Repower: Alpine Solar System Planned For Klosters Madrisa Cable Car
Together with the municipality of Klosters and Klosters-Madrisa Bergbahnen AG, Repower is planning to build an alpine solar system at the Madrisa mountain railway. With an installed capacity of 12 MW, the system in the “Züg” area could supply both the mountain railway and a large number of households with sustainable, locally generated solar power.
The planned alpine solar system Madrisasolar would be around 2,000 meters above sea level and would cover an area of around 150,000 square meters when it was completed. The approximately 30,000 modules would all face south and, with a production capacity of 12 MW, would probably deliver an average annual production of more than 17 GWh. This amount of electricity could supply around 3,500 households.
The yield of solar power, especially in the important winter months, is particularly high at this location. And the electricity is produced where it is also partly needed. The consumption and production profile of the mountain railway and Madrisasolar match each other perfectly, so that the Madrisa mountain railway could be operated entirely with solar power. The production of locally generated, renewable energy is an important topic for Klosters-Madrisa Bergbahnen AG and Madrisasolar would be a big step towards more sustainability on the mountain. In addition, the plant would also cover local and regional needs.
Area with existing infrastructure and use
Madrisasolar would be located in an area with existing infrastructure and use. An environmental impact assessment is currently being carried out. The landowner of the site is the political municipality of Klosters, the right of use currently lies with the Alpine cooperative. The owner and operator of Madrisasolar would be the Bündner energy supplier Repower AG, the technical project management is in the hands of Fanzun AG. Participation by the municipality and the other framework conditions are currently still being examined and worked out.
The municipal council of Klosters and Klosters-Madrisa Bergbahnen AG support the project. All those involved consider the addition of production facilities for renewable energies to be imperative and assess the planned location as possible and well tolerated from an environmental, landscape and tourism point of view. In the light of the energy city label, a corresponding production plant also fits perfectly into the energy strategy of the Klosters municipality.
There are still a number of political and technical hurdles to overcome before the approval process can be initiated. In addition to the municipal parliament and the electorate, the general assembly is also responsible for the progress of this large-scale plant. A public information event on the project is planned for August 2023. Voting is scheduled for October 22, 2023.
Improved framework conditions
Madrisasolar is the result of the temporary easing of the political framework for alpine solar systems. In the autumn session of 2022, the federal parliament created the conditions for the rapid expansion of photovoltaic ground-mounted systems with high winter production with the "urgent federal law on the short-term provision of a secure power supply in winter". The entitlement to a simplified approval process and additional funding applies until the end of 2025 or up to a total annual production of two terawatt hours.
