Less cheap electricity consumption!
One of the most powerful photovoltaic systems in Switzerland has been in the Riverside since autumn 2015. Another goal is to supply tenants with “clean” electricity at the price of “dirty” electricity.
The Riverside Zuchwil represents the sustainability strategy of the Swiss Prime Investment Foundation and the energy-efficient, future-oriented energy policy of the energy city of Zuchwil, which has been awarded gold status: "We have a district heating pipe at this location to which all existing buildings are attached," explains Markus Hauri from mha GmbH the energy concept. “In 2014 it turned out that this area could easily be developed into a 2000-watt district. Because in addition to district heating, we have river and groundwater here. In addition, in 2015 we put one of the largest photovoltaic systems (PV systems) into operation on an industrial hall. It has an area of around 37,000 square meters and marks the sustainable development of the area. " Newly built and renovated buildings all have a PV system, which in some cases is even built into the facade. There are also groundwater heat pumps, which also increase comfort during the summer months. For example, the groundwater can be used for free cooling by means of pumping operations in order to lower the internal temperature by two to three degrees.
Clean electricity for the price of dirty electricity
For several years, the development team under the leadership of Swiss Prime Site Solutions AG has been looking for an energy concept with the highest possible self-consumption value. The cleanly generated electricity should be made available to the residents and users of the quarter directly. This is possible with the help of its own medium-voltage network, called RiverGrid, which the Sulzer company previously operated on the site. "Thanks to this internal power grid, we can primarily distribute the clean PV electricity to our tenants and thus perhaps one day supply the entire area with energy", says Hauri, formulating the energy strategy of the Swiss Prime Investment Foundation. In order to be able to guarantee this throughout the year, it must be possible to store the excess PV energy not only for a short time, but also for a long time. In addition to license / ion and salt water batteries, alternative solutions based on hydrogen or with compressed air are also being tested. “Our goal is to be able to supply the tenants on the riverside with 'clean electricity' at a cheap price from 'dirty electricity' at all times,” concludes Hauri, following the slogan “Less” formulated by Solothurn rocker Chris von Rohr and Greenpeace Dräck ».
