Swiss vineyard tests solar panels to protect grapes and produce power

A pilot project in Sissach is testing whether solar panels can protect grapevines from extreme weather while generating electricity, SRF reports. The trial is the first in Switzerland to use agri-photovoltaics in a vineyard.

On a 250-square-metre plot, researchers are testing eight panel arrangements mounted on lightweight wooden and steel supports. Some panels sit horizontally above the vines, while others stand vertically among the foliage.

Winemaker Daniel Wiedmer says the panels shade the vines and produce electricity. The shade may also help limit heat stress, water loss and damage from hail, according to Urs Weingartner, head of the viticulture advisory service for Basel, Basel-Landschaft and Solothurn.

Linnéa Hauenstein, a member of the viticulture group at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture in Frick, said high temperatures can disrupt grape ripening and cause vines to lose compounds and aromas that contribute to wine. Reducing evaporation from the soil and vines could save water as well as ease heat stress.

The vertical panels are of particular interest to the local electricity provider because they generate power in the morning and late afternoon, but little around midday. Stephan Jurt of Elektra Sissach said this could help prevent the grid’s midday peak from rising further.

The project has generated 5.75 megawatt-hours of electricity since it began in May, roughly one and a half times the annual consumption of a four-person household. Wiedmer said the panels require some extra handwork because the vine shoots can no longer be trimmed mechanically at the top. The trial is due to run until the end of November 2028.