14.10.2020 – Axpo is building a ground-mounted solar plant on the industrial zone of the Altgass substation in Baar (Canton of Zug). The plant will go into operation in November and will produce renewable power for some 70 households in the region. The completion of the plant marks a further step in Axpo's expansion of its share in renewable energy in Switzerland.
Large solar plants on open areas are rare and hardly feasible in Switzerland owing to the restrictive legal environment and scarce land. Axpo was able to use an industrial zone on the Altgass substation site to build the plant: Five years ago the substation was fully refurbished and grid voltage increased with a view to growing power demand in the Zug region. The existing outdoor switchgear was dismantled and replaced with a more compact gas-insulated switchgear. The free space was assessed as a suitable location for a solar plant.
The facility with an installed capacity of 400 kWp was realised in close cooperation with the Canton of Zug and under consideration of the legal provisions and aspects such as environment, landscape and profitability. The project foresees 1,020 panels on a surface of 2500m2 with an output of about 300,000 kWh/year. Modules with black frames were selected so that the facility would blend into the local landscape. The plant is being built by the Axpo subsidiary CKW. The partner company WWZ AG will buy the produced renewable energy and market it in the region.
Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of October. Commercial commissioning is planned for November 2020. Photovoltaics is an important growth market for Axpo. Additional locations at Axpo's substations are being evaluated for the construction of solar plants.
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