---
title: Empowering Energy Communities - Developing Methodologies and Tools for Synergies within Swiss Communes
categories:

  - Master Thesis
  - Semester Project
  - Energy System Modeling
  - Local Energy Communities
  - Renewable Energy Law
  - GIS Interface Development
  - Energy Optimization
  - Sustainable Energy Transition
---


![Vignoble et ville de Sion, bisse de Clavau ©Valais/Wallis Promotion - Pascal Gertschen](figures/sion.png)

### What?

Master Thesis or Semester Project

### Where?

IPESE Lab, EPFL Valais Campus (Sion), with possibilities for partial remote work. High-frequency exchanges within a dynamic research community.

### When?

Flexible start and end dates according to personal preference—mutually agreeable scheduling.

### Context

Be part of a transformative journey that empowers communities to take control of their energy future!

Imagine a Switzerland where neighbors collaborate to produce, share, and optimize energy usage, leading to reduced costs, enhanced sustainability, and strengthened community ties. The recent amendment to the Swiss Energy Law (Bundesgesetz über eine sichere Stromversorgung mit erneuerbaren Energien: Änderung der Stromversorgungsverordnung) has turned this vision into a tangible reality by enabling the formation of local energy communities.

This legal framework unlocks unprecedented opportunities for actors within the same commune to engage in energy trading and sharing. It paves the way for innovative business models, decentralized energy systems, and a more resilient energy grid. However, seizing this opportunity requires new tools, methodologies, and insights to navigate the complexities of energy demands, supply potentials, and regulatory landscapes.

This is where your project makes a difference.

Leveraging the advanced energy system model EnergyScope and REHO, which expertly balances resources and demands by optimizing installed technologies, you will spearhead an initiative to:

  - Innovate KPIs: Develop key performance indicators that accurately evaluate potential synergies and performance within local energy communities.
  - Map Community Actors: Create a robust methodology to identify and analyze actors within communes, uncovering optimal pathways for energy exchange and collaboration.
  - Design an Interactive Tool: Build a user-friendly, web-based GIS interface that visualizes potential energy partnerships, making complex data accessible and actionable.
  - Scale Nationwide: Apply and adapt your methodology across Switzerland, crafting a comprehensive tool that guides stakeholders—from investors and DSOs to private citizens and policymakers—in making informed decisions and fostering sustainable energy practices.

By integrating real-time electricity pricing and directly addressing challenges posed by the new energy law, your work will empower communities to harness the full potential of local energy collaborations. You will play a pivotal role in accelerating Switzerland’s energy transition, transforming legislative possibilities into practical, impactful solutions.

### Skills and Background

  - Strong understanding of energy system modeling (e.g., courses like Modeling and Optimization of Energy Systems).
  - Knowledge of energy conversion processes.
  - Proficiency or keen interest in coding (Python preferred).
  - Interest in GIS and web-based interface development.
  - Understanding of energy policy and regulations, particularly the Swiss Energy Law.
  - Analytical skills for data collection, integration, and scenario analysis.
  - Interdisciplinary mindset to integrate technical, environmental, and socio-economic aspects.

### Objectives

  - Develop KPIs for Local Energy Communities:
  - Identify and formulate KPIs to evaluate the potential synergies and performance of energy collaborations within communes.
  - Methodology Definition:
  - Define a systematic approach to identify actors within a commune, including households, businesses, and public institutions.
  - Assess the potential for energy selling/buying between these actors based on demand profiles, generation capacities, and regulatory frameworks.
  - Interface Development:
  - Develop a user-friendly, web-based GIS tool to visualize potential energy partnerships within a commune.
  - Integrate real-time data and electricity price information to facilitate decision-making.
  - Implementation and Application:
  - Apply the methodology to the entire Swiss context, creating a scalable tool usable by various stakeholders.
  - Validate the tool through case studies and collaborations with specific communes or DSOs.
  - Exploratory Analysis:
  - Investigate optimal ways of collaboration under the new energy law, considering legal, technical, and economic factors.
  - Address potential applications and questions arising from the new law, such as contractual arrangements, grid impact, and regulatory compliance.
  - Guidance for Stakeholders:
  - Provide insights and recommendations for investors, DSOs, private individuals, and policymakers on leveraging the new energy law.
  - Highlight opportunities and risks associated with local energy communities to inform strategic planning and investments.

### Contacts

  - [Jonas Schnidrig](jonas.schnidrig@epfl.ch)
  - [Arthur Chuat](arthur.chuat@epfl.ch)
  - [François Maréchal](francois.marechal@epfl.ch)
  - [Manuele Margni](manuele.margni@hevs.ch)

### Additional Information

For further reading and context, consider exploring the following references:

  - https://doi.org/10.5075/epfl-thesis-11101
  - https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/7/1718#
  - https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2023.1164813
  - https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2024.1433921
  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122537

Join us in shaping the future of Switzerland’s energy landscape. Your contribution will not only advance academic and technical frontiers but will also have a lasting impact on communities nationwide. Be a catalyst for sustainable change, and help turn the promise of local energy communities into a dynamic, functioning reality.

