Solarexpress: where Switzerland's large solar projects under art. 71a stand

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) lists 29 large solar projects, 28 of them in the procedure or in operation, designed for 425.5 MW and 645.8 GWh a year. Of these, 7 have a legally binding approval or are already running, with 115.6 GWh a year: 5.8% of the 2 TWh up to which art. 71a of the Energy Act applies.

Figures last updated: 21 October 2026 · Latest status report in the SFOE data: 10 September 2026 · Also in German: Solarexpress: Wo die Photovoltaik-Grossanlagen nach Art. 71a EnG stehen

Where the projects stand in the procedure

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Each project counts with the latest status the SFOE records for it, and with the capacity and production reported at that status. For plants only partly in operation, that is the planned capacity, not the part already built. 4 plants are partly in operation and 0 fully.

How far away the 2 TWh threshold is

The eased permitting conditions of art. 71a apply only as long as an annual production of 2 TWh across Switzerland from plants with a legally binding approval is not expected to be reached. The 7 plants with a legally binding approval, or already running, add up to 115.6 GWh a year. Even if all 28 projects were built, they would produce 645.8 GWh, 32.3% of the threshold.

Little can be added now. Art. 71a covers only plants whose building application was put on public display by 31 December 2025, and the most recent public display in the SFOE data is dated 18 December 2025.

When the building applications went on display

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Each project counts in the quarter of its first public display, even if it was later withdrawn. The capacity is the one reported today.

By canton

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Valais has the most projects, 12. Withdrawn and rejected projects are not in this table. 20 of the 28 projects lie at 2,000 metres or higher, and the winter half-year accounts for 43.4% of their planned annual production.

What art. 71a of the Energy Act provides

The provision was added to the Energy Act by the urgent federal act of 30 September 2022 and is known as the "Solarexpress". The version in force rests on the federal act of 21 March 2025 on building planned alpine solar plants and has applied since 1 January 2026.

• It covers plants with a minimum annual production of 10 GWh that generate at least 500 kWh per kW of installed capacity in the winter half-year, from 1 October to 31 March (para. 2).
• For these plants the need is deemed established, they are of national interest and tied to their location, no land-use planning is required, and the interest in building them in principle prevails over other national, regional and local interests (para. 1).
• Moors and moorland landscapes, biotopes of national importance, and waterbird and migratory bird reserves are excluded (para. 1(e)).
• The canton grants the permit, with the consent of the host municipality and the landowners (para. 3).
• The Confederation pays a one-off remuneration of at most 60% of the investment costs, at rates the Federal Council sets case by case (para. 4).
• On final decommissioning, the plants are removed completely (para. 5).

How the figures are calculated

• The source is the SFOE dataset "Photovoltaik-Grossanlagen" (ch.bfe.photovoltaik-grossanlagen), read as an INTERLIS file through the STAC API of data.geo.admin.ch. It covers the planned or built large solar plants reported to the SFOE.
• Each project counts with its latest status. Capacity, annual and winter production are the values reported at that status, with no estimates or corrections.
• The page shows only totals by status, canton and quarter, with no project names and no locations.
• The SFOE data are free to use with the source named (opendata.swiss, terms "BY"). Source: SFOE.
• The page updates when the SFOE reports a new status. The date at the top changes only when the figures change.

Cite these figures

Quote these figures freely, with a link to this page. The HTML below holds the headline figures, their date and the source in one paragraph, ready for an article or a report.

<p>Large solar projects under art. 71a of the Swiss Energy Act (the Solarexpress) with a legally binding approval or already in operation account for 115.6 GWh a year, 5.8% of the 2 TWh up to which the article applies; 28 projects, designed for 645.8 GWh a year, are in the procedure or in operation. Source: SFOE, compiled by <a href="https://ariadnelabs.eu/guides/solarexpress-switzerland-alpine-solar.html">Ariadne Labs</a>, figures of 21 October 2026.</p>

How MitOS sees it

The figures on this page describe the market. In Switzerland MitOS covers every technology it offers, from large solar plants to carbon capture. For your own projects, MitOS keeps each plant's stage together with the deadlines and guarantees that come with it. A rolling 90-day timeline and a live flag feed surface what is due and what is at risk before it costs you the project.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• SFOE, dataset Photovoltaik-Grossanlagen: data.geo.admin.ch
• Swiss Energy Act (EnG, SR 730.0), art. 71a: Fedlex (German)
• Canton of Graubünden, guideline on the permitting procedure for large solar plants under art. 71a EnG (1 April 2025): PDF (German)

This page summarises SFOE data for information and does not replace legal or permitting advice on a specific project. Each figure holds for the date given. Only the SFOE data and the official publication of the Energy Act are authoritative.

Permitting energy projects is a labyrinth. MitOS is the thread.