With 1,500 kWh per installed kilowatt, the Alpin Solar system has the highest specific efficiency of all high-alpine systems connected to the electricity grid in Switzerland.
Image: pv magazine/Sandra Enkhardt
Photovoltaic power plants in the Alps are a big topic in Switzerland, with numerous reports on projects to be approved and built. The first high-alpine PV power plants have already been connected to the electricity grid.
Four colleges have now taken the trouble to collect all the data. The result is the alpine-pv.ch platform, which the Bern University, the University of Eastern Switzerland, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland and the University of Zurich have now published.
The database provides a comprehensive overview of the current status of all planned, rejected and realized alpine solar energy systems in Switzerland. The universities wanted to bring more transparency to the subject of alpine PV systems. The database contains all available current information and scientific findings on PV power plants in the Alps, as well as research and pilot plants in the Alps.
The platform allows all factories to be filtered based on their project status. For example, there are currently six PV power stations in the High Alps that are already connected to the electricity grid. All data such as performance, annual production and specific yield are also displayed for the plants. In the latter case, the Alpin Solar power station leads with 1,500 kWh per installed kilowatt. Some of the planned plants are expected to produce even higher specific yields, as shown in the database.
All PV systems announced or planned so far in the High Alps have an annual yield of 939 GWh, while power stations with 563 GWh are already in the active planning phase. NHowever, not all projects will be realized. According to the current status, plants with an expected generation of 373 GWh have been withdrawn or rejected. Solar energy generation in the high Alpine areas is seen as a way out of Switzerland’s winter electricity problem. Due to their location, these photovoltaic systems generate approximately half of their solar energy in the winter months. The government is currently encouraging the construction of these power plants through the Solar Express law.
This content is copyrighted and may not be reused. If you would like to collaborate with us and reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
Popular content
