Vertical Photovoltaic Power Plant On Alps Dam

Axpo, a Baden-based utility, is constructing a 2 megawatt power generation facility at the Muttsee Reservoir in Glarus, Switzerland. The plant is expected to achieve high levels of power generation, especially throughout the winter.

Several studies have shown that photovoltaic systems built in mountain areas can generate large amounts of electricity even in winter. The Swiss company Axpo wants to prove this conclusion by constructing a 2 MW power plant on the dam wall of the Muttsee Reservoir, nearly 2,500 meters above sea level. The company also plans to submit the project to the Swiss Federal Energy Agency as an innovative project.

According to the company, the power plant will consist of approximately 6,000 modules deployed over an area of approximately 10,000 square meters. The company also added that the tilt angle of the upper component array is 77 degrees, and the lower component array uses a 51-degree array tilt. It is expected that its annual power generation is expected to exceed 2.7 GWh. Axpo revealed that it is still discussing with potential partners the possibility of realizing power purchases under long-term power purchase agreements.

Christoph Sutter, head of Axpo's Renewable Energy Department, declared: "The Muttsee Dam is very suitable for photovoltaic power generation."

Sutter thinks the site is ideal because the dam faces south and is connected to the grid. He claims that the altitude here is also a factor in promoting solar power. According to the company's forecast, the entire system will achieve about half of the annual power generation in winter-compared to Switzerland's relatively flat lowland location, a similar-scale power plant will generate only about a quarter of the annual power generation in winter.

High-altitude projects have several advantages, and the absence of fog is one of them, as clear skies mean more solar radiation. In addition to the advantages that double-sided components can generate more power when it snows, these components have higher efficiency at low temperatures.

Switzerland consumes far more electricity in winter than it generates. As many large power plants in Switzerland and other countries begin to go off-grid, it will become more and more difficult to purchase electricity in the coming winter.

In recent years, the country has built many photovoltaic systems on the Swiss plateau, but it cannot effectively solve the problem of winter electricity consumption. However, Axpo believes that high-altitude photovoltaic systems are expected to support the implementation of the Swiss government's 2050 energy strategy.

Andy Heiz, head of the company's power generation and grid division, said: "We found that photovoltaic power generation facilities can indeed produce a lot of electricity. Of course, to really change the status quo, a power plant on the Muttsee Dam is not enough. We must deploy photovoltaic projects Not a protected area and well-developed location. Political and economic prerequisites must also be met. "

The latest research by the Swiss Federal Institute of Forests, Snow and Landscape (WSL), the Federal Institute of Snow and Avalanche (SLF) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, highlights the potential of high-altitude photovoltaic systems. Researchers claim that such systems can help mitigate seasonal declines in power generation in winter due to fogging, cloudy and reduced solar radiation levels.

Swiss power supplier Romande Energie recently built a 448-kilowatt floating solar array on Lake Lac des Toules at 1,810 meters above sea level in the Swiss Alps.

Swisssolar, the country's photovoltaic industry association, said this week that the country needs 50 GW of cumulative photovoltaic installed capacity to meet its future power needs and to replace fossil fuels in the process of phasing out nuclear energy. This solar demand figure is 25 times the country's installed solar capacity so far.

"We need 40 to 45 terawatt-hours of solar energy per year, most of which can be met by roof and facade projects," said David Stickelberger, managing director of Swissolar.

However, the Federal Council and the Federal Parliament must create appropriate conditions to facilitate the deployment of more photovoltaic systems, especially in buildings.

Eidtor: Kiko Lee

E-mail: kiko@wanhos.com