Switzerland to test hybrid wind-solar system in the Alps

Switzerland is planning to install a small wind turbine combined with solar panels to test the effectiveness of such a hybrid system for the generation of clean power in the Alps.

The Swiss Federal Office for Defence Procurement, Armasuisse, has already submitted a planning application for the facility which will be located in the La Stadera area above the Medel municipality in the canton of Grisons.

The hybrid system, one of the first of this kind in Switzerland, will collect data from the autumn of 2023 to the end of 2024, Armasuisse said on Thursday.

Preparatory works on the project are set to begin this autumn with the installation of a prototype. The small wind turbine equipped with bifacial photovoltaic (PV) solar panels is expected to enter test operation in the autumn of 2023 and generate up to 35 MWh per year.

The collected data will be assessed in the fourth quarter of 2024 and will serve as a basis for making a decision on the potential installation of nine hybrid systems of this kind.

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