Sparkling ideas for more energy security
Would you like to contribute to the prevention of an energy shortage in Zurich? Do you have an idea that you want to develop quickly and effectively? Sign up for "Energy Now! - An Impact Accelerator by ETH Zurich"! This ETH initiative aims to enable innovative solutions for more energy security in Zurich before Christmas.
Energy could become scarce and expensive this winter. There are various reasons for this: declining gas supplies from Russia, less Swiss electricity generation from hydropower due to the dry summer, or lower electricity imports from France, which has shut down around half of its nuclear reactors.
The question is how to prevent a widespread energy shortage and how to reduce energy consumption to avoid a supply crisis. For example, the federal government and the city of Zurich have launched measures to reduce gas and electricity consumption - and ETH Zurich has been implementing initial energy-saving measures since the beginning of October.
An accelerator for good solutions
Supported by the ETH Zurich Executive Board, this university’s Energy Science Center (ESC) is launching the new initiative "Energy Now! – An Impact Accelerator by ETH Zurich". In it, ETH members are challenged to contribute their ideas and develop them into rapidly implementable solutions to address the potential energy shortage in the city and canton of Zurich.
"The goal of the initiative is to develop smart, science-based solutions that support private and public stakeholders in the city and canton of Zurich to avoid the potential gas and electricity shortages," says Christian Schaffner, executive director of the ESC, "The solutions should help to save energy in a concrete way, or that you can operate a system intelligently in a real shortage situation."
"Energy Now!" is looking for solutions that are innovative, implementable and effective. Solutions from computer science (e.g., data management, machine learning), electrical engineering (e.g., real-time measurement and control, smart meters and grids), social sciences (e.g., nudging, acceptance), or interdisciplinary combinations are conceivable.
ETH members and partners can participate
All students, researchers and employees of ETH Zurich are invited to participate. People from outside of ETH may also participate as members of a team – all team members should register on the application page to get all contact information (for update emails).
Collaboration with partners from politics, administration or industry is desired in order to increase the solutions’ practical impact: "We are looking for individuals and groups who want to make a practical difference in a short time. We also support them by providing our contacts in science, business and administration - for example, in the city of Zurich," says Schaffner. The project website, where interested parties can register, also includes - for inspiration - a list of issues that policymakers consider particularly urgent and important.
How does the program work?
The initiative consists of two workshops in October and November that enable participants to flesh out their approaches to impact in a short period of time. During the process, they receive feedback from industry experts and policymakers from the energy sector. Then they pitch: At the end of November at the beginning of December, only the ideas with the greatest innovation potential will present their solutions at the closing event to various energy experts. When it finally comes to implementation, successful teams are supported through contacts and mentoring.
Further information
esc.ethz.ch/energy-?now (with registration window)Always up to date
Would you like to always receive the most important internal information and news from ETH Zurich? Then subscribe to the "internal news" newsletter and visit Staffnet, the information portal for ETH employees.