Another Swiss solar project forced to trim ambitions
A major proposed solar project in western Switzerland has scaled back its plans to produce clean energy due to avalanche risks and lack of grid connections.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
The energy company EnAlpin on Monday confirmed to the Keystone-SDA news agency earlier media reports that the canton Valais project has run into problems.
The project envisaged three solar parks in the areas of Mattmark, Mäsweide-Rieberg and Mattwald. Some 800,000 solar modules were originally slated to supply 1.44 terawatt hours of electricity on six different sites in these areas.
But surveys have pointed out risks to such an ambitious scale. The company refused to comment on a report in the SonntagsZeitung newspaper on Sunday that the project would be scaled back by half.
Another issue is that the electricity grid in Valais is already experiencing bottlenecks and that would need to be overcome before further power plants are added.
The strengthening of grid lines could take six years while planning permission for new power plants could last more than double this period, Keystone-SDA reports.
More information on the scale and timing of the proposed EnAlpin plants will not be available until after August when Swissgrid is due to give feedback.
In May, it was revealed that environmentalists had severely clipped the wings of another ambitious Valais solar project, in the alpine site of Grengiols.
The original plan to produce at least 600 gigawatts of electricity a year was scaled back to a more modest 160,000 solar modules on a square kilometre of land, providing around 110 gigawatts of electricity.
Switzerland has set an ambitious target of zero net emissions by 2050, a plan that was endorsed by voters last month.
But achieving alternative energy projects is proving difficult. A recent media survey revealed little support for a range of other alternative energy proposals.
More
Debate
Hosted by:
Simon Bradley
What do you think about solar farms in the Swiss Alps?
Building large solar parks in high-mountain regions is controversial. Join the discussion.
Macron will attend Swiss summit on Ukraine, says Zelensky
This content was published on
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the peace conference on Ukraine at the Swiss Bürgenstock resort next month, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Top politician tells ‘corrupt’ Eurovision to stay away from Bern
This content was published on
A social media post by the president of Bern’s cantonal government critical of the Eurovision Song Contest has created waves and will be discussed in the cantonal parliament.
Swiss centre records over 200 victims of human trafficking
This content was published on
Last year 317 people took part in a protection programme run by the Specialist Unit for Trafficking in Women and Women’s Migration (FIZ) in German-speaking Switzerland.
This content was published on
The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and partners are opening a field hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
Lack of smartphone sustainability in Switzerland hits environment
This content was published on
Almost half of all Swiss citizens hang on to their old smartphones, tablets and laptops, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
Police clear out pro-Palestinian students protesting in Geneva
This content was published on
The police intervened early on Tuesday to dislodge pro-Palestinian students who had been occupying the University of Geneva for almost a week.
New gel developed in Zurich renders alcohol harmless
This content was published on
A newly developed gel composed of whey proteins breaks down alcohol in the body and could reduce its harmful and intoxicating effects in humans.
Pro-Palestine protests extend to Basel and Fribourg universities
This content was published on
Demonstrators called for an academic boycott of all Israeli institutions and disassociation with Chaim Weizmann, the first Israeli president.
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.
Read more
More
Alpine solar farms set for public vote in canton Valais
This content was published on
Voters in canton Valais in southern Switzerland are likely to have the final say on the construction of large solar parks in high-mountain regions.
Electricity firms on the hunt for Alpine solar opportunities
This content was published on
After parliament recently eased regulations for building high-altitude solar parks, seven Swiss firms are looking around for options.
This content was published on
The world’s first high-altitude floating solar power plant may be a sign of things to come for the global photovoltaic industry.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
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.