Winners of the 2016 Watt d'Or awards

The winners of the 2016 Watt d'Or awards have been chosen! This year's trophies were presented to the winners on the occasion of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy's New Year's event that was held on 7 January 2016 in Bern. The following projects were chosen to receive the various awards (all of which are of equal value):

“Society” category

Groupe E – RoadLab
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of its parent company and with the aim of looking to the future instead of merely taking stock of its past, Groupe E created RoadLab – a double-decker bus designed as a laboratory for carrying out energy-related experiments intended for pupils aged between 13 and 16. This project was launched as part of the celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Groupe E and more than 100 years of activity of its parent company in the energy sector. Since the beginning of 2015, the mobile laboratory has been paying highly successful visits to all the secondary schools in the cantons of Fribourg and Neuchâtel, as well as in the Broye and Pays-d'Enhaut regions in the canton of Vaud, that are connected to the Group E distribution network. The 2016 Watt d'Or in the “Society” category was awarded to Group E in recognition of its action aimed at bringing the fascinating world of energy closer to young adults.

“Energy technologies” category

Elektroplan Buchs & Grossen AG and ElektroLink AG – smart-grid-ready building
Smart-grid-ready office complex in Frutigen ready for the intelligent, networked energy future: thanks to intelligent control mechanisms and optimised load management, this energy-efficient office complex demonstrates how energy consumption and solar electricity production can be optimally harmonised via a building's roof. The 2016 Watt d'Or in the “Energy technologies” category was awarded to Elektroplan Buchs & Grossen AG and ElektroLink AG for demonstrating that Swiss energy planners can make our buildings fit for the future.

“Renewable energies” category

Designergy SA – Triactive Core Roof (TCR)
Integration is the guiding principle for Designergy SA, based in San Vittore (canton of Grisons). This is not only reflected in the name of this young company – integration is also the centre of focus of its visionary product. In the same way as the functions of phone, camera and computer can be integrated in a single device, the new roof element called Triactive Core Roof (TCR) combines three main functions: heat insulation, waterproofing and electricity production, all prefabricated and fully integrated into the roof. The 2016 Watt d'Or in the “Renewable energies” category was awarded to Designergy AG for its development of a global innovation that stands out not only for its ease and speed of installation, but also for its excellence of design and low cost.

“Energy-efficient mobility” category

SBB AG – Grüne Welle im Bahnverkehr – ADL (adaptive energy control system)
As part of its energy strategy, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) aims to be able to consistently save energy groupwide – and in particular reduce the electricity consumption of its passenger and goods trains – within the next decade. At present, the annual consumption of Europe's densest railway network is over 1,800 gigawatt hours, which is equivalent to the level of consumption in 46,000 households. ADL, the SBB's adaptive energy control system, is able to make a significant contribution towards its energy-efficiency programme. It calculates an optimal energy consumption profile for each train and passes on a recommendation to the train crew regarding the ideal travel speed in terms of energy efficiency. This means that unscheduled stops and braking manoeuvres, and above all the energy-intensive restarting of the train, can be avoided. The 2016 Watt d'Or in the “Energy-efficient mobility” category was awarded to Swiss Federal Railways for its innovative ADL system, which is the first of its kind in the world and has already been operating successfully for around a year.

“Buildings and space” category

Swisscom AG and Ernst Basler + Partner – Swisscom Businesspark Ittigen
Swisscom's new “Business Park Ittigen” complex is located directly alongside the A1 motorway outside Bern. The outstanding feature of this complex is its consistent adaptation of technology to the building. In combination with the installation of an innovative automated ventilation system, an outstanding overall concept was developed for this project: the complex is especially noteworthy for its degree of comfort and its energy-efficient design, which meets the requirements of the Minergie-P-Eco standard, as well as for its low operating costs and high degree of operational safety. For this groundbreaking project, Swisscom AG and Ernst Basler + Partner (EBP) were awarded the 2016 Watt d'Or in the “Buildings and space” category.

Special “Corporate strategy” award

Coop Group – energy and CO2 vision: deeds instead of words
CO2 neutrality, reduction of absolute energy consumption by 20 percent versus 2008, and increasing the proportion of renewable energy to 80 percent: these are the declared goals Coop aims to achieve by 2023. And the retailer is well on track, having already succeeded in reducing its energy consumption by around 6 percent and its CO2 emissions by more than 20 percent by 2014. Coop was awarded the 2016 Watt d'Or in the special “Corporate strategy” category for these ambitious targets, which are embedded in a comprehensive sustainability strategy.

Migros – Generation M
Migros has been committed to energy efficiency and other areas of sustainability for several decades, and has been awarded the 2016 Watt d'Or in the special “Corporate strategy” category for its Generation M sustainability programme, in which it has declared its intention to reduce absolute electricity consumption by 10 percent, and greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent versus the 2010 level, by 2020.