Closing event of NRP Energy in Bern
For more than five years, the National Research Programmes NRP 70 and NRP 71 of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), now grouped under the name " NRP Energy ", helped identify the main components of the energy transition. Organized on January 23rd at the Pavillon Gurten in Bern, a closing event took place to present the main results of research carried out in this context, including the work of the ACTIVE INTERFACES team on the architectural integration of photovoltaic systems.
The results of the National Research Program "Energy" of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) show that it is possible to exit nuclear power and fossil fuels under satisfactory conditions by 2050. Over a hundred research projects, involving more than 300 researchers, have contributed to this important interdisciplinary investigation. These include projects relating to the architectural integration of photovoltaics in buildings (BIPV), in which the research team of the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) actively participated.
During this closing event, four speakers were invited to present the results of their work as specific contributions to the energy transition. Dr. Ulrike Wissen from ETH Zürich presented a new approach to landscape strategies taking into account renewable energy systems. Dr. Mélanie Haupt, also from ETH Zürich, highlighted the challenges relating to waste management from an energy perspective. Professors Christophe Ballif and Emmanuel Rey of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) presented the main results of their interdisciplinary collaboration on building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).
Carried out in collaboration with multiple academic and private partners, the "ACTIVE INTERFACES" research project focused on the integration of BIPV into the renovation processes of existing buildings, while the "Advanced Active Façade" research project allowed the development of a new construction system for the realization of low carbon active residential facades. These studies highlight that, thanks to new technologies in building-integrated photovoltaics, the involved stakeholders now have a wide range of possibilities to combine architectural quality and a significant increase in the decentralized production of renewable energies.