Seamless solar technology with BKW Building Solutions
BKW Building Solutions has a nationwide network of specialists in the field of photovoltaics and supports sustainable electricity production on and around buildings.
BKW Power Grid: The electricity grid is the backbone of the energy transition
The energy transition cannot succeed without modifications to the electricity grid. We are building the distribution system of the future with and for our customers. Large-scale alpine installations come with particular challenges, as most of them are being planned in uninhabited areas where there is almost no grid infrastructure.
BKW is working closely with the planners of alpine solar installation projects to facilitate as much solar energy as possible and to use the existing grid capacity in the high-voltage network to the full. However, the accelerated upgrading of the electricity grids affects all grid levels. A uniform process for all segments and grid levels and through all authorities would be an efficient solution.
The distribution system has to be upgraded to accommodate all the newly constructed photovoltaic systems, e-mobility charging stations and heat pumps. New solar installations and new hydroelectric power plants are currently seen as essential parts of the energy transition – we need to think of new distribution systems in the same way.
Contracting: the all-in-one renewable energy solution for commercial and industrial customers
BKW operates solar installations on roofs at over 60 sites in Switzerland under a contracting model. How does it work? The customer provides space for a solar installation and enjoys a predefined tariff for the green electricity generated by that system over the agreed term of the contract. The companies in the BKW Building Solutions network plan, install and maintain the solar installation. BKW Energy operates it and markets any electricity that the customer generates but does not use themselves. This means that BKW, as a contractor, assumes responsibility for financing and installing the photovoltaic system, for ongoing operation and maintenance and for marketing the surplus electricity. Finally, the customer can keep focusing on their core business without having to invest any of their own money. The all-in-one package has proven popular: BKW has been receiving an increasing number of enquiries about contracting solutions since 2021. BKW, Energie du Jura (EDJ) and GEFCO (Suisse) in Courgenay have been operating the most powerful photovoltaic installation on a carport in Switzerland since 2016 – as a contracting model. And since spring 2023, a contracted solar installation has been in place on the roof of the terminal at Bern Airport. To find out more, click on the links to the articles below.
