“Swiss Alps Satellite Dishes Turned Solar Panels: Green Energy Innovation in Leuk.”
Nestled high in the Swiss Alps, two Swiss companies are innovatively transforming outdated satellite dishes into massive solar panels, harnessing the country’s mountainous landscape for sustainable energy production. This venture marks the second of its kind in Leuk, a town within the Valais canton, where old antennas are being revitalized into eco-friendly power sources.
The unique geographic advantage of the mountainous location ensures these solar panels receive a more direct and consistent stream of sunlight, especially during the winter months, as compared to urban areas prone to mist and low-lying conditions. CKW Group, an energy services provider collaborating with Leuk Teleport and Data Center, emphasizes that former satellite antennas are ideally suited for this solar energy conversion. Their flexibility in tracking the sun’s movement enables them to generate more electricity when compared to traditional solar panels. Remarkably, a single converted antenna of this type can suffice for the energy needs of 25 households, as reported by CKW Group.
These transformed antennas, resembling futuristic flying saucers, boast a substantial diameter of 32 meters (105 feet) and are strategically positioned approximately 1,000 meters above sea level, ensuring an optimal intake of sunlight, even during the challenging winter season. This initiative aligns with the Swiss government’s voluntary campaign, launched in August the previous year, encouraging consumers and businesses to adopt energy-conservation practices to mitigate potential gas and power shortages. Solar energy emerges as a promising component of the solution, as Switzerland grapples with the formidable challenge of addressing a projected electricity deficit of around 50 terawatt hours annually by 2050, as highlighted by Axpo Group, the country’s leading renewable energy producer and owner of CKW Group. They assert that solar energy can play a significant role in shaping the future energy mix.
