This is your 1 News posts out of 3 that you are entitled to as a guest.

Please sign up for one of our PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTIONS to continue your access to Global Energy Infrastructure.

AlpinSolar: construction starts on largest alpine solar plant in Switzerland

6/1/2021

Press Release - Alpine Solar

Over the next four months, Axpo and IWB will build the largest alpine solar plant in Switzerland at the Muttsee dam. Following construction approval from the local municipality of Glarus Süd, the first components were transported to the dam yesterday. AlpinSolar will generate 3.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, half of which will be in the winter months. Supermarket chain Denner has concluded a 20-year power purchase agreement for the electricity produced by the plant.

The local municipality of Glarus Süd issued the formal construction approval for AlpinSolar last week. Work began officially with delivery of the crane to the Muttsee dam. During construction, the crane will be required for installation of the substructure and solar panels.

As the Muttsee dam cannot be reached by road, plant components will be transported by helicopter. Optimal flight times and flight corridors have been coordinated with the municipality to minimise any impact on the environment and the local population as much as possible. The CO₂ footprint created by use of the helicopter will be offset within a few months of the plant’s operation. Over the next four months, a total of 730 tonnes of material will be delivered to Tierfehd, staged there and then transported to the dam by helicopter. The hiking trail that passes over the Muttsee dam will be rerouted due to the construction work. For safety reasons, visits to the construction site are not possible.

Under ideal conditions, the solar plant will feed 2.2 megawatts of electricity into the grid and is expected to generate 3.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, of which 50 percent will be during the winter. This will make it the largest alpine plant in Switzerland. Initiated by Axpo, the project is being implemented in collaboration with IWB, the energy supplier of Basel-Stadt canton, and will make an important contribution to Switzerland’s energy transformation. Planeco, a subsidiary of IWB, has been commissioned to build the solar plant. Retailer Denner has concluded a 20-year power purchase agreement for the solar electricity it will generate.

For more information, go to: www.alpinsolar.ch