Future

A newly installed data center in the NEST research building is not only used for data processing, but also helps to heat the entire building. The server system is part of the international EU research project ECO-Qube, which is investigating the integration of data centers into building systems and their energy-efficient operation.

The current energy debate could do with more facts and less gut feeling – argue Thomas J. Schmidt, renewables expert and Head of the PSI Research Division Energy and Environment, and Andreas Pautz, nuclear energy specialist and Head of the PSI Research Division Nuclear Energy and Safety. In this joint interview, they set out the challenges that science needs to address in connection with the Swiss government’s Energy Strategy 2050 and why nuclear energy and renewables experts must work closely together.

More heat pumps in buildings and more electric cars on the roads will lead to an increase in electricity consumption in Switzerland in the future. To meet this increasing demand, we rely on electricity imports, which, however, often have a large carbon footprint, as they come from gas or coal-fired power plants, for example. In a new study, researchers from Empa and the University of Geneva sketch out various scenarios to show how Switzerland can reduce these CO₂-emitting electricity imports by diversifying the expansion of renewables.

Super-insulating materials such as aerogels are expensive. At the same time, they offer a powerful advantage: the thinner the insulation of a building, the larger its usable area. An Empa research team shows when and where, even today, the use of aerogel is already economically viable and ventures an optimistic forecast.

Barely any of Switzerland's solid and liquid animal manure is used to generate energy. Yet fermentation of manure and slurry has the potential to replace fossil fuels and make agriculture more climate-friendly. A publication by energy researchers from institutions including WSL and PSI aims to help government and industry professionals better exploit this valuable resource.