Decision To Build An Alpine Solar Power Plant At The Klosters Madrisa Cable Car Has Been Made.
The decision to build an alpine solar power plant at the Klosters-Madrisa cable car has been made. The developer of the new plant is Madrisa Solar AG. EKZ, the municipality of Klosters and Repower each have a one-third share in this company. The plant, located 2,000 meters above sea level, will produce around 17 GWh of electricity per year.
The initial preparatory work for Madrisa Solar has begun. When fully completed, Madrisa Solar will have a production capacity of 12 MW and will supply around 17 GWh of electricity per year. This amount of electricity will be enough to supply over 3,500 households. The plant at the Klosters-Madrisa cable car is being built as part of the federal Solar Express. The current funding regime stipulates that at least ten percent of the plant must be connected to the grid by the end of 2025.
Strong partners in Madrisa Solar AG
The developer of the new plant is Madrisa Solar AG. EKZ, the municipality of Klosters and Repower each have a one-third share in this company. The total investment amounts to around 70 million Swiss francs. The electricity produced in Madrisa is purchased by EKZ and the Klosters-Madrisa mountain railways. The mountain railways will use the electricity directly on site to operate their plants.
Paul Sidler, Head of Renewable Energies at EKZ: "For us, Madrisa Solar is another commitment to the energy transition. The alpine solar plant is a pioneering project that will strengthen the security of supply in winter in the future."
Hansueli Roth, Klosters mayor: "As an energy city, Klosters wants to make a contribution to the expansion of renewable energies by investing in Madrisa Solar, in addition to its previous use of hydropower (for over 100 years), and thus live up to its shared responsibility as a tourist community with high winter energy consumption."
Roland Leuenberger, CEO of Repower: "With Madrisa Solar, Repower is assuming responsibility for the security of the electricity supply. The decisive factors for the positive decision were the ideal location, the great support of the municipality of Klosters, the partnership with EKZ and the good cooperation with the cantonal authorities and environmental protection associations."
Ideal location
The solar panels in Madrisa are located at over 2000 meters above sea level and face south. This means that an above-average production yield can be expected, especially in the winter months. In addition, the system is well integrated into the landscape, which is already burdened by the Madrisa ski area. Preliminary work began this autumn, and the first solar panels will be built from spring 2025. The entire construction period will take three years.
Solar Express for more electricity in winter
The Solar Express is an initiative to promote large alpine solar systems in Switzerland. This initiative was launched by the Federal Parliament in autumn 2022 to facilitate and accelerate the approval and promotion of large-scale photovoltaic systems. A main goal of the Solar Express is to increase energy production in winter, as alpine solar systems produce more electricity in the winter months than in the lowlands. Alpine solar systems are an important contribution to the secure electricity supply in Switzerland during the winter months.
