The issue

Wind turbines are real monsters, looming up to 200 metres tall, and they stand exactly where you can see them best: on exposed, elevated positions. Switzerland, however, does not produce much wind energy.

Huge foundations made from energy-intensive concrete (grey energy) blight the landscape to an unbelievable extent, while monstrous new access roads to the wind farms are built through the heart of nature.

Plus, wind turbines have a negative impact on animal life: hundreds of thousands of birds and bats die every year, caught in the huge rotor blades; their habitats are altered and disturbed, not to mention other disruptions such as noise pollution that affect both animals and people.

Our project

Fondation Franz Weber and its subsidiary association Helvetia Nostra actively campaign to preserve unspoiled mountain ridges and to ensure that projects comply with restrictions protecting nature and the landscape. Most of all, however, they fight on various fronts against planned new wind farms.

As a result, we and other environmental organisations have been able to prevent the construction of wind farms in the canton of Vaud, by lodging complaints or supporting petitions. For example, we are currently battling the construction of three planned wind farms in the Creux-du-Van region.

Our team regularly participates in official meetings relating to different wind farm projects planned on the Jura Arc, in order to raise our voice alongside other environmental organisations and campaign for the preservation of unspoiled nature and the protection of our wildlife.

Our goals

  • Protect unspoiled Swiss landscapes against disfigurement.
  • Curb the senseless deaths of innumerable, often protected, bird species and bats.
  • Protect the habitats of numerous animals and plants, thus preserving biodiversity.
  • Demonstrate the advantages of solar energy compared to wind energy.

Facts and Figures

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0 metres
POTENTIAL WIND TURBINE HEIGHT, DISFIGURING THE LANDSCAPE
0 birds
ON AVERAGE ARE CAUGHT IN WIND ROTORS PER YEAR
0 wind turbins
WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR FULL EXPANSION OF WIND ENERGY PRODUCTION IN SWITZERLAND
0 wind turbins
ARE CURRENTLY IN OPERATION IN SWITZERLAND
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