This report outlines Switzerland’s strong progress toward its national energy strategy goals, with record-breaking PV installations in 2023 and a favourable policy environment. In 2023, Switzerland installed 1,640 MW of new PV capacity – a 51% increase over the previous year – bringing cumulative capacity to 6,374.7 MW. PV generated 4,624 GWh of electricity, covering 8.25% of total electricity consumption. The majority of installations were decentralised rooftop systems, particularly in residential and industrial sectors.
Key highlights of the report include:
- Market Development: Switzerland had approximately 245,390 PV systems in operation by the end of 2023. Residential rooftops accounted for 87% of installed systems, while industrial installations contributed 41% of the newly added capacity. Although ground-mounted systems remain rare, larger installations are emerging, including 67 systems above 1 MW, totalling 89 MW.
- Policy Incentives: The Alpine Solar Offensive, introduced in 2022, supports winter-optimised solar plants with up to 60% investment subsidies. The policy applies to installations producing at least 10 GWh annually, with 500 kWh/kW generated in winter. Switzerland also launched its first national auction scheme for large PV systems (>150 kW) without self-consumption in 2023, awarding 163 MW across 437 projects.
- Built Environment Integration: Strict heritage protection laws and planning regulations have led to the increased use of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), which accounted for around 10% of new capacity in 2023. BIPV is supported by higher remuneration rates and municipal bonuses for PV façades.
- Economic Impact: The PV sector generated an estimated CHF 3.25 billion in business value in 2023. Around 10,000 full-time jobs were linked to PV manufacturing and associated value chain activities, with an additional 200 jobs in research and development.
Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050 envisions 34 TWh of electricity from PV by 2050. The country’s rooftop PV potential is estimated between 24–50 TWh, and while the 2023 installation rate of 1.6 GW brings Switzerland closer to this goal, further acceleration will be required. With growing deployment in alpine regions, BIPV, and collective models, Switzerland is well positioned to scale PV while addressing seasonal and regional generation gaps.
