Swiss Federal Council passes changes to support solar energy

March 21 (Renewables Now) - Switzerland's Federal Council has given the green light to legal changes that will support the construction of large-scale solar parks across the country to strengthen the power supply in winter.

The amendments, approved by the parliament last autumn, are designed to simplify the approval process for large-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems and introduce a one-off subsidy for such projects, covering up to 60% of the investment costs. These simplifications will apply until the new large-scale solar installations are capable of producing 2 TWh.

In order to qualify for the subsidy, at least 10% of the expected output of the entire planned solar installation, or 10 GWh must be fed into the grid by the end of 2025 and the projects must be fully operational by the end of 2030.

The building permits for these projects will be issued by the canton where the PV park will be located and require also the consent of the local community and landowners.

The new regulations provide for protection for crop rotation areas and forbid the construction of solar plants in such areas to prevent competition between power generation and food production.