Swiss are solar energy world champions
Switzerland has won a place in the Guinness Book of Records 2001 as the country producing the most solar energy per person in the world.
The Swiss, who produce 1.82 watts a year per head of population, outstripped Germany and the Netherlands, according to the magazine, “Energy and Environment”.
The result means that Switzerland has the highest density of solar panels – which transform sunlight into electricity – of any country in the world.
The largest installation of solar panels in Switzerland is situated at Mont-Soleil Solar Power Station, in the Jura mountains. Since it came on line in 1992, Mont-Soleil has produced 4 million kWh, which amounts to the average annual consumption of around 1,300 households.
In world terms, production of solar electricity is also on the rise. Sales of solar panels increased 42.5 per cent between 1999 and 2000, according to “Energy and Environment”.
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