The construction of Switzerland’s largest alpine solar plant, which will help the small country ensure renewable electricity throughout the year, has begun at a dam 2,500 metres high in the Alps. The 2.2 MW solar plant project, developed by Swiss energy firm Axpo and partner IWB, is part of Swiss efforts to fill the gap left by the phase-out of nuclear energy while simultaneously seeking to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The Muttsee facility, which is expected to be finished by the end of the year, will be Switzerland’s largest alpine solar plant, with over 5,000 solar modules providing roughly 3.3 million kWh of power each year.
In Switzerland, where dry summers, torrential rains, and snow-free winters are among the predicted consequences of unchecked global warming, strategies to reduce the impact of climate change have become contentious. Switzerland’s “Energy Strategy 2050” aims to boost energy production from renewables and hydropower while phasing out nuclear power, with a goal of adding 2 terawatts of cleaner electricity by 2040.
Last year, nuclear power provided a third of Switzerland’s electricity, while solar-powered photovoltaics provided only 3.7 percent of the total. More than 60 per cent of Switzerland’s total energy usage was still derived from fossil fuels. Because of its alpine position, the Muttsee facility will be able to produce half of its output during the winter months, when sunshine is scarce in Switzerland. Lower-elevation solar plants produce only about a fifth of their power in the second half of the year.