On January 8, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy awarded the Watt d’Or 2026, Switzerland’s prestigious energy prize. Among the four winners was Endigo Holding AG from Fiesch, which received an award in the “Renewable Energy” category for its photovoltaic installation integrated into alpine facades. The start-up Divea, based in Sion, and GRZ Technologies from the canton of Vaud, were also indirectly recognized for their contribution to Gaznat’s Innovation Lab, which tests and brings to commercial maturity technologies for sector coupling, decarbonization, and seasonal storage.
Located at an altitude of over 1,000 meters in the Goms Valley, the new headquarters of endigo Holding AG is a remarkable innovation in a region where energy production is primarily hydroelectric. Cette construction légère en bois, avec sa façade à lamelles verticales, symbolise les valeurs du groupe : ancrage régional, proximité de la nature, compétences techniques et orientation vers l’avenir.
A unique architectural project
The endigo group, founded in early 2024, comprises six companies that operate hydroelectric power plants in the region, ensure energy supply, and provide services in the field of energy and facilities. “From the moment the building was designed, we felt it was essential to combine energy production with aesthetics,” explains Damian Zumstein, CEO of endigo. “If the region’s energy supplier doesn’t do it, who will?”
The vertical slats surrounding the facades are made of specially manufactured aluminum profiles. Those on the south and west facades incorporate photovoltaic modules, while the others are covered with solid larch panels. This facade cladding blends elegantly into the alpine environment while providing visual protection and mitigating the building’s heat gain in summer.
Energy production: beyond self-sufficiency
Together, the solar facades and roof offer a maximum power output of 73 kWp, with an annual production of around 90,000 kWh. Heating is provided by a heat pump with geothermal probes. “Our initial experiences with the system as a whole have been extremely positive. We produce twice as much energy as we consume, which means that we are not only self-sufficient, but can also feed electricity back into the regional grid,” says Damian Zumstein. In February 2025, the group’s approximately 50 employees were able to move into the new building in Fiesch.
Expertise to share
“Experience with alpine photovoltaic installations on facades is still limited,” explains Damian Zumstein. “Our project is therefore teaching us a lot, and we are keen to share this knowledge.” This desire to pass on knowledge is one of the major strengths of the project, which could inspire other similar projects in alpine regions.
Gaznat Innovation Lab, with expertise from Valais
At its site in Aigle, Gaznat has set up a laboratory for innovation that is unique in Switzerland, testing new technologies for sector coupling, decarbonization, and seasonal storage on an industrial scale. This project, which also won a Watt d’Or award, bridges the gap between industry, start-ups, and EPFL.
Among the promising technologies tested in this laboratory, CO2 capture stands out in particular. It is carried out using ultra-thin graphene membranes perforated with nanopores that only allow CO2 to pass through, with a purity level of over 90%. This innovation is the result of work carried out by a chair funded by Gaznat at EPFL Valais and Divea, an EPFL spin-off based in Valais and supported in its development by The Ark Foundation. The methanation reactor, developed jointly by GRZ-Technologies (a start-up based in Vaud), Gaznat, and EPFL Valais, enables the almost complete conversion of CO2 into synthetic methane, with a yield far superior to existing commercial catalysts.
The Watt d’Or, a label of excellence that is bowing out
Created in 2007 by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, the Watt d’Or has been recognizing exemplary achievements in the field of energy for nineteen years. The aim of this award is to raise awareness of outstanding achievements and encourage the business and political communities, as well as the general public, to discover the benefits of promising energy technologies. The 2026 edition marks the last time this prestigious award will be presented.
For this final edition, no fewer than 55 entries were submitted by mid-July 2025. A committee of experts selected 17 for the final round, before a jury chaired by National Councilor Susanne Vincenz-Stauffacher chose the winners in four categories.
In addition to endigo Holding AG and Gaznat, two other winners were honored at the ceremony at the Kursaal Congress Center in Bern: Rigitrac Traktorenbau AG from Küssnacht am Rigi (SZ) in the “Energy-Efficient Mobility” category, and the housing cooperative “mehr als wohnen ,“ Lemon Consult AG, and the Low-Tech Lab in Zurich in the ”Buildings and Space” category.
Further information: www.endigo.ch
Source: press release and documentation from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy
