ABSTRACT
Nowadays, energy transition is an increasingly frequent theme addressed by many actors belonging to a variety of sectors, from private institutions to governmental ones. Commonly, the main objective is to promote the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. This challenge is addressed in many ways, also depending on the administrative boundaries considered, and range from more local solutions to continental and global ones.
For example, in Switzerland, in 2017, the Swiss electorate accepted the revised Federal Energy Act (known as Energy Strategy 2050). This amendment promotes the energy transition, setting the basis for increasing the sustainability and efficiency of energy generation.
In this context, exploiting solar energy as a renewable resource plays an important role. However, the generic topographic limitations can represent an important restriction for the spreading of such installations. With a production pattern that fits well together with the flexibility of hydropower, innovative solutions, such as the possibility of placing photovoltaic (PV) panels on the downstream face of dams (dam mounted photovoltaics, DMPV) or over large reservoirs (floating photovoltaic, FPV), can represent a turning point to promote solar energy production.
In this article, such pioneering solutions are exploited, with a special look at the Swiss Alpine area. The authors also reported four examples of PV panels installation in such geographic region, which emphasizes the importance and the potential of these solutions to promote the diffusion of solar energy production.
