Please briefly describe the energy supplier Yverdon-les-Bains Énergies. How many customers do you serve with which products?
Yverdon Énergies supplies 18’000 customers with electricity, gas, water, optical fibre and heat. The company is following a sustainability program based on political visions and energy strategy 2050 voted by the general public.
How do you see the future of natural gas in the Swiss energy mix?
Yverdon-les-Bains is a flat city without a dam and very poor hydropower products solutions. Even with photovoltaics programs or planned wind turbine farms, energy will still be provided through gas for decades. The biogas market will increase and we will develop power-to-gas solutions using electricity from wind turbines or photovoltaic systems.
Producing methane gas (CH₄) from water (H₂O) and local product carbonic gas (CO₂) will be our next challenge. This new product will be offered additionally to natural gas.
Why does Yverdon-les-Bains Energies offer climate neutral gas to its customers?
It is a matter of coherence with the political strategy of our city. The whole city of Yverdon-les-Bains is making an effort to be the cleanest possible in terms of energy. With our future and the future of our children in mind, no one in charge of a public department or service can offer a non-sustainable energy program.
Since 2017, you are working together with myclimate. Just recently, the collaboration was extended for another 3 years. Why did you chose myclimate as your partner?
In view of the various possibilities from which Yverdon Energie could choose to achieve its goals in terms of a sustainable policy, myclimate's programmes offer the best leverage for creating a cleaner future and minimising global warming. myclimate’s climate protection projects are efficient and strictly controlled, which is a warranty for our company and our customers. This way we can assure that the money is well invested in high-quality projects that we selected.
Yverdon-les-Bains is considered "City of Energy" since 2010 and with your Agenda 21 you have introduced an action programme to implement sustainable development into your corporation. Does this also influence your electricity and gas product portfolio and how?
The whole city administration is dedicated to sustainable development; it is a corporate way of working and thinking. For instance, when we think about increasing electric mobility, four departments – Mobility, Security, Agenda 21 and Yverdon Energies – are involved in the target of minimizing CO₂ production, using local power, and processing as a general citizen act.
Yverdon Energies has been working in partnership with myclimate since 2016 and offers its 18,000 customers climate-neutral natural gas. Pierre Dessemontet, Councillor Yverdon-les-Bains, stresses the leverage effect of local energy providers for the fight against climate change: “Being in charge of the utilities department of a mid-sized city, we are better placed than most to play our part in the struggle against climate change, as we are the main supplier of energy in our community. Thus, we can influence and promote cleaner sources of energy: electricity coming from hydro, wind or solar instead of coal-fired or nuclear; clean sources of heating energy, such as heat released from water treatment plants, or from local timber; and renewable gas whenever possible instead of fossil fuels. The utility department of any city should have a leading role in the fight against global warming.”
More Information about the products of Yverdon-Les-Bains Énergies in French: go to video