The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Record year for wind power in Switzerland in 2024

More wind energy is being produced in Switzerland than ever before
2024 was a "good year but less exceptional than 2023", Suisse-Eole said. Keystone-SDA

Wind generated 160 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity across Switzerland last year, according to the Swiss Wind Energy Association (Suisse-Eole). It was a "good year but less exceptional than 2023", it said.

+ Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

This was equivalent to the household electricity consumed annually by 150,000 people, or the inhabitants of a city like Zug, St Gallen or Neuchâtel, the Swiss Wind Energy Association (Suisse-Eole) said on Tuesday.

Like hydropower and solar energy, the production of wind energy depends on the weather and location. In the Rhone and Rhine valleys, for example, it was mainly thermal winds. At the Gotthard or Gütsch above Andermatt in canton Uri, the Föhn wind ensured record production, while the wind turbines in the Jura benefited from both the Bise and the northerly winds. Two-thirds of wind power production in Switzerland is generated in winter.

+ Read more: Switzerland needs energy, but what kind?

However, wind power remains of only marginal importance for Switzerland’s total electricity supply (0.3% of total). By comparison, 10% of electricity consumption in Switzerland was covered by solar power in 2024.

More

Switzerland lags far behind its neighbours in this regard. Last year, onshore wind energy accounted for over 26% of the electricity mix in Germany, 9% in France and 13% in Austria. In the German federal state of Saarland alone, 218 wind turbines were in operation, compared to 47 in Switzerland.

More

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Army seeks "contemporary" solution for bunker facilities

More

Swiss army looks to repurpose old bunkers

This content was published on The army is looking for a modern solution for its decommissioned fortress mortar bunkers, with plans to turn them into hardened defence hubs.

Read more: Swiss army looks to repurpose old bunkers
Women's Euro: Berne celebrates a football festival without a happy ending

More

Switzerland knocked out of Women’s Euro 2025

This content was published on Spain ended Switzerland’s run in the Women’s Euros on Friday, but fans in Bern made history with the largest supporters’ march in Women’s Euros history.

Read more: Switzerland knocked out of Women’s Euro 2025
Solar aeroplane flies around the Matterhorn

More

Solar plane flies around Matterhorn

This content was published on Solar energy pioneer Raphaël Domjan and his team continued preparations for the altitude record attempt at 10,000 metres with the SolarStratos solar aircraft.

Read more: Solar plane flies around Matterhorn
Compulsory vaccination against cattle disease in Geneva and parts of Vaud

More

Vaccinations imposed for some Swiss cattle

This content was published on Cattle in the canton of Geneva and in the neighbouring region of Terre Sainte in the canton of Vaud are being vaccinated against the contagious viral skin nodule disease. The first cases of the animal disease were reported at the end of June in France, just outside Geneva.

Read more: Vaccinations imposed for some Swiss cattle
Small rockfalls occurred above Brienz GR

More

Rockfalls measured above Swiss village

This content was published on A series of rockfalls occurred above the village of Brienz between 9 and 12 July. According to the municipality of Albula, the overall situation remains tense. Several people disregarded the ban on entering the area around the village.

Read more: Rockfalls measured above Swiss village
Arosa Bergbahnen with record sales

More

Arosa cable cars celebrate record year

This content was published on Arosa Bergbahnen achieved the highest figure in its 95-year history in the 2024/25 financial year with net revenue of CHF 37 million. Arosa Lenzerheide was able to capitalise on strengths such as snow reliability and the size of the ski area in a long winter season, the company announced on Thursday.

Read more: Arosa cable cars celebrate record year

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR