Local energy cooperatives are driving the expansion of solar energy
ewz has attracted 6,000 customers for its new product, ewz.solarquartier. Around 130 local electricity cooperatives feed their locally generated solar power into the grid, which is then consumed within the neighbourhood. The Zurich-based energy supplier is thus providing incentives for the use of roof space.
Since the start of the year, owners of solar panels have been able to sell their surplus electricity locally via local electricity communities (LEG). The City of Zurich’s electricity utility (ewz) offers a straightforward way to do this with its new product, ewz.solarquartier.
According to a press release, 130 such electricity communities are already feeding their surplus electricity into the grid. In return, they receive a guaranteed purchase price of 14 centimes per kilowatt-hour. Already 6,000 customers are purchasing this electricity from ewz.
The product is designed to promote the use of roof space for solar installations. “With our LEG product ewz.solarquartier, we have created a further economic incentive to ensure that solar installations are not simply built, but that high returns can be achieved in the long term,” Corinne Pellerin, Head of Market and Customers at ewz, is quoted as saying in the press release. The local use of the electricity also reduces the load on the grid.
The Allgemeine Baugenossenschaft Zürich (ABZ) is already feeding in the surplus electricity from all its installations. “Thanks to the LEG solution from ewz.solarquartier, it was clear to us that we would register all 28 photovoltaic installations in our housing estates within the city limits,” says Eliane Hurni, Head of Buildings and Environment and a member of the Executive Board at ABZ.
In total, there are currently almost 2,900 photovoltaic systems installed in the city, with a peak output of almost 100 megawatts. They produce around 80 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. By 2040, production is set to rise to 500 gigawatt-hours.