“The federal government’s energy strategy is based on the principle of hope”
Expert calls for massive alpine solar expansion
Georg Schwarz, former deputy director at the Ensi nuclear inspectorate, criticizes the federal government’s energy strategy: it is discouraged and based on social acceptance. “The federal government’s energy strategy is based on the principle of hope.”
Published: 8 minutes ago
“According to my calculations, PV panels would have to be installed in the mountains over an area of 70 square kilometers, which corresponds to around 700 solar parks the size of Gondosolar. There are also around 5,000 wind turbines,” says an expert in the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”. (archive image)
Instead of expanding with photovoltaics (PV) on roofs and “a few isolated wind turbines”, alpine solar power and wind energy are to be massively expanded. “Together with the existing hydropower, these production technologies complement each other perfectly,” said Schwarz, now an independent consultant, in an interview with the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”. “Because then we are no longer dependent on imports.”
For this to happen, however, the landscape in the mountains would have to change fundamentally, according to Schwarz. “According to my calculations, PV panels would have to be installed over an area of 70 square kilometers in the mountains, which corresponds to around 700 solar parks the size of Gondosolar. There are also around 5,000 wind turbines.”
Although PV on roofs is widely accepted, it is the worst solution: roof electricity is expensive and accumulates when it is not needed. The power shortage in winter caused by the energy strategy can only be filled by imports. “In terms of security of supply, it is very risky to become so dependent on foreign countries, even if we can avoid damaging our landscape as a result,” Schwarz is convinced.