This reservoir doubles as a floating solar power plant, smack back in the middle of the Swiss Alps.
Not only does the high-altitude project boast some stunning views, it won the prestigious Swiss Watt d’Or prize, as the best in renewable energy innovation 2020.
The power plant is located on the Lac des Toules reservoir in Valais, Switzerland, at an altitude of 1,800 metres above sea level.
This lake already serves as a hydropower station but is now harvesting additional solar power. High up in the Swiss mountains, the atmosphere is rarer, solar radiation stronger, and in winter the snow can reflect the sunlight.
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Two globally pioneering technologies among Swiss energy prize winners
The water on which the power plant floats helps cool the solar panels thus improving their efficiency. Keystone / Valentin Flauraud
A floating solar power plant and a transport project using renewable hydrogen are among the winners of the 2021 Watt d’Or prize.
This content was published on January 7, 2021 - 08:30
January 7, 2021 - 08:30
Luigi Jorio
A journalist from Ticino resident in Bern, I write on scientific and social issues with reports, articles, interviews and analysis. I am interested in environmental, climate change and energy issues, as well as migration, development aid and human rights in general.