To fight the climate change the use of such renewable energy sources as hydroelectric power, solar energy, and wind energy becomes increasingly important. Already Switzerland has a comparatively developed hydro-energy infrastructure in place. Solar remains expensive, up to 15 times that of even nuclear. Which leaves wind. While not yet widely distributed, wind energy is far from being in its infancy. Three federal offices recently selected 12 sites on which to perform feasibility studies for the installation of wind farms. One of them is located right here in Saanenland, namely the Horetube (Hornberg). The concept mapped out by the federal offices comprises six masts with an overall capacity of 10 million kWh per year. This equals the consumption of around 1,350 persons. Up to now it is just an idea and not even the local authorities have been contacted yet. However,
this week's article in GstaadLife.com sister publication, the Anzeiger von Saanen, has sparked the debate, and the reader's letters are already starting to come in...
What debate? A mast for collecting wind energy is between 100 and 130 meters high and contains three rotor blades of a diameter between 40 and 90 meters. With other words: they are huge. One can imagine more aesthetic things than skyscraper-high stilts with rotors more than ten times as large as the ones of helicopters. There will be many voices rising against this disfigurement of our natural scenery. Local residents might fear that tourists will stay away from Saanenland and will object the ruination of their mountains. Even Eagle Club members will weigh in their thoughts, especially given that the proposed site is in the direct line of site from their club house. For sure, few will be pleased to have these modern windmills in their panorama.
However, please, all you modern Don Quixotes, sheath your sabres for just one moment. Maybe there are no hostile giants to contest. We need to face another question first: for whom are we fighting, only ourselves or our mountains? People who fear an increasing number of wind farms can relax, because the Horetube is the only place where this may be feasible. Wind energy is the perfect complement to hydroelectric power, as two-thirds of the overall production takes place in the winter months when water energy production is at its lowest. Many years of experience with this technology in the Austrian Alps has shown that birds and game are not affected. It is one of the most harmless power resources. Furthermore Saanenland would be able to distinguish itself as a pioneer in modern eco-tourism and thus maybe even neutralize the power consumption used in snow production.
Novelties have always been closely watched, especially ones of such magnitude. Despite the criticism that will arise, nobody can deny that wind energy is even cleaner than water power. Leaving the financing aside, which of course will be heavily discussed if the concept becomes more concrete, the main issue at the moment is one of aesthetics. Should one make a compromise and accept this intervention in our panorama? Wouldn’t it be worth having wind farms on our mountains if we can thus prevent those very same mountains from crumbling over the heads of future generations (or even our own heads if we carry on like this)? Placed correctly, maybe they might help to more evenly disperse those heaps of artificial snow over our slopes.
Tell us what you think in our online poll above.
To fight the climate change the use of such renewable energy sources as hydroelectric power, solar energy, and wind energy becomes increasingly important. Already Switzerland has a comparatively developed hydro-energy infrastructure in place. Solar remains expensive, up to 15 times that of even nuclear. Which leaves wind. While not yet widely distributed, wind energy is far from being in its infancy. Three federal offices recently selected 12 sites on which to perform feasibility studies for the installation of wind farms. One of them is located right here in Saanenland, namely the Horetube (Hornberg). The concept mapped out by the federal offices comprises six masts with an overall capacity of 10 million kWh per year. This equals the consumption of around 1,350 persons. Up to now it is just an idea and not even the local authorities have been contacted yet. However,
this week's article in GstaadLife.com sister publication, the Anzeiger von Saanen, has sparked the debate, and the reader's letters are already starting to come in...
What debate? A mast for collecting wind energy is between 100 and 130 meters high and contains three rotor blades of a diameter between 40 and 90 meters. With other words: they are huge. One can imagine more aesthetic things than skyscraper-high stilts with rotors more than ten times as large as the ones of helicopters. There will be many voices rising against this disfigurement of our natural scenery. Local residents might fear that tourists will stay away from Saanenland and will object the ruination of their mountains. Even Eagle Club members will weigh in their thoughts, especially given that the proposed site is in the direct line of site from their club house. For sure, few will be pleased to have these modern windmills in their panorama.
However, please, all you modern Don Quixotes, sheath your sabres for just one moment. Maybe there are no hostile giants to contest. We need to face another question first: for whom are we fighting, only ourselves or our mountains? People who fear an increasing number of wind farms can relax, because the Horetube is the only place where this may be feasible. Wind energy is the perfect complement to hydroelectric power, as two-thirds of the overall production takes place in the winter months when water energy production is at its lowest. Many years of experience with this technology in the Austrian Alps has shown that birds and game are not affected. It is one of the most harmless power resources. Furthermore Saanenland would be able to distinguish itself as a pioneer in modern eco-tourism and thus maybe even neutralize the power consumption used in snow production.
Novelties have always been closely watched, especially ones of such magnitude. Despite the criticism that will arise, nobody can deny that wind energy is even cleaner than water power. Leaving the financing aside, which of course will be heavily discussed if the concept becomes more concrete, the main issue at the moment is one of aesthetics. Should one make a compromise and accept this intervention in our panorama? Wouldn’t it be worth having wind farms on our mountains if we can thus prevent those very same mountains from crumbling over the heads of future generations (or even our own heads if we carry on like this)? Placed correctly, maybe they might help to more evenly disperse those heaps of artificial snow over our slopes.
Tell us what you think in our online poll above.
