Tokyo (SCCIJ) – One of the largest solar power plants in Switzerland is planned for construction at the high altitude of the Valais Alps. The plant has the potential to produce 600 gigawatt hours of green electricity per year. In combination with hydropower, the potential rises to 1,200 gigawatt hours, about half of which will be produced in winter.
The solar panels will cover mountain slopes in the Swiss Alps (© Grengiols Solar).
Renewable energy targets
To achieve the Swiss government’s climate goals, a significant amount of solar energy will have to be added in the coming years. The “Grengiols Solar” project will make a substantial contribution to this by concentrating solar power locally and cleverly combining it with hydroelectric power.
Last year, the first ideas for a large solar power plant on the southern slope of the Saflis Valley in the canton of Valais were revealed. The feasibility study completed in early 2023 now confirms this potential. Of the 6.6 square kilometers studied, 3.4 square kilometers can be used without natural hazard protection.
In this area, at an altitude of 2,000 to 2,500 meters, 910,000 solar modules with a capacity of around 440 megawatts peak could one day supply 600 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity per year, of which 250 GWh or 42 percent in winter. The 600 GWh would cover the electricity needs of around 200,000 households. It depends on the legal framework whether an implementation on this scale is possible.
Added hydropower
Grengiols Solar is backed by various partners from the Valais and the rest of Switzerland: the municipality of Grengiols, the two Valais energy companies EnBAG (Energie Brig-Aletsch-Goms) and FMV (Forces Motrices Valaisannes), as well as EKZ (Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich), the western Swiss energy company Groupe E, and IWB (Industrielle Werke Basel). EKZ, Groupe E, and IWB support the project because they want to use all options to increase winter supply security and fulfill their renewable energy responsibilities.
Grengiols-Solar can be ideally combined with the new Chummensee storage power plant planned by Gommerkraftwerke (GKW). GKW will carry out the Chummensee project independently of Grengiols-Solar. The environmental and feasibility studies will start soon.
Towards construction
The realization of a plant of the size of Grengiols-Solar is likely to take several years, as construction can only take place during the summer months. However, by the end of 2025, the plant should be able to supply the electricity required by law. Currently, the project planners are setting up an advisory group. It will be open to environmental groups and affected communities.
The group will be responsible for the environmental aspects of the project. Field surveys of flora and fauna will be conducted in the summer of 2023. The environmental impact report and the construction project should be available by the end of the year. The investment costs can hardly be estimated seriously today. A sufficiently reliable costing data may only be available when reaching the construction stage.
Text: Grengiols Solar (Editing by SCCIJ)
