- Switzerland’s FEDRO has decided to offer areas along national roads for the production of renewable energies, especially solar
- It is already using land around tunnels and service yards to generate solar power for its own use, and now wants to bring in 3rd parties to expand it to noise barriers and rest areas
- By the end of 2022, the country will launch a tender to award areas for the development of solar energy
The Federal Council of Switzerland has amended its National Roads Ordinance (NSV) to offer areas along national roads free of charge for the production of renewable energies, and plans to launch a tender to allocate areas for solar PV systems by the end of 2022.
Focus areas to be allotted will be noise barriers and rest areas. The Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) is already using land around tunnels and service yards to generate solar power for its own electricity consumption.
Energy produced by such systems under the auction, will need to be marketed independently by the project companies. FEDRO added, “Interested parties will have the opportunity to apply and, after a lot has been allocated, to plan and implement the photovoltaic system on the corresponding area within a specified time frame.”
As per an October 2021 study commissioned by FEDRO, there is potential to generate as much as 101 GWh solar energy by installing PV systems along national roads and railway lines. Of this, 55 GWh of clean energy annually can be generated along the national roads, and 46 GWh along railway lines.
The August 17, 2022 decision to offer areas along national roads free of charge to 3rd parties is aimed at exploiting this potential even further, it stated.
The council said amendments to the NSV will come into effect from October 1, 2022, and it applies to other renewable energy technologies as wind power or geothermal energy as well.
