Experience from specific wind projects shows that resistance grows as soon as construction actually begins. An analysis of the NZZ survey.
There are only a few wind turbines in Switzerland. This turbine is located above Entlebuch in the canton of Lucerne.
Zurich is not a wind canton: the cantonal building department came to this conclusion in 2014, still under the SVP government councilor Markus Kägi. At the time, it was said that maybe four to six plants were realistic. If you set up the same system in the Jura instead of on the Zurich heights, you could generate 60 percent more electricity.
Eight years later, the building management is in the hands of the Green Martin Neukom, and he has swept the reservations of his bourgeois predecessor off the table. As many as 120 systems are potentially possible in the canton, Neukom said last October.
In order for wind farms to be built in the canton of Zurich, several obstacles have to be overcome: Investors who are satisfied with a lower return are needed. Animal and landscape conservationists have to be convinced. Above all, however, the population must agree.
At least on this point, the advocates of wind power can draw optimism: In a representative survey by the NZZ and the research institute GfS Bern, two thirds of those questioned tend to agree or even very much agree with the planning and construction of wind turbines in the canton of Zurich.
Only 30 percent are somewhat or strongly opposed to it. And: Only two percent state that they cannot judge the question, so the opinion-forming process is well advanced.
The approval for wind turbines is particularly high where the turbines are guaranteed not to be built: in built-up areas. In small and medium-sized agglomerations, almost three quarters of those surveyed are strongly to very strongly convinced of wind turbines, in the left-green dominated large cities it is almost 70 percent. But even in rural areas, a good half of those surveyed support wind power in principle.
There are hardly any differences between the age groups: pensioners think wind power is almost as good as the 18 to 39 year olds and the 40 to 64 year olds. The difference between the sexes, on the other hand, is significant: 76 percent of women but only 62 percent of men are very or somewhat in agreement with the expansion of wind power in the canton.
The differences are remarkable when the political orientation is taken into account: only among the sympathizers of a single party, the SVP, are the wind power advocates in the clear minority (29 percent). In the other major parties, wind fans account for between 57 percent (FDP) and 93 percent (Greens).
Smartvote: 99 percent of the GLP are for wind power
Also very clear is the approval of wind power in the Smartvoteopinion poll among the candidates in the upcoming cantonal Zurich elections. Around two thirds of the nominees have completed the questionnaire so far.
In the left-green spectrum, wind power is also undisputed in this survey. 99 percent of the Greens and the GLP agree to the expansion in the canton of Zurich. At the SP it’s 95 percent.
There are also clear majorities in the center (86 percent) and the FDP (77 percent). Of the parties that are represented in the cantonal council today, wind power is only clearly defeated by the SVP (17 percent) and the EDU (36 percent).
When it comes to specific projects, there is resistance
However, general confessions in surveys are only one side of the wind power debate. Who is fundamentally opposed to clean electricity? Experience with Swiss projects shows that support dwindles very quickly as soon as concrete plans are on the table.
In areas where wind turbines are planned, there have been intense disputes for years. Resistance often crystallizes in the affected communities. Everyone benefits from clean electricity, but only the residents have to bear the negative aspects of wind power, the noise and shadows, a restricted landscape and possible losses in property values.
In the canton of Fribourg, eleven municipalities jointly appealed to the federal court last February. In this way, they wanted to force the cantonal government to hear them about wind power plans in their area. The residents of the communities had previously rejected the construction of wind turbines in consultative votes with more than 90 percent no votes, as the Keystone-SDA news agency reported at the time. However, the Federal Supreme Court did not accept the appeal.
In Hemishofen in the canton of Schaffhausen, the municipal council is at the forefront of the opposition to a wind farm. In Thundorf in the canton of Thurgau, the electricity works of the canton of Zurich (EKZ) have been wanting to build wind turbines for years and are also encountering bitter local resistance.
The Association of Free Landscape Switzerland has a list of municipal wind power votes in recent years released. According to this, a good half of the projects between 2011 and 2021 were rejected. Of 15 projects that were voted on between 2019 and 2021, 12 were even inferior.
Climate more important than economy
In the survey, voters were also asked about the climate. Around two-thirds of those surveyed support the goal of climate-neutral Switzerland by 2050, even if Switzerland’s prosperity suffers as a result.
The Zurich respondents seem to think more hostile to the economy on this point than Switzerland as a whole: Last spring, GfS Bern also carried out a study on behalf of the Association of Swiss Electricity Companies (VSE). Around half of those surveyed backed the statement that Swiss companies should not be burdened with additional energy taxes and that the energy transition is far too expensive.