Switzerland remains far from its target of shifting away from non-renewable fuel sources, despite a record-breaking increase in the number of solar panels installed last year.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/jcb
Español
es
La energía solar suiza aumenta, pero sin alcanzar sus objetivos
Almost 50% more solar panels were put up in Switzerland in 2020 than in 2019, according to statisticsExternal link released by the Swiss industry association Swissolar on Wednesday.
Solar panels have become especially popular in industrial, commercial and service industry sectors. They now provide enough energy to power over 4.7% of Switzerland’s entire energy consumption, up from 3.8% in 2019, Swissolar said in its annual report. Households had also increased their installations of both solar panels and battery units, it noted.
The number of battery storage units is up 65% on the previous year, and 15% of solar panel purchases made by single-family homes were made in conjunction with battery storage unit purchases in 2020. This combination is used to store generated power for later use and avoid the low re-payment tariffs that local energy suppliers offer, Swissolar said.
More
More
In the Swiss Alps, solar power takes to the water
This content was published on
The world’s first high-altitude floating solar power plant may be a sign of things to come for the global photovoltaic industry.
Despite the seemingly positive news, Swissolar said Switzerland was still far from achieving its planned shift away from nuclear and fossil fuel power.
In order to realise this aim, the country would have to increase its yearly solar power output to 45 terawatt hours. Achieving this within the next 30 years would require a 15-fold increase in the number of installations, said David Stickelberger, Swissolar’s managing director.
A study published by the Swiss Energy Foundation in mid-June said Switzerland trailed other European countries when it comes to solar energy production, coming 24th out of the 28 European states studied.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
The citizenship obstacle course facing spouses of Swiss Abroad
This content was published on
The Ethos Foundation recommends that shareholders vote against all compensation-related items at the Annual General Meeting on March 7.
Top Swiss firms close to reaching gender quota in boards
This content was published on
The proportion of women on the boards of directors of the fifty largest listed companies in Switzerland currently stands at 28%.
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
Swiss government seat: Ritter and Pfister nominated to succeed Amherd
This content was published on
Markus Ritter from St Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug were officially nominated by the Centre Party on Friday to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Top Swiss court rejects Russian request for administrative tax assistance
This content was published on
There is currently no reason to transmit banking information to the Russian Federation, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled.
After strike by radiologists, doctors demonstrate in Bern
This content was published on
Following a strike by radiology technicians in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists and chiropractors expressed their frustration on Friday outside parliament in the Swiss capital.
This content was published on
The world’s first high-altitude floating solar power plant may be a sign of things to come for the global photovoltaic industry.
Why is solar power struggling to take off in Switzerland?
This content was published on
Despite being the second-biggest source of renewable energy in Switzerland, solar power is struggling to break through at a national level.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.