Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Swiss town gets solar-powered ski lift

Tenna, a small town in Switzerland with a population of just 110 inhabitants, got the world’s second ski lift that's powered entirely by photovoltaic panels. The ski lift’s solar panels has an energy generation capacity of 90,000KWh, which allows three lifts to move on renewable energy, each consuming about 22,000KWh.

All excess electricity is sold to the grid. The lift features solar panels that are incorporated on the same lift, without having to build additional structures. The panels are adjustable and can be removed to clear accumulated snow. The panels are anchored to the lift’s cables and bear the entire weight of the panels.

The panels are attached in a fashion that allows maximum sun exposure for maximum electricity generation. The solar lift is opened this past December.

Story by ecofriend.org

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