Home > Reviews > 2018 > Workshops

Programme & Workshops 2018

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Pre-Conference Session:
The Push for Electric Mobility in Asia - Business Opportunities for Swiss SMEs

  • Prof. Dr. Roger Moser, Director, ACC-HSG, University of St.Gallen (Moderator)
  • Dr. Pankaj Agarwal, CEO, Panitek Power AG
  • Prof. Dr. Tomas Casas-i-Klett, Director China Competence Center, University of St.Gallen
  • Wei Chuen CHUA, Regional Vice President Europe, Singapore Economic Development Board
  • Florian Kind, Project Manager, Panitek Power AG
  • Prof. Dr. Markus Prandini, Head Competence Center Asia Business, Deputy Head International Management Institute, ZHAW School of Management and Law​
  • Abhishek Raju, India Representative & Serial Entrepreneur, ACC-HSG
  • Sean See Tho, Regional Director Europe, Singapore Economic Development Board

E-mobility, car-sharing and autonomous driving are slowly but surely paving their way into the mainstream mobility & transportation sector. However, unlike in the age of the combustion engine, it is not Europe that might lead the way into the future but Asia – especially China, Singapore and increasingly India. Participants in this workshop can expect three major benefits:

  • Insights from e-mobility & transportation (infrastructure) experts & practitioners from Asia.
  • Possibility to participate in a pre-workshop Expert (Delphi) Panel offering you an anonymous, online opinion benchmarking opportunity about policy, societal and technological developments in the e-mobility & transportation sector in Asia.
  • Creating your own insights about potential strategies in the e-mobility & transportation sector in Asia through a scenario development exercise during the workshop.

The workshop results in specific insights about e-mobility in Asia and allows peer-to-peer discussions.

Workshop 1 - The Convergence of Electric Mobility and Power Markets: V2G Business Models

  • Dr. Emmanuelle Reuter, University of St.Gallen (workshop leader)
  • Merla Kubli, ZHAW & University of St.Gallen (workshop leader)
  • Alexandra Asfour, Head e-mobility, SAK AG
  • Peter Majer, Innovationsmanager, badenova AG & Co. KG
  • Marcel Morf, Head Innovative Energy Solutions, Alpiq AG

Forecasts predict a considerable growth of electric mobility for Europe. With the electric charging of vehicles, the mobility and power sector, two previously relatively independent sectors, move closer together. New business opportunities emerge at this intersection, but also challenges arise. Solutions center around dynamic charging management of vehicles, vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-home concepts. Overall, it appears that there is a large potential for new ways of value creation between the mobility and electricity sectors. On the other side, given the multitude of players involved, coordination is key to secure grid stability and customer value for EV drivers. In this workshop, participants will learn about and discuss different business models at the intersection of electric mobility and the electricity system. Based on the inputs of experts, the participants will develop specific ideas for value creation and capture and discuss drivers and barriers.

 

Workshop 2 - NUDGING Consumers towards Electric Mobility

  • Dr. Karoline Gamma, University of St. Gallen (workshop leader)
  • Jana Plananska, University of St. Gallen (workshop leader)
  • Maurice Codourey, Strategy Advisor in Healthcare and Expert Neurocommunications
  • Dr. Ulf Hahnel, Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, CH
  • Dr. Julia Hildermeier, Clean Vehicles and Emobility Officer, European Federation for Transport and Environment, BE

In this workshop we will present and discuss low-invasive interventions (nudges) to promote electric mobility. Recent examples employed in the industry, insights from psychology and behavioral economics as well as expertise from a behavioral insights team will be presented. Based on this discussion workshop participants will gain insights on how practitioners (private industry & policy makers) can use these nudges to motivate consumers to shift their preferences towards electric mobility. Further, this workshop will introduce a recently started 3-year research project in which two Swiss Universities will work on identifying and testing the promising nudges to promote efficient car purchases.

 

Workshop 3 - Community Solar as a Business Opportunity for Municipal Utilities: Best Practices in Product Design and Communication (in German)

  • Alexander Stauch, University of St.Gallen (workshop leader)
  • Christian E. Favre, Project- and Portfolio Manager, Projekt Miinstrom, Regional Werke AG Baden, CH
  • Peter Graf, Head Energy and Marketing, St. Galler Stadtwerke, CH

The aim of this workshop is to introduce the concept of community shared solar and to elaborate solutions in product designs and promotion strategies. In the first part of the workshop, results from recent research and project managers’ key learnings for a successful product launch in the field of community solar will be presented. The second part will be an interactive group work. Groups will be challenged with case-based tasks to design and promote a community solar product. They will be supported by experienced product managers. After the case elaboration, group presentations and discussions with the audience will follow. At the end of this workshop, participants will have knowledge about the concept of community shared solar, possibilities and challenges when it comes to product design and its implementation, and important marketing aspects for a successful promotion.

 

Workshop 4 - Electrifying Corporate Fleets: Scaling Up Low-carbon Transport in a B2B Context (in German)

  • Pascal Vuichard, University of St.Gallen (workshop leader)
  • Marco Reber, CEO, Post Company Cars AG
  • Beat Stemmler, Head Excellence Center Sustainability & Energy, ISS Facility Services AG

In Switzerland, only 1% of new cars in 2016 were powered exclusively by electricity. Considering that the mobility sector is responsible for 38% of the Swiss CO2-emissions, the share of electric cars is very low. Electric mobility is the most promising measure to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the mobility sector: Pollutants and CO2 emissions during travel are completely eliminated, and the significantly higher efficiency of electric drives reduces the total energy consumption of road traffic. The Swiss government expects that electric cars will account for 30 to 40% of the total vehicle fleet in 2050. A significant step forward could be electrification of corporate fleets. What roles do car dealers and local authorities play? With input from industry and regulators, this workshop will explore the most important levers in an interactive group work.

 

Workshop 5 - How to Sustain Social Acceptance of Wind Energy? Best Practices in Participatory Project Development

  • Nathalie Dällenbach, University of St.Gallen (workshop leader)
  • Dr. Bettina Knothe, Head of Department of Conflict Consulting, The Competence Centre for Nature Conservation and Energy Transition, DE
  • Dr. Stefan Rieder & Chantal Strotz, Interface, CH
  • Dr. Chad Walker, Dept. of Geography and Planning, Queen's University, Ontario, CA

Social acceptance is a central building block for the success of decentralized energy systems. However, wind energy projects repeatedly face opposition at the local level. Identifying the underlying cause for lacking support is often not straightforward. Project developers need to deal with complex and sometimes emotionally loaded planning phases. In this workshop, we intend to identify what it takes to sustain community acceptance of wind projects in different country-specific contexts at project management level. The workshop includes three steps: First, leading experts will share their insights on recent developments in two international wind energy markets. Second, two contrasting experiences of specific Swiss wind projects will be presented. One is a rather smooth project development experience, the second a more conflict-ridden example. Third, based on the learnings from the two cases, participants will discuss stakeholder management strategies aiming at sustaining local acceptance.

 

Workshop 6 - Blockchain: Turning Digital Disruption into Profitable Business Models

  • Prof. Dr. Moritz Loock, University of St.Gallen (workshop leader)
  • Julia Cousse, University of St.Gallen (workshop leader)
  • Geneviève Bubel, Project Manager Business Development M&A and Innovation, EWZ, CH
  • Julien Gil, Project Engineer, Sunchain, FR
  • Olaf Stehr, IT Architect, Axpo Trading AG, CH

Blockchain is a buzzword that is of increasing interest to the energy industry. But how is this technology interesting for business model innovation in the energy sector? What novel value does it offer to customers? How can it be used to solve the energy transition and climate change challenges? To address these questions, the workshop will be organized as follows: First, the participants will be introduced to the technology, its risks and opportunities. Second, they will get insights on one project that makes use of a blockchain-based peer-to-peer platform for the marketing of electricity between decentralized renewable energy producers and consumers. Third, participants will hear about another project which offers the opportunity to use solar energy away from the production plant, thanks to blockchain technologies. Finally, the workshop participants will explore the application of blockchain for business model innovation in the energy domain.