Based on various factors, Swissolar estimates that around 1,500 MW of photovoltaic capacity will be newly installed in 2023. This corresponds to market growth of almost 40% compared to the previous year. This means that the strong market growth of recent years will continue in 2023. Compared to 2017, the year before the revised Energy Act came into force, annual growth has increased more than sixfold. This also shows that, despite some difficulties, it has so far been possible to recruit the necessary specialists in the solar industry.
The installed capacity at the end of 2023 is over 6200 MW, which will enable annual electricity production of around 6 TWh in 2024. This means that the threshold of 10% solar power in Switzerland's total annual electricity consumption will be reached next year. A quantity that Swissolar set as a target for 2025 in 2011.
The registration numbers at the Pronovo funding agency and feedback from the market serve as the basis for this estimate. The evaluation shows that both the markets for smaller and larger systems grew strongly. In the area of ??large systems, the introduction of the new subsidy for systems without internal consumption (the so-called high one-off payment) provided an additional boost. This enabled projects such as the photovoltaic system on the retaining wall in Teufen to be realized, which is optimized for winter electricity yield and supplies electricity for around 50 households.
As in the previous year, another strong driver for the expansion was the high price of electricity. Large users who buy their electricity on the open market are particularly affected by this. But the median price for electricity also rose by 28.5% from 2022 to 2023 for tied customers. In addition, the growing use of electromobility and heat pumps is promoting the use of photovoltaics: many people want to generate the additional electricity they need themselves.
For 2024, Swissolar expects further market growth of at least 10%. This puts us on target for the required annual expansion of over 2,000 MW from 2027. This is necessary for solar power to achieve its contribution to the goal of 35 TWh of electricity from new renewable energies in accordance with the decree.