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Solar Energy Experts

1400/04/13

Solar plant on alpine dam provides plenty of clean electricity in winter

The system on the dam wall of Lake Albigna in the Swiss Alps has been in operation for six months. The yields of the first winter confirm the positive forecst of the planners.

After half a year of operation, the electricity company of the city of Zurich (EWZ) draws a positive interim conclusion regarding the operation of the solar plant on the Albigna dam wall. The planners expected a high yield from the generator on the wall of the reservoir in Bergell, high up in the Alps, especially in winter. From mid-September 2020 to mid-March 2021, the plant generated a whopping 223 megawatt hours of clean solar electricity. The advantage of the system is that about 1,200 modules are installed almost vertically on the wall. On the one hand, this means that no snow remains on them in winter. On the other hand, they are better aligned to the lower sun and can use the light reflection of the snow. In this way, the system can deliver about half of its yield in winter alone.