Zürich Voters to Decide on CHF 750 Million Solar Push
Two left-green solar initiatives have cleared the signature threshold in the city of Zürich, setting the stage for a public vote on one of the city's most ambitious renewable energy proposals to date.
Both initiatives gathered well over the 3,000 signatures required for a municipal referendum, the first collecting 4,473 signatures, the second 4,185. The city confirmed both are valid on Wednesday, though a vote date has yet to be set.
The "One-Third Goal"
The first initiative, backed by the SP, Greens, and Alternative Liste (AL), would enshrine a binding target in Zürich's municipal charter: by 2040, one third of all electricity consumed in the city must come from local solar power — equivalent to roughly 900 gigawatt-hours per year. That's a striking ambition given where the city currently stands. Today, local solar production sits at just 76 gigawatt-hours — less than a tenth of the target — even though the Federal Office of Energy estimates Zürich's total solar potential at over 1,100 gigawatt-hours.
CHF 750 Million to Make It Happen
The second initiative provides the financial muscle. It calls for a framework credit of CHF 750 million through 2040, to be used for solar installations on city-owned buildings and infrastructure, leasing additional rooftops and facades from private owners, incentivising property owners to fully exploit their solar potential, and funding local energy storage.
Green city councillor Dominik Waser framed the push simply: "Zürich has the money, the potential, and the responsibility to move forward on solar."
The initiatives arrive as Swiss energy policy is pushing harder on renewables. A revised electricity law that came into force in 2026 significantly raised national renewable targets, and solar is increasingly seen as the key to closing Zürich's winter electricity gap — the period when hydropower and solar output both dip and the city relies most heavily on imports.
