greenhouse, the Institute for Energy Systems and Fluid Engineering (IEFE) of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) has set up a thermochemical network, in collaboration with a systems producer air conditioning and ventilation. Thanks to this network, the reduction in energy consumption for air conditioning can reach 50%.
archaeon
In the renewable energy category, Archie, an archaeobacterium, was distinguished. Archie ingests hydrogen and CO2 and transforms them into biomethane, which is then injected into the natural gas network.
This biological methanation takes place in the hybrid factory of the industrial services of Regio Energie Solothurn in Zuchwil (SO) within the framework of the European research project STORE & GO. In operation since 2015, this plant is equipped with an electrolyser, which produces solar hydrogen, a hydrogen tank and a heat-force coupling system.
Electric vehicles
In the energy-efficient mobility category, the prize goes to electric municipal vehicles developed by the Swiss family business Viktor Meili AG of Schübelbach (SZ). As efficient as their diesel-powered cousins, these vehicles have a long range. They are silent and do not emit CO2.
In the same category, Designwerk from Winterthur (ZH) has developed the 26-ton Futuricum Collect 26E electric truck, which is twice as expensive to buy as diesel models, but has lower operating costs. ‘about 80%. It is currently proving itself on a daily basis in Thun, Murten, Lausanne and Neuchâtel, without making noise and without emitting CO2.
Renewable heat
The energy network of the Hönggerberg campus of the EPFZ, which welcomes more than 12,000 people every day, won the distinction in the buildings and space category. The campus has been supplied with renewable heat since 2012 by several probe fields located 200 meters underground. The waste heat is stored in these fields in summer and can be used for heating in winter.
Energy is transported via an “anergy network”, a low temperature distribution system. Five distribution centers draw or inject water into the energy network according to the heating needs of buildings. In all, 45 projects were launched in the race for the Watt d’Or 2020. These were evaluated by a committee of experts who selected 19 for the final round. (Ps / nxp)
Created: 09.01.2020, 06:22
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