The greatest solar potential in canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden
National ranking →Herisau has the greatest solar-energy potential in canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden: its roofs could generate about 91 GWh of electricity a year. Next come Teufen (41 GWh) and Heiden (31 GWh). This is modelled roof potential — largest where there is the most roof area, not current generation. Source: BFE.
Ranking
BFE · 2025| Rank | Municipality | Roof potential | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herisau | 91 GWh | 16'100 |
| 2 | Teufen | 41 GWh | 6'646 |
| 3 | Heiden | 31 GWh | 4'413 |
| 4 | Gais | 28 GWh | 3'150 |
| 5 | Urnäsch | 28 GWh | 2'382 |
| 6 | Speicher | 27 GWh | 4'505 |
| 7 | Schwellbrunn | 18 GWh | 1'543 |
| 8 | Wolfhalden | 18 GWh | 1'913 |
| 9 | Walzenhausen | 17 GWh | 2'111 |
| 10 | Waldstatt | 17 GWh | 1'906 |
| 11 | Stein | 16 GWh | 1'492 |
| 12 | Bühler | 16 GWh | 1'958 |
| 13 | Trogen | 15 GWh | 1'905 |
| 14 | Rehetobel | 15 GWh | 1'710 |
| 15 | Hundwil | 14 GWh | 967 |
| 16 | Wald | 9 GWh | 916 |
| 17 | Lutzenberg | 8 GWh | 1'340 |
| 18 | Grub | 8 GWh | 986 |
| 19 | Reute | 6 GWh | 717 |
| 20 | Schönengrund | 5 GWh | 561 |
How we measure this
BFEModelled annual electricity that rooftop photovoltaics could produce across the whole municipality, in gigawatt-hours per year, from the BFE «Solarenergiepotenziale der Schweizer Gemeinden» model (2025 snapshot). It is a potential, not installed capacity or actual generation, and it scales with roof area — so large towns lead simply because they have more roofs. It is a rolling model snapshot, not an annual survey. The companion roofs-plus-façades scenario adds vertical surfaces.
Frequently asked questions
- Which municipality in canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden has the greatest solar potential?
- Herisau, whose roofs could generate about 91 GWh of electricity a year (2025) — the greatest modelled roof potential of any municipality in canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden.
- Does this mean the municipality actually produces this much solar power?
- No. It is the modelled potential of the available roof surfaces — the electricity they could generate if fully used. Actual installed photovoltaics produce far less. The figure comes from the BFE solar model and scales with how much roof area a municipality has.