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Canton Obwalden overview
Ranking · Data 2025 · Source: BFS

The greatest solar potential in canton Obwalden

National ranking

Sarnen has the greatest solar-energy potential in canton Obwalden: its roofs could generate about 95 GWh of electricity a year. Next come Kerns (55 GWh) and Alpnach (52 GWh). This is modelled roof potential — largest where there is the most roof area, not current generation. Source: BFE.

Ranking

BFE · 2025
RankMunicipalityRoof potentialResidents
1Sarnen95 GWh10'742
2Kerns55 GWh6'472
3Alpnach52 GWh6'379
4Giswil41 GWh3'944
5Sachseln39 GWh5'294
6Engelberg38 GWh4'380
7Lungern22 GWh2'061
Bundesamt für Energie (BFE), retrieved 10.08.2026

How we measure this

BFE

Modelled 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 Obwalden has the greatest solar potential?
Sarnen, whose roofs could generate about 95 GWh of electricity a year (2025) — the greatest modelled roof potential of any municipality in canton Obwalden.
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.