The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Swiss wind and solar power lack political backing

Solar panels on long building
Even countries with less annual average sunshine hours than Switzerland produce more solar energy, the foundation said. © Keystone/Gaetan Bally

Switzerland still lags behind other European countries when it comes to the production of solar and wind power.

The latest survey by the private Swiss Energy FoundationExternal link – an organisation pushing for sustainable energy – found Switzerland in position 23.

Denmark and Sweden remain the leading solar and wind producers per head, the foundation said on Tuesday.

Only Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia and Latvia fared worse than Switzerland in the comparison.

Less than 6% of Switzerland’s energy consumption comes from sustainable energy resources and notably projects to build wind turbines face persistent opposition.

Denmark in comparison produced about 53% of its electricity with renewable energy last year.

The foundation called on parliament to push ahead legislation aimed at boosting sustainable energy production. It said efforts were needed to promote large solar panel installations with financial guarantees and other state aid.

Most Read
Swiss Abroad

Most Discussed

News

Only one in five people attend a religious service at Easter

More

Just one in five Swiss attend a religious service at Easter

This content was published on Only one in five people in Switzerland attend a religious service during the Easter period or give up meat or alcohol for at least one day of fasting. Around 25% of those polled see Easter primarily as a family holiday, according to the survey.

Read more: Just one in five Swiss attend a religious service at Easter
Posters condemning Stephan Schmidheiny's role in asbestos deaths in Italy.

More

Swiss businessman gets prison term for asbestos deaths

This content was published on Stephan Schmidheiny has been sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison by the Turin Court of Appeal in a case against the former Eternit executive over deaths linked to asbestos exposure in Italy.

Read more: Swiss businessman gets prison term for asbestos deaths
Swiss foreign trade booms in the first quarter

More

Swiss foreign trade booms in the first quarter

This content was published on Swiss imports and exports reached new heights in the first quarter, driven by the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors. Shipments to the US rose sharply.

Read more: Swiss foreign trade booms in the first quarter

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