‘We want to prove that the output is around 50 per cent higher than in the valley’

‘We started planning the project seven years ago and installed a pilot plant near the reservoir. We tested suitable solar modules there, the right inclination and checked the technical and financial feasibility. With this project at ‘Lac des Toules’, we want to prove that it is possible to realise a floating PV project in alpine mountains, where the output is around 50 percent higher than in the valley,’ says Guillaume Fuchs, project manager at the energy group Romande Energie (interview).

‘The project will prove that a reservoir can be used twice. On the one hand for the production of hydroelectricity and on the other hand as a carrier for large-scale PV systems,’ says Lars Kreemke, project manager at K2 Systems.

‘The project has a 50 per cent higher efficiency’

‘The project has a 50 per cent higher efficiency than a comparable plant on land. Firstly, we use bifacial modules and secondly, there is higher UV radiation and lower temperatures above 1,800 metres, which makes the modules more efficient. Furthermore, the efficiency of the bifacial modules increases due to the stronger reflection of the snow in winter,’ says Guillaume Fuchs.

In addition, the project and the construction of the floating solar park benefits from the existing infrastructure on the reservoir, as it has already been used for electricity production for several years. ‘We think it is exciting and makes sense that someone is trying this out and gaining experience with it for the first time in the world,’ says Frank Rutschmann, Head of Renewable Energies at the Swiss Federal Office of Energy.

Impressions of Romande Energie SA