The Ticino energy supplier Aziende Industriali di Lugano (AIL) and Primeo Energie are using the Sedrun Solar alpine solar project to further deepen their existing collaboration. Over the next 19 years, AIL will benefit from one quarter of the alpine solar energy produced by the plant in Sedrun.
AIL (Aziende Industriali di Lugano SA) and Primeo Energie have signed a long-term purchase agreement for solar power from the «Sedrun Solar» alpine plant. Through a sub-participation, AIL will purchase from Primeo Energie, over a period of 19 years, one quarter of the electricity produced there, including guarantees of origin.
Solar power for 6500 households
The Sedrun Solar project is being built in the Scharinas / Cuolm Val area near Sedrun in the Surselva region of the canton of Graubünden, at an altitude of 1950 to 2100 metres above sea level. Covering an area of around 33 hectares, it is Switzerland’s largest alpine solar plant. Sedrun Solar is one of four alpine projects currently being implemented. Once fully completed, the nearly 34,200 solar modules, distributed across 5700 solar tables, will supply energy for around 6500 households. Sedrun Solar is being implemented by the Graubünden energy supplier energia alpina and the green electricity producer aventron. At the end of 2025, the first 10 percent of capacity was connected to the grid, thereby meeting the requirements of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). By 2028, the plant is expected to reach a total capacity of 18.3 megawatts.
The aventron shareholders Primeo Energie, Stadtwerk Winterthur and Energie Wasser Bern are jointly purchasing the solar power from Sedrun on a long-term basis. With AIL, another energy supply company is now joining the project through a sub-participation in alpine solar power. Primeo Energie is also providing the energy management platform for managing and distributing the alpine solar energy. For the construction and operation of the plant, energia alpina and aventron have founded a joint stock company, Sedrun Solar AG.
Cédric Christmann, CEO of Primeo Energie, says: «The collaboration with AIL shows how a long-standing partnership can be developed in a targeted way. We thank AIL for the trust it has placed in us and look forward to strengthening this partnership through further concrete projects in the coming years.»
Angelo Bernasconi, CEO of AIL, comments: «With our participation in Sedrun Solar, we are securing long-term access to sustainable alpine solar energy while also strengthening security of supply for our customers. The partnership with Primeo Energie enables us to combine innovative procurement models with stable and predictable framework conditions.» The project team will continue to work closely with authorities, environmental organisations and the local population to take all social and environmental aspects into account.
Alpine solar plants generate four to five times more energy in winter
A major advantage of alpine solar plants is that, over the course of a year, a solar module produces around 50 percent more energy than a comparable module in the lowlands. Initial operating experience confirms this potential. Especially in winter, alpine solar modules generate around four to five times more energy than lowland systems. They therefore make a welcome contribution to winter electricity supply. The first months of production in Sedrun show that the plant produces around half of its electricity in winter.
Media contacts
AIL: Corporate Communications, tel. +41 58 470 70 70, email pr@ail.ch
Primeo Energie: Viktor Sammain, PR Editor, tel. +41 61 415 41 08, email medienstelle@primeo-energie.ch
