EVUlution AG already has an attractive portfolio of products and services. A carefree package for the planning and installation of photovoltaic and battery solutions (SUN@HOME), a modern software solution for plant management (EASYASSET), an intelligent system for future-oriented smart metering and energy management (SMARTPOWER) and a new, innovative customer portal (ENERGYBOARD).

Scaling of consumption sources

Via SMARTPOWER's smartmeter gateway, metering and meter data from gas, water and heat purchases can also be recorded and individual consumption sources can be conveniently monitored and controlled in real time by both end customers and energy suppliers from the customer portal. In connection with the legally required installation of smart meters, electricity suppliers are obliged to provide customers with access to their consumption and billing data on a digital platform.

With the installation of the newly developed customer portal ENERGYBOARD, it will be possible for all energy suppliers to meet these requirements. It is planned that the product range of EVUlution AG will be continuously developed, supplemented with new products and services and offered to other interested energy suppliers.

By bundling the competencies and strengths of the six founding companies, EVUlution AG can react in a concentrated manner to the new requirements of the market and actively support the energy transition.

Roland Leuenberger, CEO of Repower AG and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EVUlution AG: "As energy suppliers, we want to tackle the digital challenges of the energy transition together. In this way, we can offer our customers innovative products and services "from the utility for the utility". In addition, we are contributing to a more sustainable and efficient energy future and, as participating partners, benefit from the know-how, innovative strength, resources and sales power of all of them."

The Repower AG, the Cantonal Electricity Works Nidwalden, the SN Energy Ltd, the Arbon Energy Ltd, the Jona-Rapperswil Electricity Works AG and the Liechtenstein Power Plants jointly establish the new AG.

Repower AG will hold the largest share in EVUlution with 46.25%, the other partners will participate with shares between 6.5% and 15%. Further information about EVUlution AG can be found at www.evulution.com can be found.

The Global Risk report predicts:

• Extreme weather events with major damage to property, infrastructure and human life
• Failure of governments and businesses to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
• Man-made environmental damage and disasters, including environmental crimes such as oil spills and radioactive contamination.
• Great loss of biodiversity and collapse of ecosystems (terrestrial or marine) with irreversible consequences for the environment, leading to severe depletion of resources for humanity and industry.
• Major natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and geomagnetic storms.

Time is running out

If stakeholders do not adapt to "today's epochal power shift" and geopolitical turmoil - while still preparing for the future - time will run out to address some of the most pressing economic, environmental and technological challenges. This signals where the need for action is greatest for businesses and policymakers.

System level thinking

The Global Risks report was produced in collaboration with Marsh & McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group and is part of the Global Risks Initiative, which brings together all stakeholders to develop sustainable, integrated solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. Systems-level thinking is needed to address looming geopolitical and environmental risks that might otherwise slip under the radar. This year's report focuses explicitly on the impact of rising inequality, gaps in technology policy, and health systems under pressure. Further, it points out that policymakers must balance goals to protect the planet with those to boost the economy - and that businesses must avoid the risks of potentially catastrophic future losses by aligning themselves with science-based goals.

The pressure on companies is growing

John Drzik, Chairman of Marsh & McLennan Insights, said, "There is growing pressure on companies from investors, regulators, customers and employees to demonstrate their resilience to increasing climate volatility. Scientific advances mean that climate risks can now be modeled with greater accuracy and incorporated into risk management and business plans. High-profile events, such as the recent wildfires in Australia and California, are increasing pressure on businesses to take action on climate risk at a time when they also face greater geopolitical and cyber risk challenges."

"The political landscape is polarized, sea levels are rising and climate fires are burning. This is the year for world leaders to work with all sectors of society to repair and reinvigorate our systems of cooperation, not only for short-term benefit, but also to address our deep-rooted risks," said Borge Brende, president of the World Economic Forum.

For younger generations, the state of the planet is even more alarming. The report shows how the risks are viewed by those born after 1980: They rated environmental risks in the short and long term higher than other respondents.

The study, known as the Omnibus Survey, reveals interesting perspectives and sensitivities of the Swiss population. Over 50 percent of the population consider the loss of biodiversity, the use of pesticides and climate change to be very dangerous for people and the environment. These are the initial results of a survey on the environment conducted for the third time by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

The environmental quality in the living environment was also recently rated as very good or rather good by 89 percent, compared with 95 percent in 2015 and 2011. The quality of the environment worldwide was rated as very good or rather good by only 13 percent of the population in Switzerland in 2019, compared with 20 percent in 2015 and 23 percent in 2011.

Traffic noise, air pollution and radiation are increasingly disturbing

In addition to poorer ratings of environmental quality, certain environmental conditions also bothered the population more: in 2019, 31 percent felt very bothered or somewhat bothered by traffic noise at home, up from 24 percent in 2015 and 23 percent in 2011. Air pollution around the house also bothered more people in 2019, at 34 percent, compared with the 19 percent in 2015 and the 17 percent in 2011, respectively.

In the case of radiation, such as that emitted by mobile phone antennas or high-voltage power lines, the proportion of people who feel very disturbed or rather disturbed by this has even more than doubled: namely from 10 percent in 2015 and 2011 to 23 percent in 2019. In addition, 90 percent of the population were very satisfied or rather satisfied with the landscape in their living environment in 2019, compared to 93 percent in 2015 and 94 percent in 2011.

Organic products continue to grow in importance

Changes are also evident in environmental behavior. For example, the trend toward more organic products continued: although the proportion of people who say they always or usually buy organic products was not significantly greater in 2019 than in 2015, the proportion who rarely or never do so declined (19 percent in 2019 versus 26 percent in 2015).

Organic products are particularly popular in French-speaking Switzerland: 53 percent of the population there said they always or usually buy them in 2019, compared with 41 percent in Italian-speaking Switzerland and 40 percent in German-speaking Switzerland. Organic products are also consumed more frequently by residents of urban areas than by residents of rural areas (45 vs. 39 percent), and their consumption also increases with higher levels of education (compulsory school 28 percent, upper secondary school 40 percent, tertiary school 53 percent).

Biodiversity loss, pesticides and climate change perceived as greatest threats

In 2019, the loss of biodiversity and climate change were considered by the Swiss population to be significantly more dangerous for people and the environment than in 2015: While 36 percent considered the loss of biodiversity to be very dangerous at that time, 54 percent were of this opinion in 2019. In the case of climate change, this figure rose from 34 percent to 51 percent in the same period. At 53 percent, the majority of the population also considered the use of chemical pesticides to be very dangerous for people and the environment in 2019.

Other environmental changes and technologies were assessed as less dangerous or their assessment has not changed much since the last survey. The exception is mobile phone antennas: Between 2015 and 2019, the proportion of people who rated them as very dangerous to people and the environment rose from 11 percent to 18 percent.

In 2019, 61 percent of the population also thought that environmental pollution as such was a very big or somewhat big problem for Switzerland, up from 39 percent in 2015.

Additional information can be found in the PDF file below:

The population's concern for the environment is growing

Heating control systems in factory buildings, airport terminals or high-rise office buildings are often already equipped with automated "predictive" technologies. These work with pre-programmed scenarios calculated specifically for the building and save operators a lot of heating energy. But for individual apartments and private houses, such individual programming is too expensive.

Cool smarter - thanks to weather forecast

More comfort with ¼ less energy

New Work expert Sven Bietau explains at the LOUNGES cleanroom trade show: "The current predominant office form is architecturally designed for a linear and hierarchical way of working. Companies that want to remain competitive in the future, however, need space for empathy, creativity and inventiveness - and not just cells to work in.

In the new decade, a future-oriented working environment must therefore be more than just a copy of or a variation on a necessary room in a chic design. Because "Experience Design" or "User Driven Design" are no longer indispensable in the office world. CSMM-architecture matters therefore advocates the approach of designing future working environments as spaces of possibility.

"The office is dead. Long live the office!"

Under the workshop title "The office is dead. Long live the office!" Sven Bietau draws a bow from the working world 4.0 to the necessary inner change and calls for a rethink with his thesis.

"Possibility spaces primarily pursue the goal of fostering innovation. They create an environment for people to exist as social and innovative beings. Everything is possible in this space, freely according to the principle of serendipity." The expert justifies his vision:

"Innovations that permanently changed our society, such as that of penicillin, could indeed be favored by the creation of framework conditions - that is, experimentation in the laboratory and the composition of certain substances. But what could not be planned was the invention itself. It was serendipity that made the discovery itself possible," explains Bietau, Managing Partner at CSMM.

"He therefore calls for a vehement paradigm shift in the world of work - away from necessity space to possibility space. According to him, such a paradigm shift also serves the measure of building in a truly sustainable way in the future.

Sustainable spatial planning

The possibility space is sustainable because it gives equal consideration to the ecological, social and cultural aspects in addition to the economic ones. According to the organizers of the LOUNGES trade fair, "the subject of sustainable building is still in its infancy in many areas, but it is developing at breakneck speed."

Digitization is turning the prevailing office image upside down. It not only allows work to be carried out independently of time and location, but also networks, accelerates and enables to an unprecedented extent. Bietau: "Nothing influences us as much as the immediate surrounding space. That's why special space must be given to those factors that foster innovation."

Working environments must be rethought in their planning. The office remains a necessary, social meeting place that creates identification. In the future, the office will not be a place where work is done, but a nucleus of innovation.

As the sectors of employment have changed, so have the goals of work. Whereas it once served primarily to survive, then a large part of the professions pursued pure work as a goal as a result of the industrial division of labor - in today's knowledge society, it is mostly about creating innovation in order to remain marketable.

www.cs-mm.com

From the foundation made of natural stone to the metal- and glue-free basic construction made of moon phase wood to the insulation with a hemp-lime layer: the "House One" uses exclusively natural resources, in a variety of ways. The foundation stone for this forward-looking project was laid by Lukas Gwerder. When the Schwyz natural carpenter set about building a house from natural raw materials in 2011, his goal was to combine sustainability, tradition, innovation and closeness to nature.

With almost no outside help, he turned the visionary idea of a house without hazardous waste into reality and moved into "House One" with his family while the renovation was still underway. After separating from his wife, Gwerder decided to put the house up for sale.

Against the fast pace of our world

Urs Kasper, entrepreneur and carpenter himself, was immediately fascinated by the perseverance and consistency with which Gwerder followed his vision. As the new owner, the family business "Kasper & Sohn" decided to support the last third of the construction phase. On one condition: Lukas Gwerder should be involved in the construction until the end. Urs Kasper is convinced that Gwerder's attitude of respect for our nature has great potential for the future. He is particularly fascinated by Gwerder's perseverance:

"There are a lot of houses that are supposed to be organic, but where that construction method has not been consistently enforced. As soon as the first problem comes up, you make a little exception here and there." There are no exceptions at "House One." Contrary to the often-heard excuse "It can't be done any other way," Kasper and Gwerder prove that it is possible to build a house from natural materials that nevertheless meets modern requirements. The sustainability of the construction method is also reflected in the interior design. Kasper chose furniture, fabrics and accessories that were in keeping with the concept of the house - in other words, that were produced sustainably, ecologically and fairly. Not only the house, but also its furniture is completely glue-free.

Below are some facts about House One:

• Exclusive use of native wood
• All angles are above 90° degrees for better circulation of air or heat energy
• Built-in clay furnace and heat exchanger chimney system
• Natural cellar (cool in summer, warm in winter)
• Light sources reduced to the minimum. More light influence due to triple glazed windows without UV protection.
• Mains isolation for the whole house and shielded cables, no power line or cell phone antenna nearby
• Air / water heat pump for domestic hot water in summer
• 3'500 m² large garden with various young fruit and nut trees as well as berry bushes for own use
• Bathing pond, torrent and waterfall as well as hot tub made of native larch and sauna made of Swiss stone pine in the garden
• Seating on the east and west sides and on the terrace
• Well-stocked library for the "digital detox
• Price: from 360 francs per day

Below are some facts about House One:

The Civil Engineering Office of the Canton Basel City intends to convert nine-tenths of its fleet to electric vehicles within the next five years. A total of twelve large refuse collection vehicles are now to be replaced by electric vehicles of the commercial vehicle brand Futuricum of the Winterthur design plant will be replaced, informs Designwerk in a Communication. According to its own information, this means that the electromobility company has received the largest Swiss order to date for the supply of electric commercial vehicles.

The twelve refuse collection vehicles ordered by the city canton of Basel are Collect 26E refuse collection vehicles of the Futuricum commercial vehicle brand. Their basic chassis comes from partner company Volvo TrucksFor the superstructures, which are also electrically operated, Designwerk draws on the Contena-Ochsner AG back from the Limmat Valley.

The Collect 26E's consumption of 190 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers in collection mode corresponds to a diesel equivalent of 19.6 liters per 100 kilometers, Designwerk explains in the statement. According to her, by contrast, the diesel vehicles used by emergency services in the canton of Basel-Stadt have an average consumption of 90 liters per 100 kilometers. "Considered over the entire life cycle of acquisition, maintenance and operation," the electric sweepers are "almost as expensive as diesel vehicles." The higher initial investment is offset by "around 80 percent" lower operating costs.

The first two electric refuse collectors are to be delivered by the end of this year. The canton plans to receive ten more vehicles by mid-2021. The new electronic refuse collection vehicles can be charged at a total of seven locations operated by the municipal cleaning and civil engineering departments.

Swiss Saltworks today launched the "Salzgut" nature fund together with various nature and environmental protection associations and representatives of municipalities from the canton of Basel-Landschaft and the canton of Aargau. The nature fund is aimed at non-profit institutions, municipalities and private initiatives in the regions from which the native
Salt originates.

Cooperation between Swiss salt works and environmental protection associations 

Köbi Frei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Swiss Salt Works: "The 'Salzgut' nature fund represents the sustainable and solidarity-based approach of the Swiss Salt Works. It reflects the ecological benefits of domestic salt production back to its origins, so to speak. In this way, we want to express our respect for people and nature beyond our immediate fields of activity."
The "Salzgut" nature fund was created after intensive discussions and in close cooperation between the Swiss Salt Works and various nature and environmental protection associations as well as representatives from municipalities and cantonal authorities.

Local projects to promote biodiversity
The "Salzgut" nature fund acts independently of direct compensation measures in the context of salt extraction. It supports biodiversity-promoting projects in the areas of nature and landscape conservation, forest, water, cultivated land and settlement areas. In addition, environmental education projects can also be entered. Dr. Raffael Ayé, Head of Species Promotion at BirdLife Switzerland and participant in the participatory working group emphasizes:

"The clear distinction between the mandatory compensatory measures and the voluntary measures under the Nature Fund is exemplary, as is the broad-based, participatory approach. We look forward to seeing further projects for the protection and promotion of biodiversity emerge thanks to the 'Salzgut' nature fund."

The focus is on local projects in the communities where the Swiss salt works extract domestic salt. These are currently the municipalities of Pratteln and Muttenz in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, Rheinfelden and Möhlin in the canton of Aargau, and Bex in Vaud. In addition, support is also available for projects in the other regions of northwestern Switzerland (Baselbiet, Fricktal, Dorneck-Thierstein) and in the area surrounding Bex (districts of Aigle, Monthey and St. Maurice).
Project submissions can now be made online via www.salzgut.ch or by email to.

Expert council assesses projects
An expert council consisting of seven to nine technical experts and two representatives of the Swiss salt works decides on the allocation of the contributions. The president of the expert council is the biologist Dr. Benedikt Schmidt. He is a staff member in the amphibian department at info fauna karch and a research group leader and lecturer at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Zurich. The office of "Salzgut" is Pan Bern AG, a consulting and service office in the field of planning, environment and sustainable resource use.

Salzgut" is financed by the Swiss salt works, which transfer 1 Swiss franc to the fund for each ton of salt extracted. The distribution key corresponds approximately to the production volumes at the respective sites.

www.salzgut.ch

Project entries can now be made online via www.salzgut.ch or by e-mail to info@salzgut.ch.
be

The research institute Agroscope is planning an experimental station in Sursee. This is the location strategy of the competence center for agricultural research founded in 2014. In the future, Agroscope will consist of a central main site in Posieux FR and regional research centers in Changins VD and Reckenholz ZH. In addition, there will be decentralized experimental stations. Since early summer 2019, intensive discussions had been held with cantons and industry organizations on the possible locations.

Nutrient emissions an issue

According to a survey, the Sursee site will focus on Media release of the Canton of Lucerne will be studies on nitrogen and phosphorus. These substances are increasingly entering the environment in the agricultural canton with its intensive animal husbandry. "Around ten percent of the cattle and poultry population and 30 percent of the pig population in Switzerland are kept in the canton of Lucerne," explains Lucerne's Agriculture and Environment Director Fabian Peter. "This comparatively high animal intensity leads to corresponding nutrient emissions, which represent a major challenge for the environment." With the experimental station in Sursee, practice and research could be better linked and the challenges could be addressed in a more targeted manner.

Consultations in the parliamentary commissions are planned for the first quarter of 2020. The Federal Council is expected to decide on the next steps in the second quarter. "We would be very pleased if we could welcome the first Agroscope employees in Sursee as early as the end of 2020," says Peter. (Source: Canton of Lucerne)

An interview with IONITY CEO Michael Hajesch made waves last week. That's because in the interview with Edison, Hajesch announced that starting in February, charging at the company's ultrafast chargers will cost 79 cents per kilowatt hour for those e-car drivers whose manufacturers are not part of the Ionity joint venture (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, VW, Audi, Porsche and Hyundai) belongs (Source: www.elektroauto-news.net)

To fully charge a Tesla Model S with a large battery would therefore cost a good 70 francs for a complete charge at Ionity. According to elektroauto news, it would be half as cheap to use Tesla's own Supercharger, for example.

"What is met with incomprehension in the e-car scene is the fact that IONITY, despite the backing of Car manufacturers worth billions, benefits generously from subsidies to build its charging infrastructure, and yet is significantly more expensive than Tesla, which paid for its fast-charging network out of its own pocket," it says on the above-mentioned page. IONITY itself calls its pricing model "fair and transparent" Hajesch said in the interview.

Taking a new approach to pricing 

Until now, charging cost a flat rate of eight euros "Session fee", which the Ionity boss describes as "Welcome phase". With 203 stations live and 53 under construction, however, it is now time to "to take the next step in pricing as well."

Hajesch does not fear that IONITY will now lose customers. After all, there are "attractive end-customer offers" for all BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, VW, Audi, Porsche and Hyundai drivers, who pay around 30 to 35 cents per kilowatt hour, depending on the contract. In addition, the provider's value proposition includes "High availability, Europe-wide HPC charging network, top locations directly on the freeway and responsible operation of the charging stations with green electricity.."

Also, the short charging time (the stations perform up to 350 kW) and "a hotline that can be contacted around the clock in seven languages", justify the pricing model, finds Hajesch. The IONITY boss is "convinced that we will make a significant contribution to the market acceptance of electromobility.." Hajesch also notes not yet making a profit on the offering, which is also linked to the new pricing model "not immediate" was to be realized, as the sites are still being expanded throughout Europe.

www.ionity.eu/de

Taking responsibility is a trend among startup founders: Two-thirds of the startups surveyed in the Green Startup Monitor 2018, for example, aim to have a positive social or environmental impact. However, there is often still a lack of special offers for responsible entrepreneurs.

In order to support founders in scaling their companies and to emphasize the importance of socially, ecologically and environmentally relevant business models, the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt with the support of Europe's leading innovation and start-up center EntrepreneurTUM the Accelerator Program RESPOND initiated. The program will start on June 22, 2020.

Solve global problems 

RESPOND runs over a period of five months and is aimed at founders who solve complex global problems through innovative technologies and entrepreneurial approaches. During the four attendance phases of the program, the founders take part in workshops in Munich on impact-oriented business, marketing, sales, financing and responsible corporate governance.

The participants benefit from the exchange and collaboration, both among themselves and with the global networks of the BMW Foundation and UnternehmerTUM. In addition, participants receive free access to coworking spaces at the UnternehmerTUM premises in Munich during the five months.

Through the Accelerator program, the founders learn to better assess the strengths and weaknesses of their business models and to plan the medium- and long-term goals of their entrepreneurial development. In addition, they build their leadership skills.

Development goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030

The application period for RESPOND runs from January 20 to March 1, 2020, with a special focus on selecting the first cohort of founders whose business models contribute to one of the following three sustainable development goals of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda:

• Goal 8 - Decent work and economic growth
• Goal 9 - Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• Goal 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

Dr.-Ing. Heba Aguib, Chief Executive RESPOND, BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt: "By empowering impact-oriented founders to scale their innovative solutions and technologies, the BMW Foundation aims to contribute to a systemic transformation towards a sustainable economic and financial system. Responsible leadership is the central lever for this.

Through programs like RESPOND, we identify, activate and support leaders who are driving this change."

Miki Yokoyama, COO for RESPOND, UnternehmerTUM: "We believe that startups have the innovation, creativity and energy to make a decisive contribution to solutions for global challenges such as the climate crisis and social injustices. With RESPOND, we support the founders who are setting out to provide answers to global issues."

For more information on how to apply to participate in the Accelerator program, please visit respond-accelerator.com.

At Zurich Airport on January 20, 2020, a business aircraft was refueled for the first time with a mixture of sustainable fuel and conventional kerosene. Departing business aircraft can be filled with this mixture for the duration of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Regenerative biofuel 

Regenerative biofuels for aircraft, so-called Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), are produced from renewable raw materials such as rapeseed, palm or jatropha oil or from algae. They are virtually CO2-neutral and therefore "a promising approach for more climate-friendly air transport," according to the media release from the Zurich Airport Ltd.

According to the Media release this type of sustainable transport was made possible through cooperation with Jet Aviation and the Finnish renewable jet fuel producer Neste makes possible. Neste MY Renewable Jet Fuel is said to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent compared to fossil kerosene.

Still given obstacles 

The SAF premiere shows that it is basically possible to establish a functioning supply chain. However, from logistics to import to local distribution, "there are considerable obstacles to overcome before an aircraft can refuel with SAF at a Swiss airport," says Emanuel Fleuti, Head of Environmental Protection at Flughafen Zürich AG. Joao Martins, senior director and GM of Jet Aviation's FBO Operations in Zurich, also stresses that it took months of preparation.

SAF are still around three to four times more expensive than conventional aviation fuels. "The first-time use of SAF at Zurich Airport should therefore also be seen as an impetus for politicians to create framework conditions that allow the availability and marketability of SAF to be improved," Flughafen Zürich AG said in its media release.