Winners of the 2018 Watt d'Or awards

The winners of the 2018 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 11 January 2018 in Bern. The following projects were chosen to receive the various awards (all of which are of equal value):

“Energy technologies” category

EKZ – Electricity works of the canton of Zurich and Schréder Swiss SA: Intelligent lighting
The innovative lighting control system jointly developed by EKZ and Schréder takes the concept of “intelligent lighting” up to a new level. Thanks to intelligent sensors, street lights can now be adapted to the volume of traffic – to the benefit of residents, nocturnal animals and energy efficiency. Depending on the situation, this kind of intelligent lighting can reduce energy consumption by up to 70 percent.

“Renewable energies” category

Paul Scherrer Institute and Energie 360°: Gas production from waste
Biogas from waste is a valuable product. Until now, raw biogas had to undergo complex processing in order to separate the CO2 content. But the new direct methanisation technology developed by the Paul Scherrer Institute and successfully tested in a pilot project together with Energie 360° eliminates the need for this process and increases the bio-methane yield by 60 percent.

“Energy-efficient mobility” category

ABB, HESS, tpg, SIG, OPI: Emission-free transport made in Switzerland
TOSA is an electric bus that does not need overhead lines. Its batteries can be charged within just a few seconds at selected bus stops – a pioneering technology “made in Switzerland”. The TOSA was developed by Transports Publics Genevois (tpg), the Office for the Promotion of Industries and Technologies (OPI), Services Industriels de Genève (SIG) and Carrosserie HESS. The project was supported by the canton of Geneva. The first TOSA buses were put into operation on tpg line 23 in Geneva in December 2017.

“Buildings and space” category

Dietrich Schwarz Architekten AG: Pilot project setting sights on future urban development
The construction and renovation project at Hohlstrasse 100 in Zurich is responding to the challenges posed by modern urban development: insulation, energy efficiency, noise abatement and systems optimisation. Here the planning team of Dietrich Schwarz Architekten AG set their sights on innovative solutions, supported by EK Energiekonzepte AG. These include prefabricated timber elements coated with Aerogel, a high-performance insulation material. This solution permits the construction of an extremely thin façade, thereby maximising the utilisable surface area. In addition, this pilot project also featured the use of vacuum-insulated glass as standard glazing for the first time in Switzerland.

Special “Energy efficiency” award

Services industriels de Genève – éco 21 and energo: Geneva, the efficient heating canton
The éco21 programme of Services industriels de Genève has declared war on the wastage of energy due to incorrectly configured heating systems. Together with its partner, energo, éco21 is offering energy optimisation contracts with the aid of which building owners and property managers can secure the optimum operation of their heating systems. This is a unique service in Switzerland that does not require any investment. Since 2014, this programme has not only resulted in significant energy savings (20 GWh), but has also contributed towards a reduction in CO2 emissions by 4,300 tonnes.