Clean energy will soon be flowing in the Gulmmatt

The most powerful photovoltaic system in the canton will be connected to the grid in Baar In mid-December. As the operator, however, Risi Immobilien AG wants to go a step further in terms of clean energy.

It should be an "exclamation mark in terms of renewable energy": in the Gulmmatt industrial estate above Blickensdorf, where the finishing touches are now being made on one of the largest photovoltaic plants in the canton of Zug in terms of area. When it goes online as planned in mid-December, it will be the best performing photovoltaic system in the canton, says Adrian Risi, Managing Director of Risi Immobilien AG.

The company's roofs, which amount to an area of almost 7,500 square metres, are almost entirely filled with solar panels. On the one hand, the company aims to contribute to Switzerland's climate policy objective of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990. "On the other hand, I’m personally convinced that we need to make use of technology that enables us to generate energy from renewable sources," says the Baar Entrepreneur and SVP Cantonal Councillor.

45 % for personal use for the time being
As a real estate company, moreover, Risi Immobilien has to ensure that a project like this is a profitable investment. "Until recently, photovoltaics were still too expensive. But the technology has become cheaper in the meantime, and the yields from the generated electricity are greater," says Risi. For the implementation of the plant, which is budgeted at CHF 1.8 million, Adrian Risi has called in a specialised company, Convoltas AG, which is also based in Baar. According to their calculations, the plant will achieve an output of 1500 kWp (kilowatt peak). That would be enough to supply 330 single-family homes. "The solar energy we produce will be used by the commercial enterprises in Gulmmatt," says Risi. "That will amount to about 45% of the total output." The remaining 55% will be fed into the general grid and sold. "Ecology, economy, the environment and, of course, profitability play a central role for me as an entrepreneur and politician," says Adrian Risi. In addition to this, he has always been interested in renewable energy and, in particular, has been closely monitoring the development of solar power generation.

The 7,500 m² photovoltaic system on the roofs of Risi Immobilien AG above Blickensdorf is almost completed.

When the photovoltaic system of Risi Immobilien AG goes online in December, it will be the second of its kind in this Baar municipality: another huge plant produces solar power on the roofs of the neighbouring Alfred Müller AG in Allmig,. The industrial area above Blickensdorf on the border with the ‘Säuliamt’ has become an exemplary hotspot of solar energy, one could say.

Hydrogen as the fuel of the future
Adrian Risi's plans for clean energy go even further, however: a hydrogen filling station is to be built on the company's property In the foreseeable future. Although this type of fuel is still in its infancy, the number of such pumps in Switzerland can currently to be counted on one hand. But, as an alternative to internal combustion engines, hydrogen-powered vehicles are predicted to soon be on the rise in Switzerland. The world's first AVIA hydrogen filling station started operations in St.Gallen In July, and more are to follow.

Other Swiss corporations and companies are also already gearing up for the coming hydrogen boom. Just like Risi Immobilien AG. "We expect the first customers with hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles in the foreseeable future," says the entrepreneur, thereby stressing that, from the point of view of climate protection, the operation of a hydrogen filling station only makes sense in combination with renewable energy. "The production of hydrogen involves an enormous amount of energy," he explains. And the photovoltaic system will then provide the best services there.