Sabrina BenGhida

Policy instability and regulatory barriers remain key obstacles to the long-term viability of agriphotovoltaics (APV) deployment. The Penthéréaz case in Switzerland provides empirical evidence of how cooperative governance and collective self-consumption can restore project feasibility after subsidy withdrawal. Using a single-case study and process-tracing approach based on cooperative documentation and regulatory records, the analysis explains how Penthéréaz Énergie Photovoltaïque S.A. cooperative (PEP)., initially structured as a subsidy-dependent venture, transitioned into a resilient collective self-consumption network supported by a private micro-grid. Following the withdrawal of federal feed-in tariffs, the project faced major economic risk and responded through decentralized financial restructuring, including community-funded debt at a 2% interest rate. The installation comprises 1180 photovoltaic panels with an installed capacity of 283 kWp, producing approximately 290,000 kWh per year while providing water-tightness and light permeability for agricultural infrastructure. The findings further indicate that operational success contributed to Swiss regulatory adjustments, enabling private distribution networks to cross public roads and secure geographic continuity for local energy sharing. With a reported self-consumption rate of 40% across a diversified user base including agri-food and residential consumers, the case demonstrates the operational value of local load-matching. The findings propose six context-dependent lessons derived from a single case, emphasizing governance capacity, tariff risk management, regulatory adaptability, and demand-oriented system design.

Nanotechnology is reshaping the built environment by enabling the development of materials that improve structural performance, energy efficiency, durability, and environmental quality. This paper reviews nano-enabled construction materials through a micro–meso–macro lens, linking material mechanisms to building behavior and urban impacts. It highlights both their potential contributions to decarbonization, public health, and urban resilience, and the parallel challenges of energy-intensive production, uncertain toxicological profiles, and regulatory gaps. Finally, it argues for responsible integration based on life-cycle thinking, precautionary risk governance, and updated architectural and engineering education so that nano-enabled innovation supports truly sustainable, equitable cities rather than new forms of hidden risk.

This paper reconstructs mykoholz, a mid-20th-century East German, white-rot–mediated bio-modification of solid hardwood, as a missing link in fungal materials engineering. From patents, factory records, declassified reports, and recent literature, we recover process parameters (end-grain inoculation; 3-4 mo incubation in controlled vaults; staged drying/impregnation) and performance outcomes (75-90% density reduction, high porosity, stress relief) enabling uses from pencils to glass-molding and acoustic parts. We benchmark mykoholz against modern mycelium-based composites (MBCs) across substrate, process control, mechanics, energy, scalability, and environmental profile, showing complementarity: mykoholz reconfigures solid wood in situ, whereas MBCs grow moldable composites from lignocellulosic waste. We trace the 1965 industrial decline to quality variance and insufficient climate control, and show how AI-assisted bioprocessing, climate-controlled incubation, and selective delignification could resolve these limits. We propose hybrid fungal systems, and a research agenda covering standardized replication, LCA, acoustic/thermal benchmarks, and pilot-scale automation, positioning mykoholz as low-energy circular bioengineering with actionable principles for scalable, eco-compatible materials.