Smart Ski Resort - Business Model Development for decentralised renewable energy generation for ski resorts (floating PV and SPHES)
Project Idea Metadata
- Project Idea Name: Smart Ski Resort - Business Model Development for decentralised renewable energy generation for ski resorts (floating PV and SPHES)
- Date: 4/25/2022 5:18:47 PM
- Administrators:
Project Idea Description
Climate change and climate crisis: Ski resorts are also affected. A tipping point is needed for the decarbonization of ski resorts. Ski resorts have large infrastructure facilities. A big step would be taken if renewable, decentralized energy generation systems could be added to existing facilities.
The main Idea
Development of a business model for PV energy production with a particular focus on:
o Floating PV-Solar energy on (small) water ponds
o hydropower and pumped hydropower on water ponds to store energy and improve floating PV rentability
o (at first) for the specific target group of ski resorts
Why Ski Resorts?
o PV-Solar Electricity Production is more effective in mountainous areas.
o Water Ponds already exist for Snowmaking.
o Establishing energy productive installations on existing infrastructure is cost-effective.
o Ski Resorts know how to handle investments and large infrastructure.
o Ski Resorts have an incentive to reduce global warming due to reducing snowfall.
o Ski Resorts ought to behave environmentally friendly.
o Ski Resorts enlarge their value chain and profitability through renewable energy production.
Romande Energie (Implementation Partner) – floating PV in water ponds
the electricity production of these plants in the winter months is at least 50% higher than in the lowlands and up to 50% of their annual production occurs in winter.
This contributes to overcoming the electricity gap in winter.
Of the 34 TWh of solar electricity - planned for 2050 - around 10 TWh could be produced in winter, see: «Generating electricity in winter thanks to photovoltaics».
The construction of PV plants in the mountains is less expensive when building on existing infrastructure.
Small Pumped Hydroelectricity Energy Storage
The comparison of the specific power costs with regards to the specific energy costs of a SPHES with other technologies shows that Small Pumped Hydroelectricity Energy Storage (SPHES) is cheaper than battery storage. Thus, SPHES fits as a storage option for ski resorts, because snowmaking water ponds are already installed
Renewable Energy Production by Ski Resorts
Renewable energy generation can have many sources: Buildings, ski lifts and water storage ponds.
Ski resorts dispose of high energy potential. these possibilities have hardly been used so far. Therefore, to develop a sound business model is together with partner enterprises and stakeholders.
The combination of floating solar PV energy production with the storage capacity from Small Pumped Hydro-electricity Energy Storage allows to prosume renewable energy with a significant cost-benefit ratio for ski resorts.
Business Eco-System floating PV & SHPES
In a business ecosystem – Several players are involved to create a value proposition.
An ecosystem approach makes sense, when
All modules are necessary for the value proposition to come true
The resulting dependency among modules exist
There is (realistically) only one supplier for the respective module needed
Modules can only be provided by the partners
A business ecosystem is a group of companies that are aligned by an orchestrator to a common value proposition and thereby achieve more than just the sum of the individual contributions. One plus one should not add up to two but to three.
The decisive factor for the rentability of solar power is the part of own use of the energy produced. This part can be increased sharply by a storage capacity overcoming time differences between energy supply and demand. Thus, floating PV and Small Pumped Hydroelectricity Energy Storage together add up to the best rentability of renewable energy. Both solution providers profit from the increased demand allowed by the ecosystem. The client receives the best possible solution.
Summary
The yield of PV solar energy is more than 50% higher in mountain areas than in the lowlands. We want to use this to generate decentralised renewable energy in ski resorts. Romande Energie has developed a technology to place PV cells on a water surface (floating PV solar energy production). This favours the preservation of alpine landscapes. Small water reservoirs are available for snow production. These could be used for intermediate storage of electricity from the PV systems if the electricity from the PV system cannot be consumed immediately.
The project aims to:
1. to develop a business model for floating PV solar power production; and
2. to promote the brokerage of this energy production in the role of an independent intermediary.
Our Implementation partner is Romande Energy which performed a respective pilot project at Lac des Toules.
Partners welcome
A start-up that developed energy productions units of combined solar-PV and wind towers is the implementation partner for the first three steps. A utility company with experience in floating solar PV expressed the willingness to cooperate in the later steps. Further partners are welcome, particularly with interest or experience in the field of Small Pumped Hydroelectricity Energy Storage (SPHES), treatment of wastewater or other key issues for smart ski resorts in the Alpine Space.
This project aims to:
1. to develop a business model for floating PV solar power production; and
2. to promote the brokerage of this energy production in the role of an independent intermediary.
Our Implementation partner is Romande Energy which performed a respective pilot project at Lac des Toules.