Upcycling: Satellite dish becomes solar system

This is how upcycling works: in the Swiss Alps at over 1,000 meters above sea level, Europe's first disused satellite dish is being converted into a solar installation by the companies Leuk TDC and CWK instead of being disposed of. The dismantling and removal of these systems represents an enormous effort.

For upcycling, solar panels are mounted on the inside, where the solar radiation can be optimally utilized. Disused satellite dishes offer a number of advantages, such as the fact that most of them are above the fog line. Furthermore, they can be flexibly aligned to the sun during the course of the day. Snow hardly sticks to them. This means that they can also produce a lot of energy in the winter months. In addition, the necessary infrastructure already exists in the form of roads and power lines.

One dish generates around 110,000 kWh per year, which corresponds to the energy requirements of 25 households. The aim is to run the Leuk TDC data center entirely on renewable energy. The solar panels on the roof of the data center produce an additional 550,000 kWh per year. Due to its great success, the conversion of a further system is already being planned and is due to begin next year.

Image ©️ CKW