Turning scientific innovation into real-world energy solutions is one of the central challenges of the energy transition. SPIN member Gaznat has now received national recognition for successfully addressing this challenge: its Innovation Lab in Aigle (VD) has been awarded the Watt d’Or in the Energy Technologies category.
The award highlights the lab’s role as an industrial-scale demonstrator for Power-to-X, sector coupling, and seasonal energy storage — key building blocks for a resilient and climate-compatible energy system.
From research to industrial-scale application
Gaznat’s Innovation Lab functions as a control and monitoring center where new energy technologies are tested under real industrial operating conditions. The facility was designed as a bridge between science and practice, enabling close collaboration with research groups from EPFL as well as start-ups.
According to Gaznat, the objective is not laboratory experimentation alone, but the commercial maturation of technologies that are essential for integrating renewable electricity into the wider energy system — especially where direct electrification reaches its limits.
The GreenGas concept: Power-to-X in practice
At the core of the project is the GreenGas concept, which brings together all relevant Power-to-X technologies at a single site and connects them directly to the existing gas network.
The Innovation Lab consists of 12 container-based modules, six of which are dedicated to GreenGas technologies:
- Photovoltaic systems and energy monitoring
- Electrolysis (Power-to-Gas) converting renewable electricity into hydrogen
- Hydrogen storage using advanced metal hydride technology
- Combined heat and power (CHP) units
- Carbon capture based on graphene membrane technology
- Methanation reactors producing synthetic methane
This integrated setup demonstrates how electricity, gas, heat, and CO₂ management can be intelligently linked — a core principle of Power-to-X and sector coupling.
Advanced hydrogen storage, carbon capture, and methanation
Several technologies tested at the Innovation Lab go beyond today’s standard solutions:
- Hydrogen storage is based on metal hydride technology developed by GRZ-Technologies, an EPFL spin-off. Hydrogen is stored at low pressure by being absorbed into a metal structure, increasing safety and efficiency.
- Carbon capture uses ultra-thin graphene membranes with nanopores that selectively allow CO₂ to pass through. The captured CO₂ reaches a purity of over 90% and can be directly reused.
- Methanation converts hydrogen and captured CO₂ into synthetic methane using a high-performance catalyst developed at EPFL. Operating at temperature gradients of up to 800 °C, the fixed-bed reactor achieves conversion rates of around 99%, significantly outperforming many existing commercial catalysts.
Several of these technologies are already patent-protected, underlining their innovation potential.
Why this matters for Power-to-X and the energy transition
Power-to-X plays a crucial role wherever renewable electricity must be stored seasonally, transported over long distances, or used in industrial processes. By testing these solutions under industrial conditions and integrating them into an operational gas grid, Gaznat’s Innovation Lab provides valuable insights for Switzerland’s future energy system.
The project is supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, the Gas Research Fund (FOGA), and the Canton of Vaud, further emphasizing its national relevance.
For Gaznat, the Innovation Lab is also a strategic investment in the future. As CEO Gilles Verdan states, these technologies will enable the company to continue playing a significant role in the Swiss energy market as the system becomes increasingly renewable and interconnected.
About the Watt d’Or award
The Watt d’Or is Switzerland’s national award for excellence in the energy sector. Presented annually by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, it recognizes outstanding projects that demonstrate innovation, efficiency, and practical relevance for the energy transition.