Tech Cluster Zug: More than just hot air
In Zug, the Metall Zug industry group is driving the future of energy self-sufficiency: With the Tech Cluster Zug, an energy self-sufficient ecosystem of innovative technologies and services is being created on the V-Zug site. A so-called Multi Energy Hub will not only supply the area with energy, but will also generate some of it itself.
V-Zug employs around 2000 people at the Zug location. A few years ago, the former subsidiary of Metall Zug – Metall Zug is still the largest shareholder – was faced with an all the more serious decision: Where should production be in the future? The choices were a land reserve in Risch-Rotkreuz or moving abroad. In the end, the decision was made in favor of the previous location in Zug; a strong commitment with a vision: on the 80,000 m2 site, the production of V-Zug and other Metall Zug subsidiaries will be concentrated on around a third of the total area. In the coming years, a tech cluster is to be built on the free space. When completed, the area will offer around 3,000 jobs and living space for 300 people. The goal is an actual ecosystem of innovative technologies and services. The future users should come from areas such as cleantech, simulation technology or sensor technology or be related to the core competencies of Metall Zug – i.e. building technology, kitchen, food and cleaning.
Climate neutrality as a goal
Now the idea of such a cluster is neither new nor groundbreaking. On the other hand, the goal that Metall Zug has set itself for the realization is innovative: the area should be largely energy self-sufficient. Therefore, together with the local energy supplier, a separate energy system, the so-called Multi Energy Hub, is being implemented. The various areas of the energy sector and industry are linked – a holistic approach in which the areas interact and are connected to one another. Thanks to this sector coupling, the Tech Cluster Zug is not only supplied with energy, but also generates some of it itself. The area will have its own power grid for medium and low voltage. Several water networks with different temperatures enable the generation of cold and heat from the groundwater. The waste heat from industrial production is used to heat the apartments on the one hand and the seasonal groundwater and earth storage tanks on the other. In addition, comprehensive photovoltaics ensure a further step towards CO2 neutrality. Incidentally, the Tech Cluster Zug will be car-free: An intelligent mobility and parking system – the Mobility Hub Zug Nord – is intended to create sustainable solutions for urban areas.