History of alpine solar plants (Switzerland)
High-alpine solar plant Jungfraujoch (1993)
In 1993, the PV test plant with grid feed-in went into operation in the high alpine surroundings of the Jungfraujoch. The system was planned and built by Prof. Dr. Heinrich Häberlin's team at what was then the Burgdorf School of Engineering (now part of the Bern University of Applied Sciences). The inauguration on the Jungfraujoch was attended by the press, SRF and, among others, the then Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. The public and therefore also politicians were informed via the media.
Alpine photovoltaic plant Birg (Schilthornbahn, approx. 1993)
At the same time as the installation on the Jungfraujoch, another test installation in the alpine area went online at the Birg intermediate station of the Schilthornbahn.
Alpine photovoltaic plant Mont Soleil (Jura, February 1992)
In February 1992, the photovoltaic plant on Mont Soleil (Jura) went into operation. This plant was the largest in Europe at the time and was planned and built by Bernische Kraftwerke BKW.
Results Jungfraujoch and Birg (2003)
In 2003, the results of the first ten years of operation of the facilities on the Jungfraujoch and Birg were published in a detailed report. The installation on the Jungfraujoch is still in operation today.
Solar Express (fall 2022)
Under the impression of the impending shortage of electrical energy and the sharp rise in energy prices, the so-called Solar Express was passed by Parliament in the fall of 2022. Thanks to the 60% subsidy promised by the federal government and the greatly simplified approval process, projects for large alpine solar plants shot up like mushrooms.
All of these projects have one thing in common: practically all of the players are talking about the uncharted territory that is being broken with the alpine solar systems. They also talk about a lack of experience and an experiment.
It is astonishing that 30 years after Jungfraujoch, Birg and Mont Soleil, terms such as uncharted territory, lack of experience, experiment, etc. are used in connection with alpine solar installations.
Status July 2024
Fortunately, the electricity shortage has not materialized, energy prices are almost as low as they were several years ago and the expansion of photovoltaic systems on existing infrastructure by private individuals, companies and the public sector is progressing rapidly.
The electricity grids, which cannot be expanded overnight, appear to be becoming a bottleneck.
Despite this, the construction of alpine solar plants is being maintained. This makes sense in landscapes that have already been heavily influenced by humans. In the current situation, it probably makes less sense to push ahead with the construction of alpine solar plants in largely intact mountain/natural landscapes.
It would probably make more sense to stop the march. This stop could be used to gather the missing empirical values (including the effects on fauna and flora, erosion, local climate, etc.) in a few smaller test installations. The experience gained in this way could be incorporated into the large alpine solar plants and would turn the experiment into a broadly supported project.
Published: 1.7.2024