The Swiss installed solar panels on the dam by the power plant lake. As a result, energy production in winter tripled.

The Swiss decided to test the installation of solar panels on a dam built near Lake Muttsee, which serves as the upper reservoir for the Linth-Limmern pump-storage power plant. The costs were enormous due to its location at 2,450 meters above sea level and the lack of access roads. A local discount chain agreed to sign a 20-year contract to purchase the energy; otherwise, the experiment would not have been financially viable. After a few years, the results are so impressive that the country… established special laws to simplify permitting for such projects.

Solar power in the Alps. High altitude, cold weather, few clouds, and snow reflecting additional light…

When the AlpinSolar project on the dam at Lake Muttsee (Google Maps HERE; the panels are located on the south side of the dam and can be seen in the satellite image; see below) began in 2022, it was approached with skepticism. There were concerns about a lack of electricity generation due to clouds and snowfall, and fears about enormous costs, as all the equipment had to be delivered to the site by helicopter. A total of 4,872 panels were planned for installation on the dam wall, which is over 1 kilometer long (source).

The result? An average of about 3.3 GWh of energy per year, enough to power several hundred households if Danner’s discount chain hadn’t shown mercy and bought up all the production for 240 months. Half of AlpinSolar’s energy is generated in winter, precisely when Switzerland faces the greatest electricity shortages. The photovoltaic system works so efficiently that the local power plant supplies three times more electricity during winter months than similar plants located in lower areas. After all, location has many advantages.

At this altitude, the sun is more intense and provides more energy. Additionally, the dam is located above the fog line, which can linger in valleys for weeks on end. The high elevation results in low temperatures, and photovoltaic cells do not tolerate overheating, performing better in cooler conditions. Finally, there’s the snow: it reflects so much light toward the panels that their efficiency becomes “significantly higher” than those installed at lower elevations. The only issue is the cost of installation, which is why Switzerland has revised its laws to facilitate similar projects.

Installing photovoltaic modules on the dam (c) Gian Ehrenzeller / Keystone, via TagesAnzeiger.ch

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