CSEM

The result of a public-private partnership, CSEM is a cutting-edge research and development centre for Swiss technological innovation. Creating a gateway from science to the economy, this organisation operates in a number of fields including renewable energy, in collaboration with EPFL, the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. In the Sustainable Energy Unit, directed by Professor Christophe Ballif, an international team of more than 80 scientists and industry professionals work to foster innovation and promote technology transfer in photovoltaic power, energy storage and the management and digitalisation of energy systems. “We work all along the value chain, from pre-series production to consultancy, with a focus on deep tech,” says Christophe Ballif. Opened in 2013, CSEM’s Sustainable Energy Unit is steadily growing and going from strength to strength, with a turnover of some CHF 18 million a year.

To offer a full range of services, CSEM has its own prototyping, manufacturing, assembly and demonstration infrastructures. “Most of our projects relate to technological developments, in partnership with around 40 companies, including Meyer Burger, 3S Swiss Solar Solutions, Solaxess, Tissot, BKW, Viteos, Homsphere, Soleco, Swiss Airtainer, and even CNES, France’s national space agency,” says Christophe Ballif. CSEM’s laboratories have produced some particularly innovative solar technology prototypes, including white solar modules that can be incorporated into building façades, terracotta-coloured solar roofs and lightweight photovoltaic products for a wide range of mobility applications (including in stratospheric balloons). CSEM has also developed innovative new cells for solar watches and the Internet of Things.

In energy systems, CSEM’s focus is on optimising the management, storage and integration of renewable energies. Among other things, the organisation uses AI for much more reliable prediction of renewable energy production and for predictive maintenance of large solar farms, wind farms and photovoltaic power plants – and even cooling systems. The software developed at CSEM can be used in managing electric vehicles, heat pumps and renewable energy sources at every level from individual dwellings to an entire district.

The organisation is also active in batteries and battery systems, stepping up this side of its activity in 2023 with the opening of the CSEM Battery Innovation Hub (BIH). Its multidisciplinary team works on the entire value chain of the batteries of the future, developing more advanced and safer technologies with a lower environmental impact. These include solid batteries that are easy to recycle and electronic management solutions designed to improve performance and extend the lifespan of complete systems and to facilitate second-life use – advances that are benefiting Switzerland’s growing electrochemical storage ecosystem.