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Many faults in photovoltaic systems occur slowly and are difficult to detect, such as soiling or shading due to vegetation growth. EKZ and the Swiss Data Science Center have developed algorithms to detect them early and prevent loss of energy production.

Fresh sparkling water at the touch of a button, waste-free and always on hand. ETH spin-off bottleplus is making this possible. Co-founder Christian Käser talks about challenges and what comes next.

Key industrial prosses such as cement production require heat at temperatures above 1000°C and are responsible for 10-20% of global CO2 emissions. A novel solar receiver uses concentrated solar energy for these processes and enables the decarbonization of these industries.

Prof. Máté Bezdek and his team are experts in chemical sensing. They aim to develop sensors for agriculture that enable accurate fertilizing of fields, avoiding over-fertilization and thus help mitigate the emissions caused by agriculture.

Lithium-ion solid-state batteries are the batteries of the future. However, their mass production is still too expensive. ETH spin-off Eightinks is developing a manufacturing technology for the mass production of new battery materials and designs. In addition to the scalability of the technology, the goal is also a complete circular economy for batteries.

New environmental standards and regulations require corporations to monitor their biodiversity risks and offset their impact on nature. ETH Spin-off SimplexDNA has developed a methodology that enables global biodiversity monitoring.

The carbon used in today’s materials is almost exclusively made from gas, oil, or coal. ETH spin-off and chemical engineering start-up, Biosimo, has developed a sustainable bio-based alternative to produce fossil-free chemicals such as acetic acid.

The fast-growing electromobility sector needs efficient power solutions. In the European funded project Power2Power, ETH Zurich and Brusa HyPower use improved semiconductors to design onboard chargers for electric vehicles.

Many aspects of decarbonising buildings are connected to the sun. But how can new methods and building components such as façades be tested under controlled climate conditions? Dr. Arno Schlüter, ETH Prof. and Director of the new Zero Carbon Building Systems (ZCBS) Lab, had the idea to emulate qualities of the sun.

At the ETH Industry Day 2022, you can discover novel research close-up and meet the corresponding scientists. One of them is Tom Kober – he investigates how the industrial and energy sectors could achieve carbon neutrality.

Touchdown, park, hook up, unload, clean, refuel, load, and depart – every minute counts when it comes to aeroplane turnarounds. ETH Spin-off Assaia’s technology revolutionises the workflow on the tarmac to make it more efficient, safer, and sustainable.

At the ETH Industry Day, you can discover novel research close up and meet the scientists. One of them is Eva Meemken - she investigates sustainability standards and how development goals along agri-food chains could be monitored.

How can new research approaches for real-time monitoring of wind turbines be applied on globally distributed wind farms? Cloud computing company Adranis and monitoring provider Osmos Group are helping ETH Zurich to put research findings into practice. 

Weeds are traditionally killed either by using herbicides or by a combination of mechanical hoeing and manual weeding. The ETH weeding robot with integrated laser promises to save countless hours of manual labour as well as scalable organic farming without chemicals.

Big Data applications require high computing performance while consuming as little power as possible. Current computer systems are reaching their limits in both areas. Professor Onur Mutlu is working on alternative systems and has just received the Intel 2021 Outstanding Researcher Award for his work.

Combining the recycling of precious raw materials from demolition concrete with the storage of CO2? This promising technology has been developed at ETH Zurich and is now being commercialized by Neustark and tested at JURA CEMENT.

ETH start-up Groam intends to replace conventional plastic foams with sustainable, biodegradable variants. Groam’s foam technologies are based on biomass from agricultural waste streams and are currently being tested in vertical farming.

Variety is what makes food enjoyable. ETH Spin-off Planted joined forces with the ETH Product Development Group to customise the extrusion process of plant-based meat by using additive manufacturing.

Load-bearing, lightweight and now also recyclable: researchers led by Professor Paolo Ermanni were presented with the Spark Award in recognition of an innovative process for production of sustainable composite materials. ETH Zurich awarded the prize to their promising invention, with this year marking the tenth time the award has been given.

Clean water is very valuable and – in many parts of the world – an increasingly rare commodity. The ETH spin-off Oxyle AG provides a novel wastewater-treatment-system that eliminates persistent and toxic organic micro pollutants.

Photovoltaic systems enable the generation of own-source electricity. ETH spin-off Exnaton developed a software to create local energy communities to realise neighbourhood-based trading of renewable energy.

With a view to optimising the ecological footprint of herbal extracts used in the production of sweets, Ricola decided to send its employee Andrea Mannhart on a sabbatical to ETH Zurich. What insights did she gain from this further education programme for the industry?

Can a group of electricity companies join forces to reduce the environmental impact of our electricity grid? Christian Lindner from Axpo and Prof. Christian Franck give insight into this pioneering project.

In many countries, there is a lack of affordable medical devices. ETH researchers apply new design methods to tackle this challenge and invented a low-cost ventilator for COVID patients.

Engineering education makes a difference to industry and society, as the history of Switzerland and ETH Zurich shows. Following this creed, a new Master Programme in Engineering at Ashesi University in Ghana will promote the training of highly skilled engineers to support sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa. We take a closer look at what is on offer for stakeholders.

Detecting nanoparticles in the environment is a challenging task. The Swiss company Tofwerk and ETH Zurich participate in the large EU funded project ACEnano. Dr. Martin Tanner (Tofwerk) and Dr. Bodo Hattendorf (Prof. Detlef Günther's Group) talk about their experiences and achievements.

In the "Quartierstrom" project, ETH Zurich has joined forces with partner companies and universities to conduct field trials on a local electricity market for the first time. Christian Dürr from the Wasser- und Elektrizitätswerk Walenstadt (WEW) shares his experience as an SME in this project.

ETH spin-off dimpora produces sustainable membranes for outdoor clothing that do not pollute nature. Studies have revealed that toxic membrane residues are not just found in remote lakes or mountains, but also in the blood of wild animals such as polar bears.

In the pursuit of a positive CO2 balance, companies are striving to procure raw materials from sustainable sources. Yet, how can food companies ensure that deforestation in the areas of cultivation is avoided? ETH researchers are developing a global tool that all companies can use.

Global agriculture today consumes 40% of the total land area and 70% of the fresh water reserves to feed the earth’s 8 billion people.  This is neither sustainable nor efficient – especially given the steady growth of the earth’s population. ETH spin-off Yasai invented Integrated Vertical Farming to provide food for everyone without destroying the earth’s precious resources.