Canton of Lucerne seeks to accelerate the expansion of renewables
Lucerne - The canton of Lucerne wants to better exploit the potential of solar installations on buildings by amending the cantonal energy law. The draft law provides for the appropriate utilization of the roof surface on new buildings. The same applies to roof renovations on existing buildings.
The cantonal government of Lucerne has presented its draft legislation on the expansion of electricity production from renewable energies. The amendment to the Cantonal Energy Act provides for better utilization of roof surfaces for the generation of solar power.
In future, writes a statement, new buildings should self-generate not only a portion of their electricity requirements, but should “make appropriate use” of the electricity generation potential of the roof area. Electricity generation requirements are also proposed for existing buildings, as they have “immense potential for electricity generation”.
The move will support the rapid expansion of locally produced renewable energy, according to President of the Lucerne cantonal government Fabian Peter. It will “not only enable us to achieve our climate targets, but also increase the security of our energy supply”, he said. Photovoltaic systems on roofs in the canton could generate a total of 2.4 terawatt hours of solar power. According to the statement, this is more than twice the current electricity consumption of all private households.
The installation of photovoltaic systems should now also be permitted on an additional roof within a given group of buildings – for example, on stables, haylofts, commercial buildings or in school grounds. This is the cantonal government's response to a commonly expressed concern from the public consultation, which took place from 15 December to 6 April 2023.
The majority agreed with the general strategic thrust, objectives and principles of the new regulations. The amendment to the Cantonal Energy Act is expected to be on the agenda for the upcoming May session of the cantonal parliament.
