Wind energy sets production record
Die Windenergieanlagen in der Schweiz haben 2023 insgesamt fast 169 Gigawattstunden Strom erzeugt. Damit wurde der im Vorjahr aufgestellte Produktionsrekord um 12,5 Prozent übertroffen. Im europäischen Vergleich liegt die Schweizer Windenergie dennoch auf dem letzten Platz.
The 47 wind turbines in Switzerland with a total installed capacity of 100.45 megawatts generated a combined 168.5 gigawatt hours of electricity in 2023. This exceeded the previous year’s record of around 153 gigawatt hours by 12.5 per cent, Suisse Eole reported in a press release. A lot of electricity was generated in the winter months in particular, according to Lionel Perret, Managing Director of the industry association: “All records were beaten in November and December”.
The good wind power production in the reporting year was mainly due to the winter storms observed since autumn. For example, the annual production of the Peuchapatte wind farm in the canton of Jura was 43 per cent higher than expected at 17.1 gigawatt hours. “Wind turbines produce electricity up to a wind speed of 150 kilometres per hour,” explains Perret. “Only with even stronger and longer-lasting gusts of wind do the blades turn out of the wind.”
According to Suisse Eole, the strong winter winds in Switzerland should be better utilised. The industry association writes that the country ranks last in Europe with a 0.3 per cent share of wind energy in total electricity consumption. According to Perret, the long planning and authorisation procedures are to blame for this. “The wind farms alone, which are now being built a little faster thanks to the Windexpress, can supply household electricity for around 500,000 people,” says the Managing Director of Suisse Eole.