From a gas supplier to a sustainability pioneer: Energie 360° builds, finances and operates solar systems on real estate sites and industrial buildings throughout Switzerland. The company is working closely with AMAG subsidiary Helion Energy AG on a particularly interesting project.
If you want to become more sustainable, you have to be prepared to change. The company Energie 360° has done an impressive job of demonstrating exactly this. The company, which is based in Zurich-Altstetten and Lausanne, is the largest gas supplier in Switzerland. However, a few years ago, the company made the decision to transform its operations. “Since then, we have been focusing our entire business model on renewable energies,” explains CEO Jörg Wild. Today, around 400 Energie 360° employees plan, build and operate sustainable mobility and energy solutions. The company invests in integrated energy supply systems, site solutions and electric charging stations, for example, and ranks among the leading companies when it comes to planning and operating biogas and PV systems.
The process of change is very challenging, but it is also “incredibly motivating” for everyone involved, explains Jörg Wild in an interview. There is also no doubt that this sort of transformation does not happen overnight.
says Jörg Wild.
However, gas as an energy source will remain important for the company over the coming years – increasingly in the form of renewable gas. However: “We are investing the money we earn from the gas business directly in the business areas of the future.”
There is no doubt that the transformation process is also challenging for employees. But the clear ecological focus is widely accepted within the company and even serves as a motivator, emphasises CEO Jörg Wild.
Some employees who used to be responsible for planning gas networks or selling gas connections are now involved in integrated energy supply systems or in developing comprehensive site solutions, the CEO cites as one example.
The topic of mobility also plays a key strategic role for Energie 360°. For example, the company is committed to the expansion of electric charging points throughout the country. “We also incorporate electromobility aspects into our site solutions wherever possible.” Energie 360° is involved in another innovative project, too: The Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) plans to fit photovoltaic systems to 350 noise barriers and 100 motorway service areas over the next few years. Energie 360° won this tender together with AMAG subsidiary Helion Energy AG for the noise barriers along the motorways in the cantons of Ticino and Grisons. The projects are to be realised by 2030 and will make an active contribution to strengthening security of supply.
says Jörg Wild.
about the ambitious project. For him, there is no doubt: “The potential for PV on infrastructure remains huge and is receiving a very welcome boost with the FEDRO initiative.” The figures confirm this: a recent study conducted by Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) puts the potential for systems on existing infrastructure (roads, car parks, motorway embankments) at 10.3 TWh, i.e. at least half of the electricity produced by the nuclear power plants currently in operation. This means that, by authorising PV systems on noise barriers and service areas along motorways, FEDRO is making an important contribution to Switzerland’s security of supply.
says Jörg Wild.
For Jörg Wild, however, there are even more arguments in favour of the motorway project: “There is no doubt that it makes sense to utilise the existing infrastructure as efficiently as possible.” At the same time, the project also poses challenges. In this context, Jörg Wild mentions the topic of safety or the difficulties associated with traffic management.
Helion has been implementing projects in the fields of photovoltaics, electricity storage, heat pumps and charging stations for electric vehicles since as early as 2008. Jörg Wild describes the collaboration with the AMAG subsidiary, but also with the Group as a whole, as “very constructive and based on the spirit of partnership”. In particular, Jörg Wild praises the open and transparent communication between the partners. “Like Energie 360°, AMAG and Helion Energy AG have set themselves the objective of actively forging ahead on the journey towards the new energy world. It is clear that we are all working towards a common goal. Energy efficiency and alternative energies are at the heart of all entrepreneurial considerations.”
When talking to Jörg Wild, you really sense that the CEO of Energie 360° is also fully committed to the company’s chosen path on a personal level. “It is a motivating thought to be able to contribute to the transformation of the energy system.
– Jörg Wild, CEO of Energie 360°
