Overview of the year
Solar Express: Madrisa Solar the first plant to go into operation
September
In September, the Madrisa Solar alpine plant in Prättigau went into partial operation – the first facility in Switzerland to be realised as part of the Solar Express initiative.
The successful partial commissioning of Madrisa Solar marked a milestone in the national Solar Express initiative for urgently needed winter electricity. Work progressed rapidly after the groundbreaking ceremony on 4 June. The 2025 target of ten per cent installed capacity had already been exceeded in September. Even before the weather-related construction freeze, 20 per cent of the plant had been connected to the grid.
Repower project manager Fabio Maurizio emphasises teamwork as the key to this important milestone: “Madrisa Solar is a pioneering PV plant. We owe the rapid pace of construction to the owners’ good project organisation and the reliable performance of the companies involved.” The owner of the alpine solar plant above the village of Klosters is Madrisa Solar AG, a company in which Repower, EKZ and the local municipality each hold a one-third interest. Madrisa Solar is working primarily with regional companies to plan and deliver the project.
Construction site open day
On 4 October, more than 300 interested visitors attended an open day on the construction site. They took part in a guided tour and learned first-hand about the goals of Madrisa Solar and progress on its construction.
Located at around 2,000 metres above sea level, Madrisa Solar is specifically designed to produce large amounts of electricity in winter. When fully operational, it will generate up to 17 gigawatt hours of electricity per year – over 40 per cent of which will be in the winter months, when the demand for reliable renewable energy is particularly high. The solar plant is well integrated into the existing ski resort landscape.
had already been connected to the grid.