WindOn the Beauty of a Wind TurbineMelanie Meyer and Nils Tamm

The concept of wind turbines is not a recent development. As early as the 7th century, wind power was utilized to crush grains in Iran. By the 17th century, wind was harnessed for various types of water pumping. Two centuries later, wind power found a new application: energy production. Since then, wind turbines have been continually optimized for efficiency, with blades designed to move effortlessly, and the machines themselves growing progressively larger. In Switzerland, wind turbines typically stand at 150 meters tall, while the tallest turbine globally, located in China, reaches up to 280 meters. In Switzerland, wind turbines often carry a negative connotation, primarily due to their appearance and size in the landscape.

Compared to its neighboring countries, Switzerland lags significantly in wind-produced electricity. Due to extremely long building processes and an overall unfavorable opinion, wind energy only accounts for 0,3% of the Swiss energy mix. How will Switzerland face its own goal for 2050, being a 7% part of wind energy ?

Can Switzerland overcome its own preconceived ideas about its identity ?

R. Rodewald, a representative of the Landscape Protection Foundation and an influential figure in the design of Switzerland’s largest wind farm at Mont Crosin in the Jura region, emphasizes the importance of public perception for the acceptance and efficiency of wind energy in Switzerland. Mont Crosin serves as a model, as it was carefully planned to blend with the landscape and marketed as a tourist attraction, enhancing the area’s natural beauty. This approach demonstrates how wind energy projects can be successfully integrated into the landscape and positively received by the public.

R. Rodewald introduced several design methods for wind farms to ensure they are aesthetically and environmentally considerate:

Existing wind farms in Switzerland are predominantly located in specific landscape typologies, such as the Jura mountaintops, valley floors, and alpine passes. There is a general tendency to situate energy production facilities away from metropolitan areas, which can lead to perceived inequities in sparsely populated regions. This practice raises the question of whether Switzerland can overcome this internal disparity and consider integrating wind energy facilities within urban areas to distribute the benefits and impacts equitably.

The idea of placing wind turbines in metropolitan areas and reinforcing the image of energy production where energy is primarily consumed inspires us to propose a shift in energy production strategies, aiming to offer a greater variety of energy sources. The rules suggested by R. Rodewald are applicable to the countryside. Therefore, we propose a complementary set of guidelines for the densely populated Swiss Plateau. Our project focuses on three sites in the Canton of Zürich where wind energy can be implemented. The three sites are chosen regarding their individual characteristics : agricultural, infrastructural, and urban landscape.

Our idea is to move towards metropolitan areas beyond our initial site proposals. That’s why we chose to create guidelines with three main priorities (Energy Production, Environment, Aesthetics). Since these sites vary significantly from one another, the importance of each criteria will differ across the sites.