Page 36 - DIVA_3_2024_web
P. 36
culture
energy battery hidden “inside” the glarus alps
- on a sustainable energy solution for the future (part I)
By Evelina Rioukhina
Notes on our daring trip and hike to literally the The huge enterprise is hidden inside the rugged
heart of the Glarus mountains mountains of the Sardona region, a UNESCO
There is a saying; “it must be seen to be believed”, World Heritage Site, deep within the Canton
and I have visited and written about several such of Glarus. The place is only really accessible by
unbelievable places in Switzerland. However, car; unusually for Switzerland there is no public
this place overwhelms the imagination: it must transport link. Even a car only gets you so far:
be felt, sensed by all senses, experienced, and the site is at the end of a remote valley closed
lived through. It is something out of this world, by the mountain as if hidden by the peaks and
even beyond stating that it is an engineering thus not accessible. And from the teminal train
masterpiece. It may even be engineering for the station you will need to walk seven km to get to
future or for a post-future generation. the only hotel with almost no houses nearby.
This article is my impression of our exciting This hotel is the start of the guided tour through
trip to visit the highest European dam and the power plant, and also the starting point of a
powerplant, which generates and stores not possible excursion. For this, an automatic cable
only hydro-energy but also collects solar energy. car is operated by being scanned, giving voice
The hydro plant alone, with its powerful clean instructions, and pressing a “hidden” green
energy production and storage, could be called button. After several minutes of the steepest
the energy battery of Europe. ride, it brings you to the 1800m altitude point to
start a hike. However, we left the cable car and
Even in Switzerland this plant is not very well the hike for our next story, and for now we will
known and almost completely unknown abroad, visit the PowerPlant, literally hidden inside the
but it is not only worth visiting, it is vital that mountain.
it is known about. This form of production
and storage shows a possible future for clean We departed early from Geneva to be on time
energy. If it is successful, it might be recreated for the afternoon guided visit. The gentleman
in many other countries, providing them with from Axpo, the company that owns the power
green energy and contributing to their energy plant, came to meet us at the hotel soon after our
independence. arrival. We entrusted our lives to this gentleman
w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h
