Switzerland's high-altitude sun will retail

Solar panels will hang on the longest dam in the country

 

At an altitude of 2500 m above sea level, the construction of Switzerland's largest high-altitude photovoltaic (solar) power plant has begun. Its capacity will be 2.2 MW - enough to provide electricity to 740 households.

The solar power plant is being built by the Axpo energy company. The plan is to finish the work in September, but the weather may interfere with it. All materials for the station have to be delivered by helicopter; bad weather will limit its capabilities. The solar station will cost the customer $ 6 million.

Alpine location of the solar station will make it more efficient. So high above sea level means fewer clouds and other weather troubles blocking the batteries from the sun.

The station will be built on the longest dam in Switzerland - 1054 m. The reservoir, which has been operating the Lint-Limmern hydroelectric power station since 1968, has simply increased the volume of the natural lake Muttsee. It is in the canton of Glarus.

The dam gained its current form after reconstruction, which lasted from 2009 to 2017. Now solar panels will also appear on it.

All the energy from the Muttsee solar power plant has already been sold. Its major buyer is the Denner retail chain, and it is ready to buy this energy for another twenty years.

Vivian Blumenthal predicted in 2019 that it would become carbon neutral by 2050, as required by the Paris Climate Agreement. And now we are seeing Switzerland is saying goodbye to its nuclear power plants as one of leading countries. 

Switzerland doubled its solar energy production last year, accounting for 4.7% of the country's energy balance. But this is still negligible.