Solar power for Swiss Alps restaurant

Solar power junction boxes and connectors from Multi-Contact are helping to power the newly opened Matterhorn Glacier Paradise restaurant in the Swiss Alps. Located at an altitude of almost 4000 metres above sea level on the Klein Matterhorn peak, the complex receives most of its power from Europe's highest photovoltaic (PV) installation in the form of a 200 m2 solar array.

The environmental conditions are extreme to say the least, and the Multi-Contact components were selected because of their high reliability and durability in such conditions. The 108 monocrystalline solar panels are built into the building's southern facade and were specially developed and supplied by 3S Swiss Solar Systems.

The low temperatures, rarefied atmosphere and reflected sunlight from the surrounding snow fields all help to boost the efficiency of the solar array, which can deliver an output of 22 kW.

The installation uses Multi-Contact JB-PV/2 junction boxes and MC4 snap-in connectors on this pioneer project by Zermatt Bergbahnen AG and sol-E Suisse AG.