Several systems located in high altitudes were put into service in recent years.
In Europe most of these facilities are located in austrian and swiss Alps and in
Asia in India and China (Himalaya, Tibet). Many of them are located
higher than 2,000 m above sea level.
Interesting application example is Clean Energy path at St. Moritz - three different solar
power systems around the funicular of Corviglia at Piz Nair, a mountain close to St. Moritz
(Switzerland): one at the beginning of the funicular with round about 9 kWp, one parallel to
the route with about 18 kWp and the third on the peak, more than 3,000 meters above sea level,
with 14 kWp.
PV POWER PLANTS HIGH ALTITUDES - CASE STUDIES
Lhasa PV System
OSolar Ltd., an international Solar Stakeholder and System Integrator, in January 2011 announced the completion of
the company's utility-scale, single-axis tracking system in Lhasa, Tibet, commissioned by Longyuan (Beijing)
Solar Engineering Technology Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of China Guodian Group. The project is a 10 MW PV power plant and
OSolar provided 394 kW of its world-class single-axis tracking system. According to the company, the single-axis
tracking system at this site will deliver an estimated 20 % more annual energy per kW than a fixed tilt PV system.
This plant is located at an altitude of 4,300 meters - one of the highest located PV power plants.
| Name and location |
Lhasa PV System |
| PV system type |
Fixed tilt + tracking |
| Operates since |
2010 |
| Rated power |
10 MW, 394 kW tracking |
TABLE 1: Lhasa PV System
Utility-scale, single-axis tracking system in Lhasa, Tibet
(Courtesy: osolar)
Jungfraujoch PV system
PV power plant is located at Jungfraujoch, 3,454 m above sea level, in Switzerland. It has been operating
successfully since 1993 with a 100 % availability of energy production and monitoring data.
Operation in high altitudes puts a very hard stress on all the components. The solar
array consists of 24 Siemens 48 Wp modules with a rated power of 1,1 kWp.
In 2005 PV plant Jungfraujoch (effective peak power 1.13 kWp, 3454 m above sea level), which was
erected in 1993 by the PV laboratory of the Berne School of Engineering and Information technology,
has established a new record for normalised annual energy production in 2005. Despite a line
interruption of one day (23.8.2005) in the valley, in 2005 1537 kWh/kWp were produced with a
winter energy fraction of 48.5%. Thus the old record dating from 1997 (1504 kWh/kWp) was
trespassed considerably. Without the line interruption, in 2005 the production would have
been even 1540 kWh/kWp. In the average of 1993 to 2005, PV plant Jungfraujoch has produced
1407 kWh/kWp with a winter energy fraction of 46.3%.
For more details please visit web site of
PV-Labor der Hochschule für Technik
und Informatik (HTI) - Berner Fachhochschule.
| Name and location |
Jungfraujoch PV system |
| PV system type |
Grid-connected |
| Operates since |
1993 |
| Rated power |
1.1 kW |
| Annual yield |
1400 kWh |
| Number of modules |
48 Siemens Solar cSi modules |
| Module mounting |
Fixed Tilt angle 90° |
TABLE 2: Jungfraujoch PV system
Jungfraujoch Power Plant, right, Birg PV power plant, left
(courtesy: Berner Fachhohschule, PV-Labor der HTI)
Birg PV power plant
The PV plant Birg (4.134 kWp) is located at 2,670 m above sea level (Station Birg of the Schilthorn cableway) and it has been operated since 1992.
The PV array is mounted vertically at the outer wall of a cableway station and is oriented nearly
exactly towards south. Average annual energy production in the time period 1995 - 2002 was
1,063 kWh/kWp, the performance ratio PR = 76.6 % and the winter energy fraction 56.2 %.
More...
| Name and location |
Birg PV power plant |
| PV system type |
Grid-connected |
| Operates since |
1992 |
| Rated power |
4.134 kW |
| Annual yield |
4,200 kWh |
| Number of modules |
78 Siemens Solar M55 cSi modules |
| Module mounting |
Fixed Tilt angle 90° |
TABLE 3: Birg PV power plant
Kriegerhornbahn
Kriegerhornbahn photovoltaic plant is located 2,137 m above sea level in Lech ski area (Arlberg) in Austria. It consists of 12,000
solar cells ad it covers 150 m2 area. Transparent cells are integrated into buildings envelope.
Peak power is 9,5 kWp and estimated electricity production is 900 kWh/kWp.
| Name and location |
Kriegerhornbahn |
| PV system type |
Grid-connected |
| Operates since |
December 2002 |
| Rated power |
9.5 kW |
| Annual yield |
8550 kWh |
| Array area |
150 m2 |
| Module mounting |
Fixed Tilt angle 90° |
TABLE 4: Kriegerhornbahn PV system
Kriegerhornbahn photovoltaic system
(courtesy: Sunways)
Corviglia, St.Moritz
Systems around funicular of Corviglia in St.Moritz, Switzerland are
parts "Clean Energy Path" in St. Moritz. BIPV system
at the beginning of the funicular has rated power 9 kWp.
The second system located parallel to the route consists of
162 photovoltaic modules with peak power 18 kWp.
| Name and location |
Corviglia, St.Moritz |
| PV system type |
Grid-connected |
| Operates since |
December 2003 |
| Rated power |
18 kW |
| Modules |
110 Shell Solar modules |
| PCU |
25 kW, Sputnik inverter |
TABLE 5: Corviglia St.Moritz
Photovoltaic system at funicular Corviglia, St.Moritz, Switzerland
(courtesy: SunTechnics)
Piz Nair
Located on 3,030 m above the sea level this is one of the highest located
grid-connected systems. It consists of 104 photovoltaic modules with area about 120 m2.
| Name and location |
Piz Nair, Corviglia, St.Moritz |
| PV system type |
BIPV, Grid-connected |
| Operates since |
December 2003 |
| Rated power |
14 kW |
| Modules |
104 SunTechnics Modules |
| PCU |
6 x 2,5 kW, Fronius |
TABLE 6: Piz Nair
Piz Nair photovoltaic system at funicular Corviglia, St.Moritz, Switzerland
(courtesy: SunTechnics)
HIGH ALTITUDES LOCATED PV POWER PLANTS WORLDWIDE
|
Power
|
Location
|
Description
|
Constructed
|
Picture
|
|
5,364 m ASL
40 kW
|
India,
Ladakh
|
Hybrid PV-wind standalone system owned by Indian defense department, 40 kW PV + 10 kW wind
|
|
|
|
4,300 m ASL
10 MW
|
China,
Lhasa (Tibet)
|
Lhasa PV system
Picture courtesy: osolar
|
2010
|
|
|
3,840 m ASL
22 MW
|
Switzerland,
Klein Matterhorn
|
Restaurant on Klein Matterhorn, BIPV
|
2010
|
|
|
3,445 m ASL
1.1 kW
|
Switzerland,
Jungfraujoch
|
Jungfraujoch PV power plant
Picture courtesy:
HTI Bern, PV-Labor
|
1993
|
|
|
3,030 m ASL
14 kW
|
Switzerland,
Piz Nair
|
Piz Nair, funicular Corviglia
Picture courtesy: SunTechnics
|
2003
|
|
|
2,677 m ASL
4,134 kW
|
Switzerland,
Birg
|
Station Birg of the Schilthorn cableway
Picture courtesy: HTI Bern, PV-Labor
|
1992
|
|
|
2,200 m ASL
18 kW
|
Switzerland,
Corviglia, St.Moritz
|
Funicular Corviglia
Picture courtesy: SunTechnics
|
2003
|
|
|
2,137 m ASL
9.5 kW
|
Austria,
Kriegerhornbahn
|
Kriegerhornbahn
Picture courtesy: Sunways
|
2003
|
|
|
2,005 m ASL
9 kW
|
Switzerland,
Corviglia, St.Moritz
|
Funicular Corviglia
Picture courtesy: SunTechnics
|
2003
|
|
PV POWER PLANTS IN HIGH ALTITUDES - WEB SITES
PV Labor -
der Hochschule für Technik und Informatik - Berner Fachhochschule. External
test facility is located at Jungfraujoch (3454 m ASL) for tests of photovoltaic
components under extreme climatic conditions.
Website also available in:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Papers
|
Haeberlin, H., Renken, C.:
Grid-connected PV Plant Jungfraujoch (3454 m) in the Swiss Alps: Results of more
than four Years of trouble-free Operation, Proc. 2nd World Conf. on Photovoltaic
Energy Conversion, Vienna, Austria, 1998.
|