Chapelco, the only ski center in Argentina with renewable energy

Chapelco Ski Resort maintains a constant commitment to caring for the environment. For many years, it has been inviting visitors to pass on this commitment through participatory actions and experiences in different mountain resorts.
Actions such as the separation of waste at source, through "healthy stations" for people to throw waste in classified places for further recycling, have been carried out in Chapelco for many seasons. As well as his participation in a sustained way of the program of Responsible Forest Management, showing his commitment that all the raw material used in his brochures comes from recycled sources.
In the winter of 2017, the nonprofit organization POW, Protect Our Winters, which works to raise awareness of the consequences of climate change in the snow industry, chose Chapelco as the only resort partner in South America, to add it to its action campaigns. and dissemination of messages to protect the winters of the world, adding it as an active protagonist.
This season, in addition, Chapelco will make a big difference. In 2018 Chapelco will begin to lead the way in the production of renewable energies.

Paradigm change: solar panels
Through an alliance with the company Sustentator, Chapelco took the initiative to make a paradigm shift in the generation of renewable energy in the heart of the ski center: Chapelco has already started producing electricity from an installation of photovoltaic solar panels .
The position of Pisteros and of Patrol of the Chapelco Hill located in Platform 1700 meters, is a fundamental station from where it is programmed and realizes the preparation of tracks, the tasks of patrol and rescue. This strategic place of the ski center already has solar panels of 260 wtts, which will allow in winter 2018 to generate the necessary energy to power the electrical charge of all the equipment used by its body of trackers and rescuers: VHF radios, load of cell batteries, use of computers for communications and services, as well as led lighting of the shelter. The incorporation of batteries of 12 Volts and 75 Ah, will provide a range of 24 hours, and will supply the power station during the hours without sun.
Sustentator has been working since 2009 on a crusade in order to modify the Argentine energy matrix, using technology in favor of the fight against climate change. It already has more than 200 renewable energy installations, from small users to solar parks, avoiding the emission of 2,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
"Being able to produce your own energy, isolated or not, from the conventional electricity grid, has a positive contagious effect within the communities." We want to demonstrate that it is possible to do so, simply and quickly, "says Leonardo Abiuso, Operations Manager of Sustentator , who traveled to Chapelco to install these equipment.
Daniel Nofal is the creator of Sustentator and leader of international projects linked to innovation, genetics, lifestyles, technology and health. Nofal works passionately to improve awareness and mobilize society towards a more sustainable model and expresses: "I believe that ski centers are located in privileged places of nature and therefore have a huge responsibility to be gentle with it. Generating renewable energy, as Chapelco does, is the most concrete and direct task of merging with the natural environment. "

Marking the way
In addition, since the 2018 season Chapelco will have light bulbs for solar charges at the base of the ski center, indicating the accesses to the different areas. Through an alliance with Conoflex Argentina, a path of lights that also work with solar panels with automatic ignition photocells, will signal the base of Chapelco. During the winter months, due to the latitude of San Martin de los Andes, the ski center begins to operate before dawn and the first skiers arrive at the base at night closed. The light studs fulfill the double function of illuminating and signaling the Base.