The largest solar facility in Valais stands in Saxon. It covers 7,500 square metres - the size of a football field and delivers enough electricity to provide power to 300 households.
(Keystone/Jean-Christophe Bott)
Keystone
The catamaran Turanor Planetsolar, powered purely by energy from the sun, in Monaco harbour. (Keystone/Dominic Favre)
Keystone
The Halden church in St Gallen was the first in Switzerland to be fitted with an integrated photovoltaic system on its southern roof, which will produce around 44,200 kilowatt hours of solar energy per year.
(Keystone/Gaetan Bally)
Keystone
The small community of Tenna hit the headlines last year with a world first: the first solar ski lift.
(Keystone/Arno Balzarini)
Keystone
This house in Gams is also a power plant. It produces 300% of his own energy needs.
(Keystone/Regina Kühne)
Keystone
The Icare project, by Marc Müller, converts power from the wind and sun.
(Keystone/Laurent Gilliéron)
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Solar cells imbedded into a wall at Münsingen train station are integrated with the rail tracks.
(Keystone/Branko de Lang)
Keystone
An excursion with the solar powered boar "Aquarell" on the shore of Lake Geneva. The boat can reach speeds of 12 km/h.
(Keystone)
Keystone
A block of flats in Zurich with solar cells fitted on the roof.
(Ex-press/Urs Keller)
Keystone
The "Solar Impulse" flying over Brussels airport.
(Keystone/Soalr Impulse/Jean Revillard)
Keystone
The solar facility in Saxon, canton Valais.
(Keystone/Jean-Christophe Bott)
Keystone
Workers mount brackets on a BKW energy company solar installation at the top of the Jungfrau.
(Keystone/BKW FMB Energie)
Keystone
Technological progress needs courage, research and a pioneering spirit to move forward. In Switzerland photovoltaic technology is not just limited to roofs.
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There is a solar boat, a solar ski lift and the solar aircraft project, Solar Impulse, which flight pioneer Bertrand Piccard will use to fly around the world in 2014.
Solar energy in Switzerland is multi-faceted, yet plays a relatively minor role in the energy supply. With the exit of nuclear energy that will change.
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The growing potential of solar energy
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The Swiss parliament decided in 2011 against the construction of new nuclear power plants in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan and a wider shift away from atomic power. In the coming months Switzerland’s new energy policy must be fine-tuned and agreement found on the substance and framework of how to exit…
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Four rivers, two marshes, rice paddies, almond trees, farms and small businesses: the town of Calasparra is removed from the usual tourist haunts in this part of the country, 100 kilometres west of Alicante. Far from rainy Switzerland, the July sun is high in the sky and the temperature hovers around 32 degrees Celsius. For…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.