Solar power: infrastructure plants have great potential
The use of building roofs to install photovoltaic systems for electricity production is well known and increasingly popular. However, existing infrastructure facilities and conversion areas that have hardly been used so far also offer huge potential. With a study, Energie Zukunft Schweiz AG shows how great this potential really is.
The expansion of photovoltaic systems in Switzerland in 2020 was significantly higher than in previous years. However, the pace of expansion is not sufficient to achieve the goals of the "Energy Strategy 2050", as Energie Zukunft Schweiz (EZS) writes. According to EZS, there is great potential in existing infrastructure facilities (e.g. noise barriers along highways or water surfaces on reservoirs). Projects on large parking areas would also be particularly suitable. Conversion areas such as landfills could offer another possibility for dual use of large areas.
Realistic potential of up to 3 gigawatts
The "InfraSolaire" study by EZS with the support of SwissEnergy, Axpo and IWB offers a comprehensive assessment of the realistic solar power potential in the area of these plants. For the first time, the study systematically categorizes potential infrastructure and conversion site types and evaluates them in terms of technical feasibility, acceptance and approvability, economic viability and potential. The study is practice-oriented, therefore not only theoretical potentials have been identified, but various factors have been taken into account. The study examined:
- Traffic routes of railroads and roads (noise barriers, parking lots...)
- Technical infrastructures (reservoirs, sewage treatment plants, avalanche barriers...)
- Conversion areas and army (landfills, gravel plants, ...)
The study indicates a theoretical potential of up to 11 gigawatts - and a realistic one of up to 3 gigawatts. This rather cautious estimate therefore also shows: By using the most suitable existing infrastructure plants alone, solar power production in Switzerland could almost double compared to the PV capacity installed at the end of 2020.
According to EZS, new impulses and framework conditions are needed for implementation: on the one hand, subsidy measures are required to improve economic efficiency, and on the other hand, regulatory adjustments are needed so that solar plants can also be efficiently implemented outside the building zone.
Source: Energy Future Switzerland
