Pioneer project above the fog line

With the pioneer project "PV Muttsee" Axpo is planning a large-scale solar plant at 2,500 metres above sea level. The first large-scale, alpine solar plant will be installed on the Muttsee dam and have an output of 2 megawatts. Axpo is driving forward the expansion of renewable energies in Switzerland and will deliver vital winter power with the facility.

A solar plant with over 6,000 photovoltaic modules will be installed on the dam in the Glarus Alps. The plant will produce approx.. 2.7 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year – corresponding to the consumption of 600 average four-person households. The solar plant will cover a surface of 10,000 square metres, which corresponds to the area of 1.5 football fields.

Contribution to winter power

The alpine location makes the solar plant particularly efficient. It will generate nearly half of its production during the winter half-year because of its location above the fog line and the high sun exposure. In addi-tion, solar plants like the cold. The efficiency of PV modules is higher at low temperatures. The high alti-tude is also favourable for the so-called "Albedo effect": Sunlight is reflected by the snow cover and results in higher solar power production.

Optimally situated

The southeast/southwest position is also advantageous for the construction of a solar plant on the Muttsee dam. The existing infrastructure belonging to the Limmern pumped storage plant makes addi-tional grid expansion unnecessary and because the plant will be installed on the dam, no additional open space will be needed for construction.