Axpo is embarking on the next phase of its wind power project on the Dreibündenstein. A 125-metre-high wind measuring mast will be erected on the Grisons hill south of Chur on 9 October, the Baden-based energy company announced in a press release. It will collect data on wind speed, wind direction, weather conditions and bat activity over the course of a year.
The system, which was specially developed by Axpo subsidiary CKW for the project in Graubünden, does not require an external power supply. This is made possible by a battery that is charged by a photovoltaic system and two wind generators attached to the mast. The data collection system can be monitored remotely by Axpo and is housed in a special container that can even be heated if necessary. “This technological innovation enables us to carry out wind measurements at locations that were previously difficult to access,” said Cédric Aubert, Head of Wind Switzerland at Axpo, in the press release.
The company plans to install up to eight wind turbines with a total output of around 40 megawatts at the Dreibündenstein. They are expected to supply over 65 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, around 60 per cent of which will be generated in winter. In parallel to the wind measurements that are now starting, Axpo wants to sound out the logistical requirements of the wind farm project in transport and grid studies.
