Press release Powertage Powertage 2024

Powertage 2024: The industry event of the Swiss electricity industry has successfully drawn to a close

Another successful edition of Powertage in Zurich ended this past Thursday. From 4 to 6 June 2024, 150 exhibitors presented innovative solutions for the sustainable future of energy. Over 2'000 trade visitors utilised the industry platform to discuss current economic topics, discover trends and inno

Over 2000 trade visitors used the industry platform to discuss current business topics, discover trends and innovations and expand their network.

From 4 to 6 June 2024, the Swiss electricity industry came together for the tenth time at the Powertage held at Messe Zürich. 150 leading providers from various sectors of the electricity industry presented their products, technologies and services. Once again, over 2,000 industry participants met to benefit from top-tier presentations and practical best-practice sessions, and took advantage of numerous opportunities to share knowledge and experiences.

“This year’s Powertage once again demonstrated, to an impressive scale, that it is the central meeting place for the Swiss electricity industry. Combining an innovative exhibition with high-calibre expert presentations and intensive networking opportunities, it really is the ideal platform to help shape the future of the energy industry together,” says Corinne Thirion, Brand Director of Powertage. “The positive response received from over 2,000 trade visitors confirms the success of the event and encourages us to continue and further develop the event concept in the right direction.”

A Concentrated Dose – The Exchange of Experience, Knowledge and Innovation

This year's edition of the important industry platform for the Swiss electricity industry was centred around the key topic: transitioning to a sustainable energy system. The three Expert Forums with keynote speeches, panel discussions and showcase projects brought together experts to discuss current developments and promising projects for a sustainable energy supply.

VSE Expert Forum Focussing on Infrastructure and Efficiency

In his keynote speech, Konrad Zöschg, CTO of Swissgrid, presented projects that would enable the more efficient use of existing infrastructures through digitalisation and the clever application of artificial intelligence. In the subsequent panel discussion, the guests also focused on the future. The discussion, moderated by Rolf Schmid, revolved around the immediate future after the Electricity Act vote held on 9 June 2024, with Benoît Revaz, Director of BFE, calling on the industry to overtake the authorities in their regulatory efforts. This is in line with Michael Frank’s beliefs, Director of VSE, who would like to see a pragmatic interpretation of the Electricity Act at ordinance level. He is convinced that the industry is ready to face challenges and is working on realisable solutions. For Jan Flückiger, Secretary General of EnDK, it is clear that an important step has been taken with the Electricity Act, but that there’s still a long way to go, referring particularly to the existing potential in the building sector and the liberalisation of the market. In the subsequent best-practice session, Enerlytica, EKZ and Primeo Energie presented their tools and measures for efficiency – of course, in a practical manner.

Networking and Knowledge Transfer as the Success Factors for the Energy Transformation

Rudolf Meier (President of CIGRE CH, Managing Director of EnerTrans) took the stage to open the Expert Forum under the patronage of Electrosuisse with an inspiring keynote speech. He emphasised how crucial knowledge management and the active exchange of experience are for the energy transition. This was followed by three thrilling presentations on the most important trends. Steffen Lamparter (Siemens AG) explained the potential and risks of current AI technologies. Roger Wirth (Swissgrid) highlighted the urgency and need for new approaches in cyber security, so as to meet and do just to increasing digitalisation. Luc Tschumper (Swiss E-Mobility) made a bold prediction in saying that there will be two million electric vehicles on the road in Switzerland in the next 10 to 15 years and underpinned the urgency of adequate charging infrastructure, the integration of renewable energies and grid stability for a reliable energy supply. After the trade fair closed, Electrosuisse hosted the Power Party in line with tradition, which numerous representatives of the Swiss electricity industry utilised as an ideal networking platform.

Shaping the Transformation of the Energy System Together

The third trade fair day was an exciting one with transformation researcher Jörg Metelmann (University of St. Gallen) inspiring the audience as the keynote speaker with a different perspective on the energy transition: He showed the audience how the transformation can be understood as a cultural change and called on the industry to shape the future with positivity and to lead by example. The subsequent panel, chaired by moderator Jonas Projer, offered the audience a lively and controversial discussion. In addition to the moderator, the panel was blessed to welcome the following business representatives: Franziska Barmettler (Zurich Cantonal Councillor, Head of Sustainability at IKEA Switzerland and designated CEO of digitalswitzerland), Alexander Keberle (Executive Board member of economiesuisse) and Alena Weibel (Head of Corporate Communications at Axpo Holding). In the best-practice session after the break, the focus was on the key factors for the success of energy transformation projects: Robin Mutschler (EMPA) presented the “Net Zero Rhine Valley 2050” project, which highlighted the relevance of collaboration within the industry, as well as between energy companies and authorities. Gerhard Salge (Hitachi Energy) then emphasised the need for flexibility in all dimensions of the power supply as a success factor and presented three examples of this. The culmination – or dare we say the cherry on top – was offered by Roger Burkhart (Alpiq) who presented the high alpine PV project Gondosolar to the interested audience.

Outlook

The Powertage 2024 event has impressively demonstrated once again it is more than just a trade fair – it is the meeting place for anyone and everyone wanting to be a part of actively shaping the future of the energy sector. Both the large volume of participants and the initial positive feedback from those involved are proof of the success of the anniversary edition and send a strong message for the coming years. The next Powertage will take place in Zurich from Tuesday, 16 June to Thursday, 18 June 2026. In the meantime, the Powertage website will keep users up to date with specialist knowledge and innovations from various providers, and as always will continue to showcase what’s happening in the industry.

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MCH Group

The MCH Group has its headquarters in Basel and is an internationally operating experience marketing company with a comprehensive service network and an international range of experience marketing solutions. The Exhibitions & Events division organises some 170 guest events every year as well as 25 of its own events and trade fairs in Switzerland, including leading domestic platforms such as Swissbau, Igeho, and Giardina. With Messe Basel, the Congress Centre Basel, and Messe Zürich, MCH also operates Switzerland’s largest multifunctional event infrastructures in terms of surface area. The company employs over 800 permanent staff, roughly half of whom are based in Switzerland and the USA. For more information, please visit: http://www.mch-group.com

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