Neuchâtel innovators amplify solar pioneering with Dixi Polytool

Western Switzerland innovation shines in a new solar project as CSEM, EPFL, and Meyer Burger deploy over 2,000 advanced solar panels atop Dixi Polytool’s factory in Le Locle.

The Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), and Meyer Burger Company came together under the aegis of Dixi Polytool to create a novel generation of solar panels. This notable project saw over 2,000 solar panels being installed on the roof of Dixi Polytool premises in Le Locle (canton of Neuchâtel).

The ambitious venture emerged from a concord of technological prowess and eco-conscious enterprise. The solar station, comprising 2,135 panels, promises a prodigious production potential of one million kilowatt-hours annually. With Dixi Polytool consuming around three million kilowatt-hours yearly, this solar endeavor will be shouldering a significant one-third of the company’s electricity demands.

A driving factor for Dixi Polytool was the Swiss-Made label, symbolizing impeccable quality, a factor that significantly resonates on an international level. This initiative not only lessens the uncertainties surrounding energy supply and its fluctuating costs but marks a monumental stride towards environmental sustainability.

The solar technology is a marvel in itself, having its origins in the collaborative brains of EPFL and CSEM, later partnering with Meyer Burger for the industrial phase. This technology transmutes sunlight into electricity with a higher efficiency, courtesy of its heterojunction silicon solar panels, surpassing the conventional solar panel yield by 10%.

Leveraging local resources and expertise

With an installation sprawling across 3,936 square meters, it stands as the most extensive solar deployment in the French-speaking part of Switzerland employing this breakthrough technology. This initiative is also a testimony to Dixi Polytool’s commitment to sustainable energy solutions while leveraging local resources and expertise. Dixi Polytool hopes to bring the synergies created by this project to other projects in the near future. This collaboration exemplifies a model of integrating cutting-edge technologies, sustainable practices and local prowess to create a solution that benefits both businesses and the environment.