24. brenet Status-Seminar
From Consumer to Prosumer – How Buildings Shape Switzerland’s Energy System
August 20, 2026
Rotkreuz (LU)
The energy system is facing major challenges: rising electricity demand and the need to achieve climate neutrality. How can buildings become active components of the energy system – economically and at scale?
Rising electricity demand, new regulatory requirements and the pressure to decarbonise are fundamentally changing the role of buildings. They are becoming energy producers, storage units and controllable systems.
How can this potential be realised in practice – and which solutions are currently emerging in applied research in Switzerland?
With the revision of the Electricity Act and the introduction of local electricity communities (LEC), the Swiss energy system is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Buildings will increasingly be able to actively participate in and shape the energy system.
The brenet Status Seminar brings together the key stakeholders: municipalities, energy providers, industry, building owners, planners, as well as leading experts in applied research.
The focus is on current projects from applied research across Switzerland and initial insights from practice – including publicly funded projects supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE).
Key questions include:
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Which solutions and tools are currently emerging in applied research?
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How can buildings be integrated into energy systems and grids?
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What role do control systems, storage and local energy communities play?
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How can the building stock actively contribute to system stability and the achievement of net zero?
Participants gain insights into new approaches, discuss their own challenges and take away concrete impulses – for implementation in their own building or district portfolios, or for the development of market-ready solutions.
Gain exclusive insights into new methods, prototypes, and market-ready solutions from applied research.
Discuss your questions with experts and connect with future partners and project collaborators.
Shape the next step in innovation for your organization.
Planned program:
09:00 – 09:15 Welcome
09:15 – 09:40 Keynote 1
Electricity Grids and Buildings: Are Their Developments Keeping Pace?
Lukas Küng
CEO at Primeo Netz AG | LinkedIn
What will the energy system of the future look like – how much energy will buildings consume and produce, and at what times? What must the power grid supply or absorb? How will data centers, district heating networks, distribution hubs with charging stations, large-scale batteries, and similar infrastructures influence individual buildings and distribution grids? Is there an economically optimal solution at the macroeconomic level?
09:40 – 10:05 Keynote 2
SmartGridready – Solutions for a Flexible Energy System
Maike Schubert
Consultant at Weisskopf Partner GmbH (LinkedIn)
For buildings to actively participate in the energy system, communication must be ensured and control systems must function reliably. The “SmartGridready” association develops the foundation for flexible communication between buildings, systems, and grids through cross-industry collaboration. This keynote highlights the challenges and solution approaches in the interaction between power grids and building energy systems.
10:05 – 10:35 Coffee break
10:35 – 11:55 Keynote 3
Building Automation and Sector Coupling – How Prosumer Buildings Optimize Energy Flows
10:55 – 11:15 Industry & Practice Input 1
11:15 – 11:35 Research Presentation 1
11:35 – 11:55 Industry & Practice Input 2
11:55 – 13:10 Lunch
13:10 – 14:25 Research Pitches
14:25 – 14:45 Research Presentation 2
14:45 – 15:05 Research Presentation 3
15:05 – 15:35 Coffee break
15:35 – 16:20 Collaboration Forums
16:20 – 16:45 Best Practice Input
Lighthouse Projects in Energy Networks
Innovation in energy systems rarely happens in isolation. It emerges through collaboration between research, the public sector, and private stakeholders. This session presents concrete projects that demonstrate how new solutions in buildings, energy, and flexibility can be jointly developed and implemented.
16:45 – 17:00 Synthesis, Closing Remarks & Acknowledgements
from 17:00 Networking Apéro
The brenet Status-Seminar is
organized by
Partners
The brenet Status-Seminar is
supported by
Communications Partners
brenet – von der angewandten Forschung in die Praxis
brenet – from applied research to practice
brenet is the network of Swiss universities dedicated to accelerating the transfer of applied research into practice on the path towards net zero – with a focus on sustainable construction, renewable energy and building technologies.
brenet provides a nationwide network and the organisational framework to advance the transfer of applied research into practice. Through exchange formats, knowledge consolidation and the facilitation of concrete points of collaboration, we support our member institutes and industry stakeholders in jointly developing and implementing scalable solutions for the transition to net zero.
Currently, eight Swiss university institutes are members of brenet. brenet is an association in accordance with Art. 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code and was founded in 2002.
