Switzerland’s Canton of Grisons has launched an application process to install photovoltaic systems on 50 retaining walls along cantonal roads. Spearheaded by the Cantonal Technical Office, the initiative targets municipalities, energy providers, and other institutional entities, inviting them to design, finance, construct, and operate systems on surfaces made available by the canton.
The measure follows the “Mazzetta motion,” approved by the Grand Council during its December 2024 session, which called for a “solar offensive” across cantonal road infrastructure. The objective is to systematically assess and harness the solar energy potential of retaining walls and other suitable surfaces within the cantonal road network.
Selected participants will be responsible for planning, financing, constructing, grid connection, operation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of the installations over their full lifecycle.
The scope covers 50 retaining walls along cantonal roads in Grisons. Sites were selected based on criteria including minimum installation size potential, structural characteristics of the road infrastructure, geometry and available surface area, operational conditions such as winter maintenance and vegetation control, orientation and azimuth, and proximity to potential grid connection points.
The procedure comprises six stages: expression of interest, site visits with interested parties, submission of site-specific applications, allocation of sites, granting of usage rights, and issuance of building permits.
The initial deadline is set for 31 August 2026. By this date, municipalities, utilities, and other institutional entities must submit their expressions of interest. Successful applicants may then participate in optional site visits to selected representative locations, tentatively scheduled between mid-September and late October 2026.
The canton clarifies that the procedure does not constitute a public procurement contract. Selected parties will be granted the exclusive right to use portions of public infrastructure for solar energy production, without the transfer of public functions and without financial compensation from the canton.
In parallel, the Technical Office will directly install photovoltaic systems where production is deemed cost-effective and electricity can be consumed on-site to power cantonal road infrastructure.
The initiative aligns with a broader trend of repurposing existing infrastructure for photovoltaic deployment, with the aim of reducing land use and increasing local renewable energy generation.
