New energy network to support the city of Wädenswil’s net-zero target
Energie 360° and the city of Wädenswil want to utilise the energy from Lake Zurich to generate renewable heat for Wädenswil. To this end, they are founding Energieverbund Wädenswil AG. The voters of Wädenswil have approved the plan.
Energie 360° and the city of Wädenswil want to contribute to the city’s net-zero target with an energy network. Specifically, the plan is to utilise the water of Lake Zurich to generate renewable heat, the Zurich-based energy supplier announced in a press release. To this end, the two partners intend to set up Energieverbund Wädenswil AG, in which the city of Wädenswil will hold a 51 per cent stake and Energie 360° a 49 per cent stake.
On 9 February, the voters of Wädenswil gave the green light to the plans to establish the energy association with 66.04 percent of the votes, according to the press release. “The city of Wädenswil is investing in the future,” city mayor Philipp Kutter is quoted as saying. “A clean energy supply benefits everyone and reduces our dependence on fossil fuels.”
The plans include two underground energy centres in the new Gessner site and at the Rietlau car park. Excess waste heat from the Rietlau wastewater treatment plant will also be used in the second energy centre. Energie 360° also wants to integrate its Untermosen heating network, which has been in operation in Wädenswil since 2011, into the new network.
“Utilising the locally available energy from Lake Zurich for the energy supply makes ecological and economic sense,” says Energie 360° CEO Jörg Wild. If everything goes according to plan, the first customers will be able to obtain renewable heat from the network as early as 2026. In its final stage, the network is expected to avoid emissions of around 15,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.