The solar power plant would be built on the site of a former quarry on the St.Gallen side of Lake Walen (Walensee). Covering 80,000 square metres, it would produce around 12,000 megawatt hours of electricity, according to a news release from the utility for the canton of Zurich, Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich (EKZ). A solar power plant of this size, affixed to a rock face, would be a first in Switzerland. The solar modules would be arranged vertically, optimising the south-facing quarry to produce above-average solar power.
Whether the large-scale project can actually be realised depends mostly on its cost-effectiveness and ability to secure a permit. A test facility has been measuring the electricity production of 43 solar modules since January to simulate the expected electricity yield. The facility was built by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, which has been evaluating the data with EKZ.
When the results are available, EKZ and the utility company St. Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke AG will decide whether or not to construct the power plant. A construction permit for the CHF 30 million project could be issued as early as mid-2018.