5 new building with a surface area greater than 300 m2 is built, a solar installation will have to be fitted to the roof or the facades. These installations will not be subject to the rules set down by the Federal Act on Spatial Planning: the purpose of building them will benefit other national, regional and local interests. The provisions were voted into law with help from the Green Party and have stirred up some heated discussions in Valais, where an Alpine solar megastation project is being drawn up (see box). For Green MP Céline Dessimoz, these decisions are a sign of excessive haste. “Parliament is being extreme, and ignoring the laws on spatial planning and the environment that we fought so hard for,” she complains. The ecologist believes that installing solar panels in mountain pastures is being done for purely commercial reasons. “Now that towns have recognised the potential of such projects, everything is going full speed ahead. But we cannot promote photovoltaic power at the expense of the countryside and biodiversity.” Jacques Bourgeois is amused by this statement. “We’re being told we have to get out of nuclear power, and as soon as we can do so, people oppose it,” he says. The Liberal politician believes that the Alpine projects enabled by the Federal Act on Spatial ity produced partially by burning Russian natural gas. Electricity prices shot up, with increases of over 30 per cent. In central Valais, inhabitants saw the price of kWh go from 20 to 28 centimes, breaking 20 years of stability, according to Arnaud Zufferey, whose consulting firm advises local authorities on the energy transition. The whole process is gaining pace, “but solar power was already profitable five years ago”, he emphasises. His house is fitted with solar panels. The current produced costs 15 centimes per kWh and charges an electric car. The surplus energy produced will, in the near future, be purchased at the same price by Valais electricity distributor Oiken. One solar panel of ten metres square can provide enough energy to drive 10,000 kilometres a year, he says. Swiss Federal Parliament speeds up introduction of solar Another major boost was observed in September 2022, when the Federal Parliament passed an emergency law to facilitate the construction of largescale solar installations in the Alps. These power stations, which will have an annual yield greater than 10 gigawatt hours, will qualify for easier planning permission and a subsidy from the Confederation. Whenever a Member of the National Council for the Liberals, Jacques Bourgeois (FR), who cites the example of southern Germany, where solar power has a firm foothold. Fresh interest in solar was sparked by Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, amongst other people. In September 2021, the minister mentioned the possibility of an electricity shortage, based on a report on the security of the electricity supply in Switzerland. This triggered a wave of panic. When Ukraine was invaded, the Swiss became aware of their energy dependency, especially on French nuclear energy, but also on German electricThe order books of Swiss solar firms are full to bursting, but they are short of personnel: there is a massive skills shortage in the sector. Photo: Keystone The solar offensive in Switzerland now means that large photovoltaic power plants can be built outside building zones, such as in high-altitude areas in the Alps. Photo: iStock Swiss Review / January 2023 / No.1
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