Climate foundation supports upcycling and glass façades
The Swiss Climate FoundationExternal link has distributed CHF3.8 million ($3.8 million) this year to 15 innovative projects related to climate protection, including the “upcycling” of electric bicycle batteries and the development of intelligent building fronts.
The foundation said on TuesdayExternal link it was particularly impressed by Zurich-based company LibattionExternal link, which gives a second life to electric bicycle batteries. Often only a few battery cells are defective, the foundation noted. Libattion recovers those that are still intact to manufacture new batteries for industrial vehicles or energy storage.
This “upcycling” involves recovering by-products, waste materials and useless or unwanted products and transforming them into new materials or products of better quality and environmental value.
The Swiss Climate Foundation also highlighted the innovative glass façades of the HyWinExternal link company from canton Schwyz. Excess heat that enters buildings in summer through conventional transparent façades is redirected into ventilation ducts to the basement for storage. It is then used for heating during the winter.
The money distributed by the Swiss Climate Foundation comes from 27 partner companies, mainly banks and insurance companies. Since its creation in 2008, the foundation has granted CHF24 million to 1,500 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In addition to innovative projects, it also supports SMEs that want to implement measures to save energy.
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