Axpo wants to install solar systems with more than 1.2 gigawatts of power in the Alps and Swiss Mittelland by 2030, the group announced on Tuesday. With this “solar attack”, Axpo wants to contribute to the local electricity supply, especially during the critical winter months when Switzerland is dependent on electricity imports from abroad. The plans will be implemented by the subsidiary CKW.
With 1.2 gigawatts, 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity can be produced annually, corresponding to the annual needs of more than 300,000 households. Axpo expects an investment of around CHF 1.5 billion for this.
Among other things, projects are planned in Mittelland, Switzerland, such as mountain solar systems in infrastructure and open space systems, as well as roof systems on industrial buildings or house roofs. For example, a 10-megawatt ground-mounted system will likely be built next to the Nalps reservoir in the canton of Graubünden from spring 2024. The system is scheduled to be commissioned in the fall of 2025, so it can supply electricity in winter from then on.
Advantage of the Alps
Axpo writes that mountain solar systems “above a sea of fog” will generate about three times more electricity in winter than similar systems in Mittelland, Switzerland. Early experiences confirmed this.
For example, a mountain solar system at the Muttsee dam has been in operation since the end of August and has been partially operational since October 2021. Together with IWB (Industrielle Werke Basel), Switzerland’s largest mountain solar system to date has been built at 2,500 meters above sea level in the canton of Glarus. The system produces 3.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, half of which is in winter.
«Policy and higher prices allow investment»
“The combination of the policy-imposed framework conditions that enable such investments, combined with higher market prices for electricity, allows for this attack,” Axpo boss Christoph Brand said in a statement.
In the autumn session of 2022, Parliament created the conditions for the rapid expansion of ground-mounted PV systems with high winter production. However, the simplified approval procedures and entitlement to additional funding are only valid until the end of 2025 or a total annual production of two terawatt hours. (pbe/SDA)