Solar energy to meet 10% of Swiss electricity needs
Solar energy will soon cover over ten percent of electricity demand
Keystone-SDA
This year, solar energy is set to cover more than 10% of Switzerland's total electricity requirements for the first time. This corresponds to more electricity than the Beznau nuclear power plant, said the Swiss Solar Energy Association.
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Keystone-SDA
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Solarenergie soll bald über zehn Prozent des Strombedarfs abdecken
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Since 2020, the Swiss photovoltaic market has been on a steep growth trajectory with annual growth of over 40%, the association added. The trend was reinforced in 2022 by the energy shortage, which led to growth of 58%.
Forecasts were also exceeded last year. Photovoltaic expansion increased by 51% to 1641 megawatts. The Swiss Solar Energy Association (Swissolar) refers to figures from the solar energy statistics of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). Eight percent of Switzerland’s total electricity demand was supplied by solar panels at the end of last year.
Annual production amounted to 4,624 gigawatt hours (GWh), which roughly corresponds to the annual consumption of 1.4 million four-person households or 80% of the annual production of both reactors at the Beznau nuclear power plant, the report continued.
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Mountaintop solar farms spark tensions in Switzerland
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Building large solar parks in high-mountain regions is arguably an effective way to produce more power in winter. But it remains highly controversial.
“Solar expansion currently supplies 2 to 3% more of Switzerland’s electricity needs every year. By 2050, solar power will be able to cover 50% of annual demand despite rising consumption,” Swissolar CEO Matthias Egli was quoted as saying in the press release.
This will make solar power “the second pillar of our electricity supply alongside hydropower”.
Translated from German by DeepL/mga
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