Bernese voters accept counter-proposal to solar initiative

Bernese voters say yes to counter-proposal to solar initiative Keystone-SDA

In the Swiss canton of Bern, there will still be no solar obligation for roof renovations in the future, but there will be one for large car parks. Voters approved the counter-proposal to the solar initiative with 66.6%; the initiative was rejected.

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In total 181,787 voters voted in favour of the counter-proposal, while 91,218 rejected it. The turnout was 37.4%, canton Bern said on Sunday.

The initiative was rejected by 72% of voters.

The initiative submitted by the Green Party in 2021 called for all new and existing buildings in the canton to be equipped with a solar system if the roof or façade surfaces are suitable and the installation is reasonable. A transitional period until 2040 would have applied to existing buildings.

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This went too far for the cantonal parliament, which drew up a counter-proposal. This only included a solar obligation for roofs on new buildings, but not for façades. It stipulated that, in the case of renovations, property owners would simply have to declare whether roof surfaces were suitable for the use of solar energy. In addition, the counter-proposal now adopted by the electorate includes a solar obligation for larger public parking spaces.

The Greens, the Social Democrats, the Protestant Party, the Green Liberal Party, environmental and nature conservation organisations such as the WWF and Greenpeace, the Swiss Traffic Association, the Swiss Energy Foundation, Swissolar, the Small Farmers Association and the Travailsuisse employees’ association had spoken out in favour of the initiative.

The counter-proposal was supported by the Centre Party, the Swiss People’s Party, the Radical-Liberal Party, the Federal Democratic Union, the Bernese business associations, the homeowners’ association, the farmers’ association and the Bernese electricity association.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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