Friday 6 September 2019

Bloomberg: Hydroelectric Dams Are the Future of Power in Switzerland


Hydroelectric Dams Are the Future of Power in Switzerland

These massive—and breathtaking—structures already supply most of the nation's electricity. The Swiss are intent on harnessing even more power from the country's vast national resources.
Switzerland, endowed with the Alps and thousands of lakes, is a global leader in sustainability. Hydroelectric dams, such as the one shown here at Lac d’Emosson in southern Valais, have supplied most of the nation’s electricity for about 50 years. That share will probably increase after voters in 2017 approved a law that will phase out nuclear plants and increase the use of renewable energy, including hydropower.
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▲ Lac d’Emosson, on the French border, had its first dam in 1925. The 590-foot arch dam standing today, completed in 1973, is part of one of Europe’s biggest hydroelectric projects. Visitors can tour the structure and the archosaur tracks preserved at a geological site nearby.
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▲ Lac d’Emosson, on the French border, had its first dam in 1925. The 590-foot arch dam standing today, completed in 1973, is part of one of Europe’s biggest hydroelectric projects. Visitors can tour the structure and the archosaur tracks preserved at a geological site nearby.
At 820 feet, Mauvoisin is the second-tallest dam in Switzerland and the biggest arch dam in Europe. (Arch dams curve inward toward the water they contain.) More than 1,800 workers built it over a decade, finishing in 1958. The tunnels they used are open to tourists today
▲ At 820 feet, Mauvoisin is the second-tallest dam in Switzerland and the biggest arch dam in Europe. (Arch dams curve inward toward the water they contain.) More than 1,800 workers built it over a decade, finishing in 1958. The tunnels they used are open to tourists today
At 820 feet, Mauvoisin is the second-tallest dam in Switzerland and the biggest arch dam in Europe. (Arch dams curve inward toward the water they contain.) More than 1,800 workers built it over a decade, finishing in 1958. The tunnels they used are open to tourists today
▲ At 820 feet, Mauvoisin is the second-tallest dam in Switzerland and the biggest arch dam in Europe. (Arch dams curve inward toward the water they contain.) More than 1,800 workers built it over a decade, finishing in 1958. The tunnels they used are open to tourists today
At 820 feet, Mauvoisin is the second-tallest dam in Switzerland and the biggest arch dam in Europe. (Arch dams curve inward toward the water they contain.) More than 1,800 workers built it over a decade, finishing in 1958. The tunnels they used are open to tourists today
▲ At 820 feet, Mauvoisin is the second-tallest dam in Switzerland and the biggest arch dam in Europe. (Arch dams curve inward toward the water they contain.) More than 1,800 workers built it over a decade, finishing in 1958. The tunnels they used are open to tourists today
At 820 feet, Mauvoisin is the second-tallest dam in Switzerland and the biggest arch dam in Europe. (Arch dams curve inward toward the water they contain.) More than 1,800 workers built it over a decade, finishing in 1958. The tunnels they used are open to tourists today
▲ At 820 feet, Mauvoisin is the second-tallest dam in Switzerland and the biggest arch dam in Europe. (Arch dams curve inward toward the water they contain.) More than 1,800 workers built it over a decade, finishing in 1958. The tunnels they used are open to tourists today
The 485-foot high dam at Lac de Moiry, directly east of Mauvoisin, sits at an altitude of 7,377 feet above the village of Grimentz. Built in 1954, the dam feeds the Gougra storage power plant, harnessing the power of the waters from Val d’Anniviers and the Turtmann Valley.
▲ The 485-foot high dam at Lac de Moiry, directly east of Mauvoisin, sits at an altitude of 7,377 feet above the village of Grimentz. Built in 1954, the dam feeds the Gougra storage power plant, harnessing the power of the waters from Val d’Anniviers and the Turtmann Valley.
The 485-foot high dam at Lac de Moiry, directly east of Mauvoisin, sits at an altitude of 7,377 feet above the village of Grimentz. Built in 1954, the dam feeds the Gougra storage power plant, harnessing the power of the waters from Val d’Anniviers and the Turtmann Valley.
▲ The 485-foot high dam at Lac de Moiry, directly east of Mauvoisin, sits at an altitude of 7,377 feet above the village of Grimentz. Built in 1954, the dam feeds the Gougra storage power plant, harnessing the power of the waters from Val d’Anniviers and the Turtmann Valley.
Located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, the Luzzone dam is best known for its exterior. The world’s highest artificial climbing wall rises 541 feet and features more than 650 man-made holds. Fewer see the interior of the dam, completed in 1963, and its pop art palette.
▲ Located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, the Luzzone dam is best known for its exterior. The world’s highest artificial climbing wall rises 541 feet and features more than 650 man-made holds. Fewer see the interior of the dam, completed in 1963, and its pop art palette.
Located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, the Luzzone dam is best known for its exterior. The world’s highest artificial climbing wall rises 541 feet and features more than 650 man-made holds. Fewer see the interior of the dam, completed in 1963, and its pop art palette.
▲ Located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, the Luzzone dam is best known for its exterior. The world’s highest artificial climbing wall rises 541 feet and features more than 650 man-made holds. Fewer see the interior of the dam, completed in 1963, and its pop art palette.
Located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, the Luzzone dam is best known for its exterior. The world’s highest artificial climbing wall rises 541 feet and features more than 650 man-made holds. Fewer see the interior of the dam, completed in 1963, and its pop art palette.
▲ Located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, the Luzzone dam is best known for its exterior. The world’s highest artificial climbing wall rises 541 feet and features more than 650 man-made holds. Fewer see the interior of the dam, completed in 1963, and its pop art palette.
Located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, the Luzzone dam is best known for its exterior. The world’s highest artificial climbing wall rises 541 feet and features more than 650 man-made holds. Fewer see the interior of the dam, completed in 1963, and its pop art palette.
▲ Located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, the Luzzone dam is best known for its exterior. The world’s highest artificial climbing wall rises 541 feet and features more than 650 man-made holds. Fewer see the interior of the dam, completed in 1963, and its pop art palette.
Located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, the Luzzone dam is best known for its exterior. The world’s highest artificial climbing wall rises 541 feet and features more than 650 man-made holds. Fewer see the interior of the dam, completed in 1963, and its pop art palette.
▲ Located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, the Luzzone dam is best known for its exterior. The world’s highest artificial climbing wall rises 541 feet and features more than 650 man-made holds. Fewer see the interior of the dam, completed in 1963, and its pop art palette.
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▲ Grande Dixence, 935 feet high, is the world’s tallest gravity dam. Built by 3,000 men in the middle of the last century, today it’s part of a complex of dams and reservoirs that produces enough electricity to power about half a million homes.
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▲ Grande Dixence, 935 feet high, is the world’s tallest gravity dam. Built by 3,000 men in the middle of the last century, today it’s part of a complex of dams and reservoirs that produces enough electricity to power about half a million homes.
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▲ Grande Dixence, 935 feet high, is the world’s tallest gravity dam. Built by 3,000 men in the middle of the last century, today it’s part of a complex of dams and reservoirs that produces enough electricity to power about half a million homes.

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