Switzerland urgently needs more electricity in winter. The Council of States therefore wants to significantly lower the hurdles and push for large solar systems in the Alps. The decision arouses desires in the National Council.
The solar panels on the Muttsee dam at 2,500 meters above sea level produce three times more electricity in the winter months than a comparable system on the Central Plateau.
In terms of content and procedure, the Council of States does something extraordinary. Maybe that’s why some politicians pulled out the big building blocks from their rhetoric kits. FDP Councilor Ruedi Noser said in the debate on Thursday: “People need lighthouses, and we are giving them this with this project.” If it is possible to produce a lot of winter electricity in the Alps with photovoltaics (PV), one or the other homeowner will probably consider equipping his house with solar cells. Noser: “We can give the population confidence that we are able to solve our problems.”
Middle Councilor Pirmin Bischof spoke of a courageous step to approve large alpine solar systems in an urgent federal law, bypassing all previous procedural regulations. And from a legislative point of view, it is a bold step, but the right one in this situation, said the lawyer. According to his party colleague Beat Rieder, the Council of States in Switzerland is the right body to finally set an example here.
There were also more skeptical voices. Alluding to the concessions on landscape and environmental protection, SP Councilor Roberto Zanetti said he had to jump over a dark black shadow. And, quoting the former FDP President Philipp Müller: “The transition from the lighthouse to the chandelier is sometimes fluid.” With lighthouse projects there is a risk that a non-starter will suddenly arise and the matter will be lost in a referendum.
Switzerland’s supply of electricity in winter is at risk
In addition to Noser, the driver of the solar offensive was the Valais politician Rieder. In his vote, the sober analyst and tactician gave the project the grounding it needed. The starting point for the discussion in the commission was the Federal Council’s assessment that the supply of electricity to Switzerland would be at risk in the coming winters. At least two terawatt hours of electricity were missing in the winter months.
In the short term, according to Rieder, the legislator can only do one thing to increase electricity production in winter: push the construction of PV systems in the Alps. Such installations produce more electricity in winter because they are above the fog line and the sun’s rays are reflected in the snow and can therefore be better used with panels that are active on both sides. The largest solar system in the Alps to date is located at the Muttsee dam at 2500 meters. Experiences so far since 2021 have shown that the system produces around three times more electricity in the winter months than a comparable system on the Central Plateau.
Because progress is to be made quickly, Rieder and his colleagues have chosen an unusual procedure. They were looking for a vehicle, a kind of ride, for the urgent federal law. They found what they were looking for in the indirect counter-proposal to the glacier initiative. In terms of content, according to Rieder, the topics – climate and energy policy – belong together. The pace is also right: the indirect counter-proposal is in the process of settling differences and will probably be ready for the final vote at the end of the autumn session.
Rieder and with him many in the Council of States hope that the solar offensive will become a real liberation. For years, all larger projects for additional production have been more or less blocked. According to the Valais politician, the prime example is the raising of the Grimsel dam wall, which is back to square one after 20 years.
Sommaruga: only in exceptional cases
The energy politicians were inspired by two projects in Valais: the planned solar systems at Gondo (23 gigawatt hours of electricity per year) and Grengiols (up to 2000 gigawatt hours). Such systems have been propagated by former SP President Peter Bodenmann and those around him for years.
Now there should be comprehensive simplifications for such PV systems. The Council of States largely follows its commission and wants to abolish the obligation to carry out planning procedures and environmental impact assessments. In addition, the interest in their realization takes precedence over other interests of national or cantonal importance, such as landscape and nature conservation. The conditions are that landowners and local communities give their consent. The systems must produce at least 10 gigawatt hours of electricity per year. This corresponds to a size of around six football pitches. The Commission originally wanted to set this value at 20 gigawatt hours.
Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga was pleased with the bold Council of States. Rieder submitted an application for an actual solar turnaround in Switzerland. However, she was not entirely comfortable in view of the overriding of current law. She pointed out that such rapid action should only be considered in exceptional cases – also with a view to the acceptance of such systems by the population.
In the spirit of Sommaruga, the Council of States has set guidelines. Once the expansion target of 2 terawatt hours has been reached, the normal procedures will take effect again. Only alpine facilities for which the canton has the authority to approve are eligible. The consent of the local community is also required. The project in Grengiols has already been approved by the municipal assembly without a dissenting vote. Another requirement: Planning, approval and construction have to be done quickly; By the end of 2025, the plants must be at least partially connected to the grid. You will receive a one-off subsidy of 50 to 60 percent towards the investment costs from the federal government. It is not allowed to build in protected bogs and bog landscapes.
In the future, a PV system must be installed on new buildings
The second pillar of the solar offensive was controversial: the obligation to have a PV system on all new buildings. SVP representative Hannes Germann warned against a quick shot and paternalism of the cantons. In cantons that voted on an energy law, such coercive measures were rejected. The Federal Council supports the requirement, said Sommaruga. PV systems were only installed in 3,000 of the 12,000 new buildings built in 2020. This is a missed opportunity: PV systems on buildings are mostly undisputed and supply electricity where it is needed. With 25 to 18 votes, the Council of States decided in favor of the PV obligation on buildings.
After the draft had been corrected in terms of content, the Council of States dissolved the ride-sharing opportunity. With 43 votes to 0 (1 abstention), he supported Rieder’s motion to separate the solar offensive from the indirect counter-proposal to the glacier initiative and anchor it in an urgent federal law. In the overall vote, the Council of States approved the bill with 40 votes to 0 and 4 abstentions from the ranks of the SVP.
The Energy Commission of the National Council will discuss the law on Monday. Representatives of the FDP and Mitte have declared that they want to benefit from the law’s express train. They will apply to also include hydropower, wind power and geothermal projects. The Council of States appears to be willing to examine wishes from the National Council at least benevolently.