Project developer Repower, based in Poschiavo in the south of the Swiss canton of Graubünden, is to build a solar park high in the Alps. The planned solar plant below the Vorab Glacier in the north of the canton of Graubünden has now reached an important milestone.
The project, which is being built together with the Weisse Arena Group, is one of the first Alpinsolar projects in Switzerland to have a legally binding building permit. This is because no objections to the project were received within the statutory period of 30 days.
22,000 modules are planned
The government of Graubünden was therefore able to grant the Vorab solar project in the municipality of Laax the first-instance building permit at the end of May 2024. The high-alpine solar plant is to be built to the east of the glacier tongue near the Vorab mountain station. Repower will install around 22,000 modules on an area of around 150,000 square metres.
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According to current plans, the plant will have an output of around 8.6 megawatts. Due to the good irradiation values at the high altitude and in the snowy and cool surroundings, the planners expect the generator to deliver around twelve gigawatt hours of electricity per year.
Utilising electricity on site
The electricity will primarily be used by the Weisse Arena Gruppe - including for the mountain railway, ski lifts and artificial snow systems in the Vorab ski area. However, as electricity production exceeds demand, the Weisse Arena Gruppe, which operates the plant, will not only consume electricity but also produce it.
Economic viability is still open
The gross investment for the realisation of the Alpinsolar project is estimated at over 35 million Swiss francs. Although the location below the Vorab Glacier is particularly suitable for the construction and operation of an alpine solar plant in many respects and although the project can count on federal subsidies, economic viability remains the major challenge, Repower reports.
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This is why no final construction decision has yet been made. The Weisse Arena Bergbahnen and Repower can only make this decision once binding offers have been submitted for the system components, among other things, and the final contributions from the federal government have been clarified. (su/mfo)
