Photovoltaics Parties cast a shadow over the Basel government's solar offensive

The Basel government's solar offensive is dividing the party landscape: while parties on the left-green spectrum welcome the extension of the solar obligation to existing buildings, middle-class parties and business associations are already threatening a referendum.

All suitable roofs and façades in the canton of Basel-Stadt are to be fitted with solar panels by 15 years. This is the demand of the government's solar offensive, which was submitted for consultation at the end of April and whose deadline has now expired.

A glance at the solar cadastre map reveals that there is hardly a building in the city, even Basel Cathedral, that is not well or even ideally suited to being fitted with photovoltaic systems.

In their statements, the Basel Greens and the SP welcome the extension of the solar obligation to existing buildings. The SP is calling for support for homeowners without sufficient funds to build a photovoltaic system.

The Greens propose creating a financial incentive for homeowners who install solar power systems before the end of the transitional period of 15 years.

On the other hand, there is talk of coercive measures that would disregard the rights of homeowners, as expressed by the SVP, for example. The Homeowners' Association is bothered by the fact that the main burden of the net-zero CO2 measures is to be passed on to homeowners.

Aesthetic concerns

In their statements, architects' and special interest groups express concern about the aesthetic consequences of the broad solar obligation. "It must be feared that without a qualitative set of rules, an individual patchwork will be created, which will also result in inefficient solar systems," writes the Basel section of the Association of Swiss Architects, for example.

In its statement, the Swiss Association of Owners of Historic Residential Buildings "Domus Antiqua Helvetica" (DAH) speaks of an "unprecedented erosion of proven protection mechanisms for our architectural monuments and in our sites worthy of protection". Specifically, it is calling for a waiver of replacement levies for buildings in the protection and conservation zone.

The government will now go over the books after evaluating the consultation responses. The SVP has already announced that it will call for a referendum if the solar offensive is retained in its current form.

SDA