Swiss energy transition by means of solar power
According to a SFOE study published in mid-April, the exploitable solar power potential on Swiss buildings is 67 billion kilowatt hours per year. This corresponds to 110 percent of Switzerland's electricity consumption.
Switzerland has much more potential for solar power than previously thought. To this end, the Federal Offices of Topography (Swisstopo), Meteorology and Climate (MeteoSwiss) and Energy (SFOE) have started using sunroof.ch provided a solar potential cadastre for the whole of Switzerland. Based on this cadastre, the SFOE has made a precise estimate of the potential on roofs and facades. Switzerland is probably one of the first countries in which a potential analysis based on a solar cadastre is possible.
Last September, the potential on roofs with an annual production of around 50 billion kilowatt hours (50 terawatt hours, TWh) was already determined.
Facades with a lot of potential
On April 15, the SFOE published the Potential on facades presented. It is 17 TWh per year. In both cases, this is the "exploitable" potential, which is significantly lower than the technical potential. Only larger contiguous areas with sensibly usable irradiation are taken into account. The newly determined facade potential is of particular interest, since comparatively high winter yields can be expected on these surfaces due to their vertical orientation. Their use is also attracting increasing interest among architects, since the variety of available photovoltaic modules is rapidly increasing in terms of colors, textures and sizes.
Swissolar has also calculated the additional potential on parking lot roofs, road surfaces and in the Alpine region. For the latter, only areas that are not protected in any way and already have infrastructure facilities were considered. These include ski resorts, for example. Result: Even with a very cautious calculation, an additional 15 terawatt hours of annual production are added.
The expansion of photovoltaics must be increased fivefold
In total, therefore, at least 82 terawatt hours of solar power can be produced in Switzerland each year. In combination with existing hydropower (35 terawatt hours annually) and other renewable energies (especially wind), it is thus possible to ensure a one hundred percent energy supply for Switzerland by 2050, including the replacement of nuclear power and fossil energies (mobility, heating).
To accomplish this transition in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement by 2050 requires a five-fold increase in annual additions of photovoltaics from 300 megawatts today to 1500 megawatts. The calculations are in good agreement with a study published on 11.4.19 Study by Energy Watch Group and the Finnish LUT University. According to this, a full global supply of renewable energy can be achieved by 2050, and this is more cost-effective than the current energy system. In the scenario, 70% of the energy comes from the sun.
Source: Swissolar
