Switzerland builds huge solar power plant in Alps (video)

The project must provide the urgently needed electricity for the country in the winter

Switzerland has recently started construction of its largest solar power plant near a dam at an altitude of 2,500 meters in the Alps, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.

The 2.2-megawatt power plant project should help the country secure renewable energy all year round. It was developed by the Swiss energy company Axpo in partnership with IWB and plays an important role in the country’s plans to cover the shortfall left by the gradual abandonment of nuclear energy, while achieving the goal of zero net emissions. greenhouse gases by 2050.

Once completed, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, the installation near Mutsee will be Switzerland’s largest alpine solar power plant, with nearly 5,000 solar modules producing about 3.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

Project manager Christian Heyerli from Axpo did not announce the amount of the investment.

Strategies to limit the impact of climate change have been the subject of heated public debate in Switzerland, where dry summers, heavy rains and winters with little snow are the most anticipated consequences of global warming if left unchecked.

According to the government’s “Energy Strategy 2050”, Switzerland plans to increase its production of electricity from renewable sources and hydropower, while gradually shutting down its nuclear facilities. The goal is to add 2 terawatts of “green” electricity to the energy mix by 2040.

However, plans to cut emissions hit in June when voters rejected three eco-proposals in a referendum, including a new law that was supposed to help the country meet its emissions reduction target under the Paris Climate Agreement.

Problems in relations with the EU, from which Switzerland imports electricity, especially in the cold winter months, also mean that it must increase production to cover winter consumption.

The global shift to greener transport through electric vehicles and other electrified systems will only increase demand, according to a study by UBS.

Last year, Switzerland received a third of its electricity from nuclear power, while solar photovoltaics contributed only 3.7 percent of the electricity consumed.

Fossil fuels were the source of more than 60 percent of the total energy recovered.

The country has already used much of its potential to expand hydropower capacity, and expanding wind and thermal power generation capacity in the short term faces a number of challenges. That means the country needs to focus on more large-scale solar projects, Haierley said.

The alpine location will allow the Mutsee facility to operate at half capacity during the colder months, when sunlight in Switzerland is generally low. Solar facilities at lower altitudes operate with only about a quarter of their capacity at the end of the year.

–