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It was their flagship project: a huge, large-scale photovoltaic system on the steep southern slopes in the Grengiols commune in Valais. With this plan in mind – and a looming power shortage in mind – State Councilor Beat Rieder (60) and FDP State Councilor Ruedi Noser (61) orchestrated an express law late last year allowing solar systems in pristine mountain landscapes, generous subsidies and simplified permits included.
Six months later, it is clear: things look gloomy for the Solar-Express. Time is of the essence. There will only be money from the federal government once the first electricity flows by 2025. So the clock is ticking, also in Grengiols. But so far it says: wait. A feasibility study was commissioned but was delayed. Sometimes it was November, sometimes January. It should finally arrive in mid-March. She has to answer many questions.
The lines
A problem in Grengiols are the high voltage lines. A study shows that the solar project on this scale can hardly be built so quickly – because the high-voltage line needed to bring the electricity to customers will not be ready until 2028.
Grengiols-Solar will probably be built in phases, Raoul Albrecht of Forces Motrices Valaisannes, which supervises the project, told the “Walliser Bote”.
In Grengiols, the high voltage lines are not the main problem. “You should not forget that different lines and applications can be combined with each other, so that less capacity is needed,” agrees Jürg Rohrer, professor of renewable energy at ZHAW.
After the House of Representatives wanted to expand solar energy six months ago, it is now wind energy’s turn. The Energy Committee of the National Council wants wind power plants to be approved more quickly. This should soon yield a terawatt-hour of wind energy.
Advanced wind energy projects would have to get the building permit from the canton. The legal process has been streamlined. In particular, the projects Grenchenberg SO, Mollendruz VD, Eoljorat Sud VD, Sur Grati VD, Charrat VS and Crêt Meuron NE could benefit from this. However, unlike the Solar Express, it is only a matter of approval. Subsidies don’t swing. The National Council will discuss the proposal on Wednesday. (brother)
After the House of Representatives wanted to expand solar energy six months ago, it is now wind energy’s turn. The Energy Committee of the National Council wants wind power plants to be approved more quickly. This should soon yield a terawatt-hour of wind energy.
Advanced wind energy projects would have to get the building permit from the canton. The legal process has been streamlined. In particular, the projects Grenchenberg SO, Mollendruz VD, Eoljorat Sud VD, Sur Grati VD, Charrat VS and Crêt Meuron NE could benefit from this. However, unlike the Solar Express, it is only a matter of approval. Subsidies don’t swing. The National Council will discuss the proposal on Wednesday. (brother)
But: in other places people are already further ahead. Solar energy projects are also planned in Graubünden. The connection to the electricity grid is better there and offers more flexibility with the current lines. In addition, there is the possibility of combinations with existing lines, for example ski lifts.
This leads to the next problem for Grengiols.
The competition
Funding is limited. Subsidies are only available until the new systems produce a total of two terawatt hours of solar energy – about three percent of all Swiss electricity. Bad luck for those who are late.
So far there are between 40 and 60 projects that can benefit from the Solar Express. The energy company Axpo alone is planning eleven installations. They all want the money pots. But how much money they can plan with is still unclear. “That’s why you can’t estimate the federal contributions. That makes it difficult to get the projects on track,” says ZHAW professor Rohrer.
Blick knows: the regulation that regulates the details of the Solar Express has the Energy Department ready for SVP Federal Councilor Albert Rösti (55). It should come into effect from April. Then you can definitely plan.
The conservationists
Even if it has to be done quickly: A planning application is still needed – environmentalists could delay solar energy projects with objections.
In the canton of Valais, the government council also wanted to speed this up with an express law. The Greens in the canton of Valais have started a referendum. «There should be no panels in landscapes that deserve special protection and that have no existing infrastructure», says Green chairwoman Brigitte Wolf (54).
For Wolf, it is conceivable that mega projects such as Grengiols in particular could take even longer. “There are so many legal questions and ambiguities. It is quite possible that ultimately the federal court will have to decide whether such systems are legal in pristine landscapes. »
Such arguments drive former SP chairman Peter Bodenmann (70) up the wall. He brought the idea of the solar park in Grengiols onto the political stage. “If the environmental organizations use all the options for objection, nothing will happen in 2025,” he says. “Once the permits have been granted, things move quickly. Germany can build many more solar systems and it works there too.”
What Bodenmann does not understand is that systems such as Vispertal-Solar and Gondosolar together produce as much winter energy as the Mühleberg nuclear power plant that was shut down. “The hypocritical Swiss Greens want and will try to prevent both systems with their objections.” Instead, they would campaign for inefficient roof systems in the mist banks of the Mittelland. Bodenmann: “The Greens are the accomplices and water carriers of new nuclear power plants.”
The solar outdoor systems would increase biodiversity. “That is why the Greens in Germany want to install 100 times as much solar energy by 2030 as the two solar systems in Vispertal and Grengiols in Valais consume. This can be produced within two years and can be easily connected to the grid.”
The building material
Once all permits have been granted, construction can begin. Or not? There is a demand for solar panels, not only in the mountains. And other components can also become scarce. “The material situation is difficult to assess,” says Rohrer. But he does not want to paint black: “To meet the conditions, only ten percent of the maximum capacity needs to be built. That number is achievable.” But it also means that in 2025 only a small part of the solar systems will actually be available.
And now?
The supporters around the Council of State Rieder are still optimistic. The goal is of course ambitious. Politics created the framework. “Now the economy and the approval agencies have to show that they are willing to deliver,” he says. He is convinced that the two terawatt hours will be approved in any case by 2025 and that a smaller proportion of the systems will already provide power.
SP alderman Roger Nordmann (49) was also enthusiastic about the project. He assumes that the smaller projects will get a chance. “I don’t think the full two terawatt hours will be used up by 2025.”
For ZHAW expert Rohrer, the Solar Express is still a challenge six months after it was founded. “If there are no objections, it is not impossible to meet the 2025 deadline,” he says. “The extent to which the two terawatt hours will be used will only become clear once it is known how high the subsidies are.”
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
