Photovoltaic plants in alpine regions

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The highest located grid-connected photovoltaic plants

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
(Albert Einstein)

Corviglia, St.Moritz, Switzerland Kriegerhornbahn, Lech, Austria

Grid-connected photovoltaic systems located in swiss and austrian Alps, more than 2000 meters above the sea level
(courtesy: picture 1,2 Conergy, picture 3,4 Sunways)

Photovoltaic system on Jungfraujoch in Switzerland is located 3545 m above the sea level and it is world highest grid-connected photovoltaic plant. Several systems were built in past years in austrian and swiss Alps. Some of them are located higher than 2000 m above sea level. The most interesting are presented in the table below. 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.


Most interesting photovoltaic systems in the Alps
Jungfraujoch PV system Jungfraujoch power plant is a small system. Mind you, this is the world highest grid-connected PV plant. It 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 generator 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 - Jungfraujoch, Switzerland PV system type: PV grid-connected Operate since: 1993 Rated power: 1,1 kW peak Number of modules: 24 (Siemens) Module mounting: Fixed tilt	Jungfraujoch Power Plant (courtesy: Berner Fachhohschule, Switzerland, PV-Labor der Hochschule für Technik und Informatik)
Photovoltaic plant Birg The PV plant Birg (4.134 kWp) is located at 2670 m above sea level 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 1063 kWh/kWp, the performance ratio PR = 76.6% and the winter energy fraction 56.2%. More... Name and location: PV plant Birg - Station Birg of the Schilthorn cableway, Switzerland PV system type: PV grid-connected Operate since: 1992 Rated power: 4,134 kW peak Number of modules: 78 (Siemens M55) Module mounting: Fixed - mounted verticaly	PV plant Birg (courtesy: Berner Fachhohschule, Switzerland, PV-Labor der Hochschule für Technik und Informatik)
Kriegerhornbahn Kriegerhornbahn photovoltaic plant is located 2137 m above sea level in Lech ski area (Arlberg) in Austria. It consists of 12000 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 photovoltaic system - Lech, Austria PV system type: BIPV grid-connected Operation commencement: December 2002 PV module area: 150 m² Rated power: 9.5 kWp Module mounting: BIPV - facade integrated (transparent solar cells) Design energy output: 8.55 MWh/year	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, Switzerland. System along the Corviglia funicular route. PV system type: PV grid-connected Operation commencement: 2003 Rated power: 18 kWp Number of modules: 110 Shell-Solar modules PCU: 25 kW, Sputnik inverter Photovoltaic system at funicular Corviglia - St.Moritz Switzerland (courtesy: SunTechnics) - right top. Photovoltaic system along the funicular Corviglia - St.Moritz Switzerland (courtesy: SunTechnics) - right bottom.
Piz Nair Located on 3030 m above the sea level this is one of the highest grid-connected systems. It consists of 104 photovoltaic modules with area about 120 m². Name and location: Piz Nair photovoltaic system - St.Moritz, Switzerland. System along the Corviglia funicular route. PV system type: BIPV grid-connected Operation commencement: 2003 Rated power: 14 kWp Number of modules: 104 Sun Technics modules PCU: 6 x 2,5 kW Fronius inverter Piz Nair photovoltaic system at 3030 m above sea level - St.Moritz Switzerland (Courtesy: SunTechnics)
Altitude and power of some photovoltaic systems in alpine regions

Power	Location	Description	Constructed	MWh/GHG	Picture
2137 m ASL 9.5 kW	Austria, Kriegerhornbahn Picture source: Sunways	Kriegerhornbahn photovoltaic system BIPV, TRAN, GC	2002
5364 m ASL 40 kW	India, Ladakh Region	Hybrid PV-wind standalone system owned by Indian defense department GM, HY, WI, SA 40 kW PV + 10 kW wind
3840 m ASL 22 kW	Switzerland, Klein Matterhorn	Restaurant on Klein Matterhorn BIPV	2009
3545 m ASL 1.1 kW	Switzerland, Jungfraujoch Picture courtesy: PV-Labor der Hochschule für Technik und Informatik - Berner Fachhochschule	Jungfraujoch photovoltaic system FM, GC	1993
3030 m ASL 14 kW	Switzerland, Piz Nair Picture courtesy: SunTechnics	Piz Nair photovoltaic system BIPV, TRAN, GC	2003
2677 m ASL 4,13 kW	Switzerland, Station Birg of the Schilthorn cableway Picture courtesy: PV-Labor der Hochschule für Technik und Informatik - Berner Fachhochschule	Photovoltaic plant Birg FM, GC	1992
about 2200 m ASL 18 kW	Switzerland, Corviglia funicular, St.Moritz Picture courtesy: SunTechnics	Photovoltaic system along Corviglia funicular route SA, GC	2003
2005 m ASL 9 kW	Switzerland, Corviglia funicular, St.Moritz Picture courtesy: SunTechnics	Corviglia funicular, St.Moritz BIPV, GC	2003
Examples of some interesting grid-connected photovoltaic plants in mountain regions. World's largest BIPV systems are listed here, world's biggest photovoltaic systems can you find on page world largest photovoltaic power plants

* Abbreviations - explanation

BG - Biogas as additional energy source in hybrid systems
BIPV - Building integrated photovoltaic system
BM - Biomass as additional energy source in hybrid systems
CONC - Concentrating photovoltaic system
CSC - Coloured solar cells
DI - Diesel fuel as additional source of energy in hybrid systems
DIST - Distributed photovoltaic system
GC - Grid-connected photovoltaic system
GM - Ground-mounted photovoltaic system
FC - Fuell cells as additional energy source in hybrid systems
FI - Facade-integrated system
FLEX - Flexible solar cells
FM - Facade-mounted system
HY - Hybrid photovoltaic system
NB - Noise barrier
PB - PV System part of a passive building
RES - Residental housing
RI - Roof-integrated photovoltaic system
RM - Roof-mounted photovoltaic system
SA - Standalone photovoltaic system
SV - "Shadow-Voltaic" system
TF - Thin-Film (aSi, CdTe, CIS etc.)
TRAC - Tracking system
TRAN - Transparent modules
WI - Wind as additional source of energy in hybrid systems
WP - Water pumping

Photovoltaic plants in alpine regions - related 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.

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Webmaster's choice - one of the best inverter research related web sites. Detailed inverters test reports and monitoring data available on-line. Detailed plant descriptions and comprehensive literature section.

Literature and more information

Haeberlin, H., Renken, C.: Grid-connected PV Plant Jungfraujoch (3454m) 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.