Switzerland’s new solar project. Photovoltaics beside the road

Switzerland is deploying photovoltaics right alongside their roads, focusing initially on a retaining wall. The project, spearheaded by K2 Systems and Solarmotion, serves as a prototype for leveraging already in-use areas for energy production.

The primary and most noticeable disadvantage of photovoltaic installations is the massive space required by solar power plants. Consequently, alternative solutions like prosumer installations on residential rooftops, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and non-standard installations on preexisting structures are gaining popularity. The undertaking from Switzerland provides one such example.

A consortium led by the German mounting systems provider K2 Systems and Swiss EPC executor Solarmotion has created a photovoltaic system on a retaining wall in Teufen, a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserhoden in Switzerland. The wall, leaning at a 75-degree angle, now hosts 756 photovoltaic modules with a collective power capacity of 325 kW.

K2 Systems reveals that the installation utilized the K2 BasicRail mounting rail in conjunction with HUS screw pins. The Hilti company supplied the necessary mechanical pins for the project.

The biggest challenge for the installers was to ensure the project didn't interfere with the structural integrity of the retaining wall. As such, a maximum anchoring depth of 90 mm was used, and the setup relied heavily on bonding techniques.

The official inauguration of the photovoltaic installation is set for December. The system is expected to display high efficiency, particularly in the winter. The estimated annual power production is approximately 230,000 kWh.

The electrical energy churned out by the wall-mounted installation will be funneled into the grid of the local supplier, St. Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke AG (SAK), under Switzerland’s system of guaranteed tariffs.