Switzerland to install 1.5GW of new PV capacity by 2023

According to data published by Swissolar, the Swiss PV association, Switzerland added 1.5GW of new PV capacity in 2023, up 40% year-on-year from 1.07GW in 2022, bringing cumulative installed PV capacity to 6.2GW. Since 2017, Switzerland has seen a six-fold increase in the annual growth rate of installed PV capacity. Swissolar attributes this year's growth to rebates for small and medium-sized ground-mounted PV systems, resulting in a 28.5% year-on-year increase in installed rooftop PV system capacity.

The number of PV installations registered for subsidies with Swiss government agency Pronovo in the first quarter of 2024 was around 603MW, an increase of 81% on the same period last year, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy said. In March, 6,112 installations registered for subsidies with Pronovo, equivalent to 197MW of capacity, with the majority of these driven by an increase in large PV systems of 100kW or more, while the uptake of smaller PV systems with a capacity of less than 100kW stagnated in the first quarter. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy also recorded an increase in the installation of PV systems on building facades. In the first quarter of 2024, Pronovo received 484 registrations with a total capacity of 6.7 MW.

At the 2011 PV Congress, Switzerland set a goal of achieving a 10% share of PV power generation by 2025. This target is now expected to be exceeded as early as 2024 with an annual production of 6.2 TWh. Production in the winter of 2024 is likely to be in the region of 2 TWh, which corresponds to 50% of the average electricity import requirements of recent years. PV power generation makes a significant contribution to the security of Switzerland's energy supply in winter.

According to the Swiss Electricity Act, PV power generation will be five times greater by 2035 than it is today, and will provide 45 TWh of electricity by 2050, an almost tenfold increase. Given the ambitious expansion targets, Switzerland must develop all potential PV installations, with rooftops and facades remaining a priority.

Switzerland is facing a fundamental shift in its energy supply, and PV are playing a crucial role in achieving "net zero". With a total of well over 100 TWh of PV power available annually, mostly on buildings, PV is set to become the backbone of Switzerland's secure and clean energy supply in the future.

Seraphim is a Tier 1 solar module manufacturer, listed by BNEF. We research, develop, produce, and sell solar PV products since 2011.

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