Wind energy gathers force in Switzerland
The Swiss wind power industry says that 2010 was a record year in terms of production.
Suisse Eole, the Swiss association for the promotion of wind power, said that production capacity rose by 150 per cent to 42 megawatts.
This means a potential 74 million kilowatt hours of electricity, enough for 21,000 households, the organisation said in a statement.
New wind farms at Mont-Crosin in canton Bern, Gütsch in canton Uri and La Peuchapatte in the Jura have boosted production from 27 kWh, said Suisse Eole. There are now 28 installations in operation across the country.
Domestic wind power production has therefore reached the intermediate goal set by SwissEnergy, which promotes energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy.
Swiss Eole expects a tenfold increase in wind power production over the next decade, which would then produce enough energy for 200,000 households – more than the population of Switzerland’s largest city, Zurich.
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