Photovoltaic Power Plants Located in High Altitudes - Some Case Studies

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.

Mauna Kea, Gemini Observatory PV Solar System.
Commissioned in 2015, the highest elevation roof-mounted PV solar array.
(copyright/courtesy: Maui Pacific Solar, Jay's Energy Equipment)

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Colorado

Two roof mounted, grid-tied arrays owned and operated by Arapahoe Basin Ski Area are located in Dillon, Colorado, USA. The first 13,5 kW system, installed in 2015, is located in base area on the Kids' Center building - at an elevation on 10,780ft (about 3.280 meters) accounts for about 25% of that rather large building's use. The second array, completed in 2017 is found at the summit of the mountain on the roof of ski patrol headquarters building - elevation 12,456ft (about 3.800 meters). 8.26 kW array, consists of 30 panels and is expected to supply about 95% of that buildings energy needs.

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area photovoltaic systems
roof mounted grid-tied arrays, commissioned in 2015 and 2017.
(copyright/courtesy: Arapahoe Basin Ski Area)

Lhasa PV System

OSolar 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.

TABLE 1: Lhasa PV System, technical data

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 %. In 2014 new Jungfraujoch PV power plant with 3 kWp was commisioned.

TABLE 2: Jungfraujoch PV system, technical data

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 %.

TABLE 3: Birg PV power plant, technical data

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.

TABLE 4: Kriegerhornbahn PV system, technical data

Kriegerhornbahn photovoltaic system (courtesy: Sunways)

Corviglia, St.Moritz

Systems around funicular of Corviglia in St.Moritz, Switzerland are parts of 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.

TABLE 5: Corviglia St.Moritz, technical data

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.

TABLE 6: Piz Nair PV system, technical data

Photovoltaic Power Plants Located in High Altitudes Worldwide

Power [1]	Location	Description [2]	On Grid	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
4,206 m ASL	USA Mauna Kea, Hawaii	Gemini Observatory roof-mounted PV system, image courtesy: Maui Pacific Solar, Jay's Energy Equipment	2015
4,300 m ASL 10 MW	China Lhasa, Tibet	Lhasa PV system, image courtesy: osolar	2010
3,840 m ASL 22 kW	Switzerland Klein Matterhorn	Restaurant on Klein Matterhorn, BIPV	2010
3,800 m ASL 8,26 kW	USA Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Colorado	Arapahoe Basin Ski Area PV system, image courtesy: Arapahoe Basin Ski Area	2017
3,445 m ASL 3 kW	Switzerland Jungfraujoch	Jungfraujoch PV power plant, image courtesy: HTI Bern, PV-Labor	1993-2014
3,280 m ASL 13,5 kW	USA Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Colorado	Arapahoe Basin Ski Area PV system, image courtesy: Arapahoe Basin Ski Area	2015
3,030 m ASL 14 kW	Switzerland Piz Nair	Piz Nair, funicular Corviglia, image 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 St.Moritz	Funicular Corviglia, image courtesy: SunTechnics	2003
2,137 m ASL 9.5 kW	Austria, Kriegerhornbahn	Kriegerhornbahn, image courtesy: Sunways	2003
2,005 m ASL 9 kW	Switzerland, St.Moritz	Funicular Corviglia, image courtesy: SunTechnics	2003

Notes

Recommended Books

Photovoltaics in Cold Climates - This book was co-edited by Michael M.D. Ross, formerly of the CANMET Energy Diversification Research Laboratory (currently known as CETC-Varennes) and now the principal of RER Renewable Energy Research, and Jimmy Royer, of Solener Inc. The chapters were contributed by various authors from around the world as part of their countries' contribution to the IEA PVPS. Michael Ross wrote the introductory chapter and co-authored, with Sylvain Martel of CETC-Varennes, the chapter "The Economics of Photovoltaics in Cold Climates".

Additional Information

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.

Papers

	Häberlin, H., Jost, M. (2014), PV-Anlage Jungfraujoch: 20 Jahre störungsfreier Betrieb mit Spitzen-Energieerträgen und kaum Degradation, 12. Nationale Photovoltaik-Tagung 2014, Lausanne, 10-11 April 2014.
	Häberlin, H. (2006), Rekordernte auf dem Jungfraujoch, Elektrotechnik 3/2006.
	Häberlin, H. (2004), Grid Connected PV Plant Jungfraujoch (3454m) in the Swiss Alps: 10 Years of trouble-free Operation with Record Energy Yields, Proc. 19th EU PVSEC, Paris, France, 2004.
	Häberlin, H. (2004), Netzgekoppelte Photovoltaikanlage Jungfraujoch: 10 Jahre störungsfreier Betrieb mit Rekord-Energieerträgen, SEV/VSE-Bulletin 10/2004.
	Häberlin, H. (2004), Hochalpine Photovoltaikanlagen - Langzeiterfahrungen mit Fassadenanlagen, Elektrotechnik 6-7/2004.
	Häberlin, H. (1999), Grid-connected PV Plant on Jungfraujoch in the Swiss Alps. Ross, M. Royer, J. Eds. Photovoltaics in Cold Climates. James and James, London.
	Häberlin, H., Renken, C. (1998), 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.