Fears of an electricity shortage in Switzerland appear to have had a positive effect on the expansion of solar energy. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) expects the market to grow by around 50% in 2022.
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La escasez de electricidad fomenta la energía solar
New photovoltaic construction in Switzerland rose by 43% to 683 megawatts in 2021, revealed SFOE statistics on solar energy published in July. This year the SFOE expects an increase of 900-1,000 megawatts in solar energy, according to an enquiry by the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA. This corresponds to a market growth of around 50%.
The SFOE currently expects production to exceed 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per kilowatt (kW) of installed capacity in 2022, a spokeswoman said. In 2021 the figure was 895kWh. The long-term average was around 960kWh.
In 2021 as a whole the share of solar power production in domestic electricity consumption was still just under 6% owing to weather conditions. According to the industry association Swissolar, solar energy systems supplied 6.5% of the electricity required in Switzerland in the first half of 2022.
The SFOE confirmed this estimate and also expects a slight increase in the current year. With a production of 960kWh per kW of installed capacity, more than 1% of Switzerland’s electricity consumption could be additionally covered each year with the current expansion.
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Swiss electricity providers face shocking challenges
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How can blackouts be avoided given the volatility of renewable energies and the increase in electricity consumption?
The war in Ukraine has increased fears of an energy crunch, with Russia reducing or cutting off gas supplies to European countries. The hot, dry summer has further restricted oil and gas imports by reducing the volume of rivers that are used to transport the commodities.
The dry conditions have also lowered reservoir levels at hydro-electric plants, which Switzerland relies on for around 60% of its electricity production.
Electricity providers have already warned of a steep rise in household bills in the coming months. The Swiss Economics Minister has urged calm, but across the country retailers have reported a huge interest in emergency power systems among customers who fear looming blackouts.
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Anxious Swiss invest in private power generators
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Gas shortage and power blackouts? Households in Switzerland are upgrading.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Porrentruy mayor comments on Swiss pool ban controversy
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The mayor of the Swiss town of Porrentruy, which has been in the headlines in neighbouring France after restricting access to a pool to locals after a spate of anti-social behaviour, says he has received much support in recent days.
Swiss universities to release multilingual AI programme
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This summer researchers at Swiss universities will make available a large language model (LLM), an AI programme trained on vast amounts of data, developed on public infrastructure.
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After a one-year test phase, Zurich's cantonal police are introducing an online police station. Demand is high and the response from the public has been positive.
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The chic resort of St Moritz in southeastern Switzerland has registered "summer" as a trademark under the name "St Summer". The resort in canton Graubünden is launching a campaign to strengthen its summer business.
Swiss authorities detail progress on station access for people with reduced mobility
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The Federal Office of Transport (FOT) said on Wednesday that 43 stations had been adapted for people with reduced mobility last year. The vast majority of rail travellers (82%) now benefit from easier access to stations, it says.
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The prices of homes and apartments in Switzerland rose again in June. In the Lake Geneva region, prices of detached houses rose sharply. Meanwhile, in Zurich and its surrounding region the opposite trend was observed.
Crowded airports expected in Switzerland this summer
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Switzerland's main airports are preparing for a busy summer holiday period. A number of changes have been introduced to improve passenger flows that are expected to be well above average in July and August.
Zurich police arrest 38 football and hockey fans after violent incidents
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Zurich police have investigated 48 cases of fan violence at stadiums in the Swiss city since last autumn and arrested a total of 38 people, Swiss public television, SRF, reports.
Cashflow problems affect UN Human Rights Council activities
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Certain activities of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council cannot be carried out in 2025-2026 due of the ongoing cash crisis affecting the UN.
Plaintiffs take Khaled Nezzar case to European Court of Human Rights
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Two plaintiffs in a serious war crimes case against former Algerian Defence Minister Khaled Nezzar have filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights.
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