The contribution of photovoltaics to the electricity supply in Switzerland is set to increase dramatically. How this can be achieved was a key topic at this year's Swissolar photovoltaic conference.
The energy-efficient refurbishment of St Mary's Church in Mollis in the canton of Glarus has won the prestigious Norman Foster Solar Award 2023. The prize was awarded in Geneva in mid-February.
In future, agricultural land should be used more than once: In addition to harvesting fruit and vegetables, solar power will also be available in future. Two Swiss universities now want to promote this and have founded the Agrisolar Forum.
The Reglicontrol Logic software developed by Regli Energy Systems from Zurich ensures that the heating systems work very efficiently, according to the company. Novaair is Regli's best-selling heat pump.
Solitek has joined forces with Reech AG, a Swiss engineering and planning company, for the two projects in the Alps of Switzerland. One on the wall above a road and the other in St. Moritz.
The partners want to investigate how inductive charging lowers the barriers to switching to electromobility. The reliability of inductive charging systems will also be analysed.
The Bernese utility BKW is stepping up the expansion of solar energy: following the launch of the Belpmoossolar project, the Group is now presenting six Alpinsolar projects in its own canton. All of the planned plants will produce almost 100 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.
Following the commissioning of Switzerland's largest alpine solar plant to date in the municipality of Glarus Süd in August 2022, Axpo is now planning to build a ten-megawatt solar plant in the same region. The plant will supply particularly important winter electricity and also increase value creation in the municipality.
Back in September 2023, Axpo presented its plans for the construction of a 15-megawatt ground-mounted plant in Ilanz in the canton of Graubünden. The energy company is now planning a second ground-mounted plant in the municipality with a capacity of around 30 megawatts.
Energie 360 Grad will install solar panels on the roof and facade of its headquarters as planned. Due to a lack of in-depth knowledge about the fire risk, the Canton of Zurich building insurance company had not authorised photovoltaic systems on facades in the meantime. The company has now successfully provided a test certificate with its own tests.
A solar roof system with over 4,500 modules and two megawatts of output is being built on the roof of Stahl Gerlafingen's roller hall. The ADEV energy cooperative and the industrial company have already signed the utilisation contract, and construction will begin at the beginning of next year.
Photovoltaic systems in the Alps produce up to two times more solar power than generators in the lowlands. In winter, actually even more. But it depends on the system configuration.
The station offers eight very powerful charge points. It is located at the Büsisee Nord rest area on the A1, near Zurich. It is part of a tender in which 20 new stations are planned.
SIG has covered a cycle path in the canton of Geneva with a photovoltaic system. The 486 bicafial modules were integrated into an aesthetic substructure on a 200-metre section.
In the western cantons of Switzerland, DHP's solar folding roofs span all motorway service stations. This means that a solar output of 45 megawatts can be built up. The electricity is mainly used for electric mobility.
A foldable solar system for flat roofs could speed up installation. The Swiss company Smartvolt and licence partners offer the smart solar box in Switzerland and abroad. It arrives at the installation site pre-assembled, wired and ballasted on reusable plates.
The plans for the expansion of solar generators high up in the Alps are extensive. But which projects will actually be realised is far from certain.
Impressive figures were announced at the general assembly of Swissolar in Biel last week: in 2022, the addition of new capacity reached more than one gigawatt for the first time. New installations grew by more than 40 percent for the third year in a row.
The Swiss company Soleis presents the Minitower1 with one or two kilowatt hours: a storage unit that supplies night-time electricity from the balcony. The Minitower shown in the photo was installed as a retrofit package for a balcony solar system.
Axpo is to build its next alpine solar plant in the Disentis ski area in the Canton of Grisons. With an installed capacity of 10 MW, the ground-mounted plant will produce electricity right where it is needed.
DPD Switzerland not only wants to handle parcel collection and delivery with electric transporters. The company is also switching to emission-free drives for transport between depots and for long-distance transport.
Meyer Burger wants to further expand its position as a European manufacturer of solar cells and solar modules. The premium brand is already available in many European markets. Production capacity in Germany was more than doubled last year, and further expansion is planned to grow to around 1.4 gigawatts in 2023.
A central theme of the photovoltaic conference in Switzerland is securing the electricity supply - especially in winter. This is because large-scale alpine plants in particular can make an important contribution in the future. Around 950 participants are live in Bern.
The Swiss MET Group has launched a power-to-heat project at its Dunamenti gas-fired power plant in Százhalombatta, Hungary, with an electrode boiler that can use surplus renewable electricity to generate hot water for heating purposes.
Axpo and Rhiienergie are building a hydrogen production facility at the Reichenau hydropower plant in Domat/Ems in Switzerland. The plant is scheduled to go into operation in the fall of 2023.
