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Swiss town 2nd to get fully solar powered lift
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Ski lift powered entirely by photovoltaic panels
A small town in Switzerland, Tenna, is building the world's second ski lift to be fully powered by solar power. The lift’s solar panels, which will be capable of generating 90,000KWh, will be attached to the lift itself. The opening of the solar lift is planned for December 2010....See: http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/swiss-town-to-get-a-solar-powered-ski-lift
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

Of course you have to go to the original article to make any sense of the numbers.

http://www.skilift-tenna.ch/katalog_detail.php?auswahl=13&idp=6

The panels are capable of generating approximately 90,000kWh - in a year.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

altis, yes the usual confusion between peak output (kW) and energy (kWh).

Who's going to go up there to brush the snow off the panels? The little photo shows them almost horizontal. Which is incorrect anyway - they should be angled at approximately the same angle as the latitude of the installation for optimum efficiency.

Quote:
The panels are adjustable and can be removed to clear accumulated snow.
How the hell does that work Puzzled Puzzled Puzzled Puzzled

And like most renewable stuff, it may not overall be as quite as "green" as it seems. Got to have battery back-up and maybe a standby generator too. Can't have folks stranded on the lift when a cloud comes over. And PV anyway is a very very expensive way to make electricity. The Swiss are better off with their hydro.

This solar-powered ski-lift smacks of gimmickry to me? What do you think?
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.

Dubaian,
Quote:

How the hell does that work


If you watch the video clip in the first clip you will see exactly how it works, but just in case you don't want to watch it.... Each panel can be rotated on its own motorised axis, in addition the spreader bars on the top of the towers that hold the suspension cables can also be rotated.... Very clever stuff Shocked
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Won't be any good for the touchlight desent !!!!!
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.

D G Orf, thanks for the heads up. I'd missed the video link. Yes it's clever - maybe too clever ? Let's see if the idea takes off.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Dubaian, It will be intresting to see how well the mechanism copes with repeated freeze thaw conditions one gets in teh mountains
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!

D G Orf, exactly.
And in my defence the text said they
Quote:
can be removed
which is not the same as actually just moving under a fancy system of wires and pulleys as per the video.
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.

Didn't see any pullys involved, I think each unit probably has some sort of positionally accurate motor to get accurate allignment
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads

D G Orf, my pulleys were poetic licence wink Just felt the whole thing was a bit Heath Robinson and he loved strings and pulleys Laughing Laughing Laughing
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Dubaian, didn't he just Laughing
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.

A ridiculous waste of money in a country full of hydro opportunities.

Like many 'green' schemes I suspect there is more to this than meets the eye. Likely that the panels will generate electricity that is sold to the grid all summer and then the lift company will purchase power during the cloudy days of winter when daylight hours are short... when the lifts are actually used.

Somehow, they will claim that the lift is now 'green'.

If they used power from existing sources and used the cost difference between that and this PV scheme to plant trees, that would have been much better for the planet.
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