Saint-Imier BE – In 2022, the region around the Swiss Energypark covered a total of 77 percent of its electricity needs with wind, hydro and solar power from the Swiss Energypark. In January and February and October to December, the region was even self-sufficient in energy.
The Swiss Energypark with its network of wind, hydro and solar power plants has proven its worth in 2022. According to BKW, the operator, the plants generated 124 gigawatt hours of electricity throughout the year. This represents 77 percent of the total electricity consumption of 161 gigawatt hours in this region of 21,000 people.
The wind turbines at the Juvent wind farm generated 80 gigawatt hours of electricity, 14 percent more than planned. In contrast, electricity production at the La Goule hydropower plant was 17 gigawatt hours, 30 percent below the average of the past 40 years. This is due to the warmth and dryness, especially in March and the summer months. However, wind and hydro combined to meet all of the region’s electricity needs in January and February and from October through December.
The Mont-Soleil solar power plant, in turn, generated 0.617 gigawatt hours of electricity thanks to the many days of sunshine. Now the modules of the power plant, which was built in 1992, are to be gradually replaced with modern modules and the output is to be increased from the current 560 to over 1000 kilowatts peak. stk
