Expert calls for new approach to solar power in Switzerland

09/11/2024 By Le News Leave a Comment

Renewable energy, such as electricity produced from the sun, comes with challenges. Sunshine does not follow our pattern of electricity consumption. Storing excess production helps. However, sometimes batteries hit full capacity. When this happens any excess must be dumped. Christoph Bucher and his team at Bern University of Applied Sciences advocate adding a system that intelligently throttles the amount solar installations can put into the grid, reported SRF.

Throttling the amount of electricity solar panel owners can put into the system is not without controversy. Any excess electricity produced that is not used or injected into the grid is lost forever. This has a negative impact on the economics of installing photovoltaic panels. Bucher admits his stance will not be popular with solar operators. However, he says that today we have so much solar power, roughly twice the output of nuclear power plants, and must adapt to that reality.

More battery capacity locally and upgrades to the grid, part of which would include more storage capacity on the grid, is probably part of the solution. However, it takes time to upgrade the grid and to add more storage capacity. In the interim intelligent throttling at source will be needed as we transition to cleaner electricity.

In addition, efficiently expanding the grid over a longer time frame benefits everyone as the costs of this are ultimately passed on to the grid’s end users who will see it in their electricity bills.

Bucher and his team propose eliminating the peaks. He says that operators of photovoltaic systems would lose very little energy if they forewent the midday peaks.

Noah Heynen, the head of Helion an installer of solar systems, welcomes the proposal and says that the technology for throttling solar systems is already in place.

In addition, a new electricity law currently being put together will provide the legal basis for solar systems to be throttled to 70% of their output.

The economics of adding a small local battery to a solar installation look set to improve.

More on this:SRF article (in German)

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Filed Under: Editor's Choice, Environment, Science and technology