Weisse Seejochbahn Shows At The Tyrolean Innovation Prize 2022
Energy-efficient, space-saving, unique in the world to date: the garage for the gondolas of the Weißseejochbahn of the Kaunertal Glacier, which opened at the end of 2021, made it into the top 3 of the Tyrolean Innovation Prize of the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce.
Energy-efficient, space-saving, unique worldwide to date. The garage for the gondolas of the Weißseejochbahn on the Kaunertal Glacier. © Kaunertaler Gletscherbahnen_Ringler_FULLRES
Kaunertal, December 16, 2022. With innovative projects, the use of renewable energy and a focus on recycling management, the Kaunertal Glacier is consistently developing into a sustainable and energy-autonomous ski area. One of these projects is the innovative and space-saving garage for the gondolas of the Weißseejochbahn, which saves 40% of valuable alpine space, as well as the installation of 260 photovoltaic modules at the mountain and valley stations, with which up to 50% of the energy used by the cable car is generated. At the Tyrolean Innovation Prize of the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce, the Kaunertal Glacier secured a top 3 place out of a total of 29 nominations in the "Technical Innovation" category.
Leave more room for nature
At the end of a day's skiing, gondolas are garaged, i.e. parked safely. Normally this requires a separate building next to the mountain or valley station or a correspondingly large valley station building. The Weißseebahn on the Kaunertal Glacier is different: the mountain and valley stations were planned in such a way that they are kept as small as possible and blend in perfectly with the surrounding mountains. In addition, with the new garage, the sidings to the left and right of the cable car were brought so close to the profile of the cable car that all 33 gondolas in the valley station can be parked in a very small space. This system saves 40% of space compared to conventional solutions. A separate garage building is no longer required, the valley station building could be planned much smaller and soil sealing avoided.
Reduce energy consumption and use the power of the sunJust as the impact on nature on the Kaunertal Glacier is kept to a minimum, energy is also used as efficiently as possible. For this reason, the Weißseebahn uses a direct drive that is as energy-efficient as it is quiet, which enables both a significant reduction in noise and a saving in energy use of eight percent. In addition, a total of 260 photovoltaic modules were installed at the mountain and valley station of the Weißseebahn. Up to 50% of the energy requirements of the Weißseebahn can be covered with this, the remaining requirement is obtained from hydropower. Seat heating in the gondolas was deliberately avoided, instead the seats are covered with warming loden fabric. "It was important to us to make the Weißseebahn so sustainable, to be integrated as space-saving and unobtrusively as possible in the sensitive high alpine natural environment. Of course, I am very pleased that a top place in the Tyrolean Innovation Award recognizes how well we have achieved this,” says Ing. Franz Wackernell, Managing Director of the Kaunertaler Gletscherbahnen. As spectacular as the gondola garage, drive and the energy solutions used are, innovation and technology should ultimately adapt to nature, says Wackernell: "Instead of doing without, restricting and reducing, we use progress and technology to create a socially intelligent, ecological path in harmony with to go to nature".
