An economic aspect of solar power harvesting in mountainous areas is the cost of land. Prices of high altitude parcels could be expected to be lower due to their remote locations. Steep slopes and high distances to socio-economic centers make it less attractive for residential building projects.
The placement of solar panels on snow-covered mountains can boost the production of electricity when it is most needed — in the cold, dark winter. Solar-power systems have long been hampered by a seasonal problem: the panels produce more energy in summer than in winter, at least in the mid-latitudes, where much of the planet’s population lives.
The rising demand for sustainable energy requires to identify the sites for photovoltaic systems with the best performance. This paper tackles the question of feasibility of photovoltaic power plants at high altitude. A direct comparison between an alpine and an urban area site is conducted in the south of Austria.
The last decades have shown a constant increase in solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal (ST) deployment, with a global average annual growth rate of 36% and 10.5% respectively [ 4 ]. Solar energy is now the cheapest and most competitive source of new electricity generation in most markets worldwide [ 5 ].
Current research is exploring the use of hydrophobic and ice-phobic coatings to avoid snow cover, whereas the ability of high-tilts to significantly reduce the accumulation of snow on solar panels has been demonstrated ( Andenæs et al., 2018 ).
Solar-power systems have long been hampered by a seasonal problem: the panels produce more energy in summer than in winter, at least in the mid-latitudes, where much of the planet’s population lives. To meet the goal of drawing 100% of energy from renewable sources, planners need to find ways to increase winter output.
