Alpine solar plant planned at the Madrisa mountain railway
Repower, together with the municipality of Klosters and Klosters-Madrisa Bergbahnen AG, is planning to build an alpine solar plant at the Madrisa mountain railway. With an installed capacity of 12 MW, the plant in the "Züg" area could fully supply both the mountain railway and a large number of households with sustainable, locally generated solar power in the future.
The planned Madrisasolar alpine solar plant would be located at around 2000 metres above sea level and would cover an area of around 150,000 square metres when completed. The approximately 30,000 modules would all face south and, with a production capacity of 12 MW, would deliver an average annual output of probably over 17 GWh. This amount of electricity could supply around 3,500 households.
The yield of solar electricity, especially in the important winter months, is particularly high at this location. And the electricity is produced where it is partly needed. The consumption and production profiles of the mountain railway and Madrisasolar are an ideal match, so that the Madrisa mountain railway could be powered entirely by solar electricity. The production of locally generated, renewable energy is an important issue 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 Graubünden energy provider Repower AG, while Fanzun AG would be responsible for the technical project management. The participation of the municipality and the further framework conditions are currently still being examined and worked out.
The Klosters municipal council and Klosters-Madrisa Bergbahnen AG support the project. All parties involved consider the addition of production facilities for renewable energies to be imperative and judge the planned location to be possible and well compatible from an environmental, landscape and tourism point of view. In the light of the Energy City label, a corresponding production plant also fits in perfectly with the energy strategy of the municipality of Klosters. There are still a number of political and technical hurdles to overcome before the licensing procedure can be initiated. In addition to the municipal parliament and the electorate, the civic assembly is also responsible for the progress of this large-scale plant. A public information event on the project is planned for August 2023. The vote is planned for 22 October 2023.