ZHAW Center for Energy and the Environment

Two SWEET PATHFNDR pilot and demonstration projects have been honoured with a Watt d’Or energy prize, recognizing their groundbreaking contributions to sustainable energy solutions! 🏆 🏘️ #nanoverbund: Sharing Heat with Neighbors – The Future of Heating In Basel, IWB Industrielle Werke Basel, has pioneered a micro-district heating network connecting three terraced homes via a ground source heat pump and gas systems. The results: 90% renewable heating in the first winter and 15% cost savings for residents. With potential for 300,000 properties in Switzerland, this simple yet effective solution shows how sharing heat can cut costs, reduce waste, and boost sustainability. 🔗 More at https://lnkd.in/dJW8_6mQ ⚡️ #NeDeLa: Special Jury Award: Pioneering Dynamic Network Tariffs for a Smarter Grid As electricity production and consumption evolve, ensuring a secure and efficient distribution network is more critical than ever. Dynamic network tariffs, powered by smart meters, offer a promising solution to manage the growing demands of local generation and increasing consumption from electric vehicles and heat pumps. 🔗 More at https://lnkd.in/erGUh72x Congratulations to all the winners of the 2025 Watt d'Or! 👏 Your work inspires us to continue striving for excellence in the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions. 🌱 Bundesamt für Energie BFE #Sustainability #EnergyInnovation #RenewableEnergy #WattDor2025 HSLU Hochschule Luzern, HSLU – CC Thermische Energiespeicher, Sympheny, Helion Energy AG, Matthias Brandes, Reto Fricker, Philipp Schütz, Prof. Dr. Willy Villasmil, Ueli Schilt, Sarah Schneeberger, Curtis Meister, Eric Goldhahn, Robin Worreby, Esther Linder, Lucas Miehé, Gabriela Hug-Glanzmann, Carlo Tajoli, Dominik Born, Julien Marquant, Luca Funk, Empa, Hanmin Cai, Genossenschaft Elektra, Jegenstorf, Groupe E, Azienda Elettrica di Massagno (AEM) SA , EKZ, ETH Zürich, ZHAW Center for Energy and the Environment, Siemens Energy, Christian Winzer, Peter Cuony, Philipp Heer, Henning Fuhrmann

The ZHAW Center for Energy and the Environment is pleased to speak at the Energy Leadership Forum in Davos next week. We'll be discussing the critical topic of “The Great Energy Shift: from Cost to Strategic Resource” with senior energy leaders. Regina Betz looks forward to sharing the panel with Elisabeth Rizzotti from newcleo and Marco Montefiori on the topic "Energy Education". Don’t miss this event if you are in Davos. Registration link: https://lnkd.in/eQrsr3rY Ursula T. INSEAD Alumni Association Switzerland

Wir freuen uns sehr, dass Groupe E einen Watt D’Or für den dynamischen Tarif Vario erhalten hat und sind stolz, dass wir hier im Rahmen des #NeDeLa Projektes unterstützen durften! #NeDeLa: Special Jury Award: Pioneering Dynamic Network Tariffs for a Smarter Grid Regina Betz Christian Winzer Ingmar Schlecht Ali DarudiZHAW School of Management and Law

One of the central outputs of our Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) project on "Policy and Politics in the Multi-Level Climate Change Regime" has finally been published in the Climate Policy Journal. In this open access article, we develop two indices to assess the gap between international #mitigation pledges under the #ParisAgreement and the targets and policy instrument mix adopted at national level. Thanks for the excellent collaboration, Marlene Kammerer, Jack Baker and Karin Ingold!

ZHAW Center for Energy and the Environment CEE-Forschende Ali Darudi und Ingmar Schlecht setzen mit Jonas Savelsberg, ETH Zürich, das Schweizer Energiesystem verschiedenen Schocks aus: Sie modellieren Szenarien, bei denen die #Stromimporte in die #Schweiz ein Jahr lang unterschiedlich stark und häufig einbrechen und Gasimporte im Schockjahr möglich sind oder nicht.  Um diese Importschocks möglichst günstig auszugleichen und dabei immer genügend Strom zur Verfügung zu haben, testen die Studienautoren einen Mix verschiedener Technologien – von #Reservekraftwerken, die mit #Gas oder #Flüssigbrennstoffen betrieben werden, über zusätzliche #Photovoltaik- und #Windkraftanlagen, bis hin zu verschiedenen #Speichertechnologien und neuen #Kernkraftwerken. Thrive in sunshine, brace for thunder. Least-cost robust power system investments under political shocks https://lnkd.in/eYiBvviG

What should the goal of power system design be—optimizing for normal years or ensuring resilience during shock years? Why not both? In our new paper, we explore what a robust power system in Switzerland could look like. We investigate how changes in the generation capacity mix—such as boosting PV capacity, adding more backup power plants, or even at all considering nuclear—can best strike a balance between normal operation and shocks of varying probability and severity. Check out our findings to discover how to “thrive in sunshine” but “brace for thunder,” too! English version: https://lnkd.in/d24jztaE

The ZHAW Center for Energy and the Environment has started into the new year! Here's Paula Castro's roundup of one of our projects: Just at the end of 2024, we published our #DeCIRRA report on “Future use of Carbon Management to achieve Emissions Reductions and Removals in Switzerland: Scenario and Modeling Analysis“. Full report: https://lnkd.in/e_R7GB4D    Using the Swiss Energyscope Model (SES-ETH) from ETH Zürich (link: https://ses.ethz.ch), we build upon four #narratives of the future of #Switzerland’s #energy and #climate #policy to model the role that Carbon Management Technologies may play for reaching Switzerland’s 2050 #netzero GHG emissions goal. These technologies include Carbon Capture and Utilisation / Storage #CCUS, Direct Air Capture #DAC, carbon storage in #wood in #construction, and production of #biochar and other forms of solid carbon. Based on the results, we identify policies and incentives that could be used to scale the adoption of the most promising Carbon Management Technologies in Switzerland under the four narratives: 👉 Promoting wood use in construction, a promising negative emissions technology  👉 Sustainable management of biomass resources for enhancing biomass availability for capturing carbon while addressing competing uses  👉Supporting the production and import of sustainable aviation fuels to comply with the newly introduced blending requirements 👉Differentiated policy approaches to CCS from industry, particularly in cement and waste incineration plants 👉Promoting early investments in infrastructure, such as a CO2 pipeline network, to limit long-term costs 👉Expanding international collaboration on carbon markets. Many more details are available in the #report, co-authored by Gianfranco Guidati, Christina Marchand, Paula Castro, Dr. Malte Winkler, Florian Landis, Matthias Honegger, and Regina Betz.

(An)nina Boogen und Manuel Grieder vom ZHAW Center for Energy and the Environment erforschen zusammen mit INFRAS praxisnahe #Lösungen, um die #Hürden im Zusammenhang mit klimafreundlicher Priorisierung von #Gebäude-Renovation gegenüber Abriss und Neubau abzubauen. Hier geht es zum Projekt: https://lnkd.in/dmtnuGUn

Das ZHAW Center for Energy and the Environment war mit Paula Castro und Silvana Tarlea (Cimpoca) vor Ort in #Baku and der #Weltklimakonferenz #COP29 - hier geht es zu ihrem Bericht zu zwei spannenden Wochen: https://lnkd.in/exC63EB4

At the traditional “𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗢𝗣” event hosted by the Zurich Carbon Market Association, the outcomes of the 29th UN Climate Conference in Baku were thoroughly analyzed, with a particular focus on Article 6, climate finance, and digitalization. While I couldn’t attend in person this year, I greatly appreciated the excellent summary and insightful analysis of the outcomes provided by Axel Michaelowa, Lambert Schneider, Perumal Arumugam, Blatter Gabriela & Marion Verles at INFRAS! 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀: - After nine years of intense negotiations, an agreement on Article 6.4 was finally (and surprisingly!) achieved in Baku.  - COP was the second-largest COP in history, with approximately 50,000 participants, largely due to Party overflow. 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝟲.𝟮: - ITMOs (Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes) are generated only through the first transfer. The authorization itself does not produce ITMOs directly but rather authorized carbon credits. The authorization and transfer processes are highly complex. - While it is promising that accounting loopholes have been formally closed, some risks remain in the market. These risks stem from limited oversight and no consequences for trading and utilizing problematic units. - No revisions to Article 6.2, including corresponding adjustments, before 2028. 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝟲.𝟰: - Over 95 Parties have submitted a Designated National Authority (DNA). - More than 1,000 prior notifications for new activities have been submitted. 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 (𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀): - Achieving full digitalization requires significant behavioral change. For every dollar invested in digitalization, an additional three dollars must be allocated to support the adaptation and implementation of new technologies.