Photovoltaics: benefits for real estate owners

Enormous solar potential
After a steady increase over the years, photovoltaics recorded a record expansion in 2020. According to the "Solar Energy Statistics" of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), around 118,000 photovoltaic systems with an output of almost 3 gigawatts were installed at the end of 2020. Experts assume that this trend will continue.

Ecological and economic advantages
For owners of real estate portfolios, PV systems bring several advantages. On the one hand, they can hedge against rising electricity prices. On the other hand, they can already meet possible future requirements for their own electricity production. New regulations will also make the production of solar power more attractive in the future with regard to subsidies. In addition, portfolio owners with their own solar plants benefit from a reputational advantage.

Moreover, PV electricity from one's own roof is in most cases cheaper than electricity from the grid. Photovoltaic systems are also interesting because they increase the value of properties. If more solar power is produced than is consumed on site, it is possible to use it in other properties.

At Solar project of ALDI SUISSE, sustainability and economic efficiency play a central role. In just over a year, ewz has equipped 68 store roofs between Romanshorn and Geneva with PV systems. Thanks to the large systems, the implemented solution enables a high solar yield with an average self-consumption of 55-60%.

High self-consumption increases economic efficiency
Heat pumps and e-vehicles are only truly low-carbon if they use renewable electricity. Combining them with a PV system therefore makes sense. This is because the production costs for solar power are lower than the electricity tariff for households and because the energy suppliers remunerate the solar power fed into the grid at a low rate.

A good way to consume a large portion of the solar power yourself is to organize several end users into a Interconnection for self-consumption (ZEV). These are possible both in rental properties and among property owners. The degree of self-consumption of PV systems is on average 30-40%. With self-consumption solutions, this value can be increased significantly. The cost of solar electricity is 8-16 Rp. per kW/h, which is lower than the electricity tariff for households, which is 15-25 Rp. per kW/h.

A practical example of this is the project "Côté Parc" in Geneva. 776 PV panels on the roofs of the site form the basis for an integrated solar solution with heat pumps, charging stations for e-cars and the site's own power grid with a self-consumption solution for the users.

Business customers of ewz can rely on efficient and customized solutions from competent teams with many years of experience. You will find further interesting information here.

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