Energie Electrique du Simplon (EES), a subsidiary of Swiss electricity producer Alpiq, is planning to build an 18-MW solar park in the Swiss Alps to take advantage of strong solar radiation at high altitudes throughout the year.
The Gondosolar plant is set to be built in the Alpjerung location above the village of Gondo in the canton of Valais at an altitude of between 2,000 metres and 2,200 metres, Alpiq said on Monday. As many as 4,500 bifacial solar panels installed on an area of 100,000 square metres (119,599 sq yd) are expected to produce about 23.3 million kWh of electricity which will be enough to supply at least 5,200 households. An underground cable will transport the electricity to the existing Gabi substation.
The capacity of the facility will be boosted by the stronger solar radiation at the high altitude, backed by the reflection of sunlight by the snow and low temperatures, which should ensure twice as much electricity production per square metre as a plant in the Swiss lowlands. More than half of the electricity will be generated in the winter which would make the site even more important for securing a stable electricity supply in the winter months, according to Alpiq.
The project was presented on Monday in the town of Brig and the next step is to submit an application to be included in the cantonal guidance planning. Its realisation will cost about CHF 42 million (USD 45.4m/EUR 39.8m). Alpiq said a feasibility study has shown that the project is economically viable in case the planned subsidy model in Switzerland is approved and the project gets the maximum subsidy of 60%.
Gondosolar is backed by the municipality of Gondo-Zwischbergen, project initiator Renato Jordan, who owns the plot of land for the facility, and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW).
(CHF 1 = USD 1.082/EUR 0.948)
Source: renewablesnow
