PV system installation types

Solar farms

Solar farms are PV plants mounted on large free surfaces. The photovoltaic modules are fitted on a support structure at an angle to the sun. There are two types of solar farms: ground-mounted fixed plants and tracking solar plants that follow the sun’s position.

Currently they have but little importance in Switzerland.  We do not expect a significant deployment boost due to scarcity of land, complicated licensing procedures and reservations by parts of the population.  Swissolar shares the view that Switzerland should focus on the huge potential of its rooftops and building fronts for the deployment of solar energy. This potential enables our country to cover up to 40% of its power demand. However, solar deployment may also be taken into consideration on surfaces that are already heavily used, such as along highways and railway lines, in skiing regions or stone quarries, as well as on avalanche protection panels. This application type should take into account the plant’s energy yield (particularly in winter) versus its impact on the landscape. 

More application options

Some special solutions for mounting PV systems need to be mentioned. These include installations fitted on avalanche protection panels, on ski lifts, on sound protection walls or reservoir lake plants (in planning). There are also some product-integrated power solutions (e.g. parking meters, lighting, etc.)