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Press Release19 January 2021Smart InfrastructureZug
Siemens tech boosts energy efficiency in Alpine hut with advanced battery solution
Monte Rosa Hut in Swiss Alps modernized with new battery storage solution
Solar power ensures sustainable, efficient energy supply
8.6 tons of lead batteries replaced with 2.7 tons of lithium batteries
The “Bergkristall” (Mountain Crystal), a mountain hut situated at an altitude of 2,883 meters in the Monte Rosa Massif of the Valais Alps, has been largely energy self-sufficient since 2010. Along with thermal solar collectors, a photovoltaic system integrated in the hut’s southern facade ensures a high degree of energy self-sufficiency and a reliable energy supply. Since 2010, all of the building’s performance data, such as solar energy generated and battery capacity, have been bundled in Siemens Navigator, the cloud-based building performance platform.
Monte Rosa Hut in Swiss Alps modernized with new battery storage solution
Solar power ensures sustainable, efficient energy supply
8.6 tons of lead batteries replaced with 2.7 tons of lithium batteries
The “Bergkristall” (Mountain Crystal), a mountain hut situated at an altitude of 2,883 meters in the Monte Rosa Massif of the Valais Alps, has been largely energy self-sufficient since 2010. Along with thermal solar collectors, a photovoltaic system integrated in the hut’s southern facade ensures a high degree of energy self-sufficiency and a reliable energy supply. Since 2010, all of the building’s performance data, such as solar energy generated and battery capacity, have been bundled in Siemens Navigator, the cloud-based building performance platform.
Lithium instead of lead
Ongoing analysis of the energy flows revealed that the lead batteries in use since the hut’s opening would soon reach the end of their life. This prompted the operators to put a new solution in place. Siemens was awarded the contract to design the entire solution and replace 48 lead batteries with 14 lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries with a capacity of 215 kWh. Thanks to regional airline Air Zermatt, approximately 8.6 tons of lead batteries were transported out and the nearly 2.7 tons of lithium batteries helicoptered in to the Monte Rosa Hut. Following an initial trial with two batteries, technicians successfully connected the newly installed batteries to the energy supply system in just two days.
The new battery solution has pushed the hut’s energy self-sufficiency to even greater heights by lightening the load on the generator used in bad weather.
In addition, the new batteries offer more usable capacity. The completed project considerably boosts the Monte Rosa Hut’s secure, energy-efficient and sustainable energy supply at any time of day and in any weather condition.
Siemens tech boosts energy efficiency in Alpine hut with advanced battery solution
Monte Rosa Hut: key figures
Opened in 1895 as Betemps Hut, renamed Monte Rosa Hut in 1940
Planning and development of a new “mountain hut of the future” by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich
Opened in July 2010; old hut demolished in 2011
120 beds, approximately 8,000 overnight stays per year
High degree of energy self-sufficiency, 215 kWh battery capacity
Waste water treatment and ventilation run autonomously, even in winter
All technical systems are digitalized and can be controlled remotely
Siemens Smart Infrastructure (SI) is shaping the market for intelligent, adaptive infrastructure for today and the future. It addresses the pressing challenges of urbanization and climate change by connecting energy systems, buildings and industries. SI provides customers with a comprehensive end-to-end portfolio from a single source – with products, systems, solutions and services from the point of power generation all the way to consumption. With an increasingly digitalized ecosystem, it helps customers thrive and communities progress while contributing toward protecting the planet. SI creates environments that care. Siemens Smart Infrastructure has its global headquarters in Zug, Switzerland, and has around 72,000 employees worldwide.
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 170 years. Active around the world, the company focuses on intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems and on automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Siemens brings together the digital and physical worlds to benefit customers and society. Through Mobility, a leading supplier of intelligent mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is helping to shape the world market for passenger and freight services. Via its majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital health services. In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power that has been listed on the stock exchange since September 28, 2020.
In fiscal 2020, which ended on September 30, 2020, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €57.1 billion and net income of €4.2 billion. As of September 30, 2020, the company had around 293,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at
www.siemens.com.