- This HQE certified building, located at an altitude of over 3,800 meters, is a demonstration of Schneider Electric’s commitment to the design and implementation of original energy management solutions.
September 4 and 6, 2014 will mark the opening of the new Refuge du Goûter, the highest alpine refuge in France.
This official opening will consist of two main events.
On Thursday, September 4, six official roped parties, including Georges-François Leclerc, Prefect of Haute-Savoie, and Jean-Marc Peillex, Mayor and General Councillor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, along with members of the FFCAM and Schneider Electric employees, will set off on a climb to the Refuge du Goûter for the first opening ceremony.
On Saturday, September 6, the official ceremony will take place at the Espace Mont Blanc in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, in the presence of Ségolène Royal, the French Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Energy.
This ceremony will be attended by Georges-François Leclerc, Prefect of Haute-Savoie, Jean-Jack Queyranne, President of the Regional Council of Rhône-Alpes, Christian Monteil, President of the General Council of Haute-Savoie, Jean-Marc Peillex, Mayor and General Councillor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Georges Elzière, President of the French Alpine Club (FFCAM), Amandine Boulo, President of the French Alpine Club of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (FFCAM), and Gilles Vermot-Desroches, Sustainable Development Director for Schneider Electric.
An extraordinary refuge
HQE (Haute Qualité Environnementale – High Environmental Quality) certified and the only of its kind in the world thanks to the technology used, the Refuge du Goûter stands at a height of 3,835 meters. It is the last refuge before reaching Mont Blanc on the “royal traverse”.
Schneider Electric has called on its teams to provide a solution tailored to the extreme conditions of this exceptional project. The technical solutions implemented enable management of all of the refuge’s energy and resources, guaranteeing its occupants a safe and comfortable stay and provide transformation, distribution and management of both electricity and heat energy. Thanks to the centralised control system, the operator is able to supervise the installations and monitor energy production and consumption in real time, both locally and remotely.
With room for up to 120 people, the refuge, a four-story building with a wooden structure clad in stainless steel, is energy self-sufficient. Various energy sources are provided by solar panels, biomass generator and battery storage. This exceptional project, due to its location, altitude and the nature of the building, required a high level of commitment from all partners to create a healthy, energy-efficient building, and to minimise its environmental footprint.
Luc Rémont, Chairman of Schneider Electric France, says: “Due to the extreme conditions in which it has been carried out – violent winds, extremely low temperatures, isolated site – this project has been a real technical and human challenge. The Schneider Electric employees harnessed all their know-how and expertise to provide reliable and consistent solutions. This commitment is in line with the Schneider Electric Foundation’s sustainable development awareness-raising program for which the new Refuge du Goûter is a symbolic project.”
