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CS 2009 "Energy (CO2) strategies of small communities and small & medium enterprises (SMEs)"

Urnaesch AR

The case study 2009 was organized in the context of the CCES project ClimPol (Climate Policy Design for Enhanced Technological Innovation). In the ClimPol project 10 professors, 7 senior researchers, 4 post docs and 15 PhD students from various disciplines are taking part. This 4-year project started in the beginning of 2008 and is now getting into its research core phase. ClimPol tries to bridge the gap between the availability and the implementation of technologies and institutions which could reduce or mitigate climate change problems. ClimPol will assess the implementation barriers and suggest the design of climate policies that are sustainable in spite of huge uncertainties and irreversibilities.

The Transdisciplinary Case Study (Td CS) was the first overarching attempt to integrate different ClimPol modules. Three out of eleven modules were participating in the 2009 case study:

One of each PhD students of these modules was participating in the Td CS as tutor and worked on a specific research topic with one group of students.

Enlarged view: ClimPol Clusters

Integration of different ClimPol modules

We assume that

  • Energy production and usage is central in mitigation and adaptation to climate change
  • Small communities' and SMEs' electricity/fuel supply will be the first which will be switched off in case of a shortage in supply
  • Energy becomes an increasingly interesting "product" of small remote communities and SMEs

Study area

The village of Urnäsch (Canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden) as a primary study area was chosen because

  • it had been a partner of the Td CS before and was very interested to collaborate again
  • it is a highly developed community which has the vision to link tradition and modernity

From a ClimPol perspective this case study is perfectly fulfilling ClimPol's aims as all aspects which will be tackled on a larger scale in the project, was also be tackled in the Td CS but on a smaller scale.

Guiding questions

  • Does Urnäsch need an energy strategy?
  • How can Urnäsch deal with the challenges of energy security and climate change?
  • What is the role of energy efficiency improvement; and solar-, wind-energy, hydropower, biomass, natural gas, etc.?

Project groups

  • Lasse Wallquist (CB-Module B1): Development and public perception of energy strategies for Urnäsch
  • Evelina Trutnevyte (NSSI-Module B2): Development and multi-criteria assessment of energy strategies for Urnäsch
  • Holger Hendrichs (SusTec-Module D1): Barriers for carbon projects within SMEs in Urnäsch/Appenzell Ausserrhoden

People

  • Headship: Prof. Dr. Roland W. Scholz (overall responsibility), Dr. Michael Stauffacher & Catharina Bening (overall management, coordination, responsibility for teaching)
  • Supervision: Prof. Michael Siegrist, Prof. Volker Hoffmann, Dr. Vivianne Visschers, Dr. Timo Busch
  • PhD students
    Evelina Trutnevyte, Lasse Wallquist & Holger Hendrichs (Tutors for each group)
  • Transdisciplinarity Board: Stefan Frischknecht (Mayor of Urnäsch, AR, Switzerland); Hans Bruderer (Head department for Environment & Energy, Canton AR); Dölf Biasotto, (consultant, Urnäsch); Bruno Eigenmann (president organization Energie AR); N.N.
  • Students (19 MSc students from different ETH Master Programms, mainly from the HES (Human-Environment Systems) major in the MSc Environmental Sciences): Korintha Bärtsch (MSc Human-Environment Systems-HES); Lis Cloos (HES); Fernando De Samaniego Steta (MSc Energy Science and Technology-MEST); Martin Hitziger (HES); Miriam Kittinger (HES); Pascal Mages (HES); Madis Org (MSc Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems); Dominik Ruprecht (HES); Gina Santos Naranjo (HES); Matthias Schlegel (HES); Tim Schlöndorn (HES); Simón Schwarz (HES); Pascal Steingruber (HES); Agnes Szintai-Katona (HES); Joschka Thilo (MEST); Criss Uudam (MEST); Manohar Velpuri (MSc Management, Technology, and Economics); Raffaele Vignola (PhD NSSI); Annina Vinzens (HES)
  • International Partners: University of Graz-Institute of Systems Sciences, Innovation and Sustainability Research (Prof. A. Posch, Dr. G. Steiner), University of Graz-Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (C. Mader, A. Roch)

Products

Brochure (in German)

  • Cloos L, Trutnevyte E, Bening C, Hendrichs H, Wallquist L, Stauffacher M & Scholz RW (2010): Energiestrategien kleiner Gemeinden und kleiner und mittlerer Unternehmen. Der Fall Urnäsch im Kanton Appenzell Ausserrhoden. ETH-UNS Fallstudie 2009. Zürich: TdLab. DownloadDownload (PDF, 1 MB)

Media articles (in German)

Further articles

Scientific articles

  • Hendrichs, H. (2010). Klimastrategien für Schweizer kleine und mittlere Unternehmen – Strategieentwicklung, Barrieren und Umsetzung. Dissertation. Zürich: ETH Zürich
  • Trutnevyte, E., Stauffacher, M., Scholz, R. W. (2012). Linking stakeholder visions with resource allocation scenarios and multi-criteria assessment. European Journal of Operational Research. 219: 762–772. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2012.01.009
  • Trutnevyte, E., Stauffacher, M. (2012). Opening up to a critical review of ambitious energy goals: Perspectives of academics and practitioners in a rural Swiss community. Environmental Development. 2:101–116. DOI 10.1016/j.envdev.2012.01.001
  • Trutnevyte E., Stauffacher M. & Scholz R. W. (2011). Supporting energy initiatives in small communities by linking visions with energy scenarios and multi-criteria assessment. Energy Policy 39: 7884–7895. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2011.09.038
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