Swiss Solar Prize 2018
The pilot project featuring the farmhouse at Ecuvillens (canton of Fribourg), dating from 1859, uses terracotta colored modules developed especially by CSEM and Issol Suisse for protected sites representing part of our cultural heritage.
One year ago, we announced the intention to use solar panels on protected sites. An important step forward had then been made in the village of Ecuvillens, where the roof of a farm had been equipped – a world “first” – with red terracotta solar panels. This technology, developed by CSEM and Issol Suisse, has enabled the building to fully retain its original character.
A year later, this pilot project was awarded the Swiss Solar Prize 2018 in the “Renovation” category.
In the near future, it will become clear whether the Ecuvillens model will be emulated in other protected sites in Switzerland and Europe, and thereby further make available this technology, which will contribute greatly to our reaching the objectives of our national energy policy.
This pilot project was made possible with the support of the relevant government agencies—the Department of Energy and the Department of Cultural Property—as well as the support provided by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy and ÜserHuus. The project was completed thanks to ISSOL Suisse, which provided 230 m2 of solar panels, as well as the Lausanne-based company Solstis, which handled their installation. This accomplishment greatly expands the development potential of this technology, which serves as an important resource for achieving the objectives of Switzerland's 2050 Energy Strategy.