Ski lift relies on solar power to run

Tenna, a tiny town in Switzerland that has just 110 folks living within, will soon be the proud recipient of the second ski lift in the world that will be powered entirely by photovoltaic panels. These solar panels are touted to have an energy generation capacity of 90,000KWh, where it will offer ample juice to move all three lifts on renewable energy, since each of them will consume around 22,000KWh. Any excess electricity generated will be sold to the grid. Since the lift itself comes with solar panels that are integrated, there is no need to build additional buildings. The panels can also be adjusted and removed to clear accumulated snow. What happens if there was a natural phenomenon that resulted in a stretch of cloudy days – will skiers get stranded halfway on top, or is there any other form of backup power? The solar lift is tipped to be operational from December 2010 onwards.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Green
Tags: Solar, solar power