Davos votes for the solar system in the high Alps
Voters support construction in the Barcin area by a convincing majority. By 2025, clean energy will be provided to 3,000 households.
The planned solar system is to be built on the southern slope of the Totalfurn River in Mayrhofer Talle.
Visualization/Photo: Swisspower AG
Apparently, voters of the Graubünden tourist community in Davos voted in favor of building a solar system in the high Alps of the Parsen region. The bill was approved Sunday with 75.5 percent of the vote.
1,704 voters answered yes, compared to 552 no, as the Davos municipality announced on Sunday. Voter turnout was 35.4 percent. The system is scheduled to be built at the Tualbe Ski Area by 2025, and will one day produce electricity for about 3,000 average households.
Through this system, the municipality of Davos, together with other partners, wants to benefit from the so-called “Solar Express” launched by the federal government – that is, from simplified approval procedures and additional financing options. The community wants to become a carbon dioxide neutral destination by 2030.
Cultivated lands and pastures must be preserved
According to community representatives, the chosen site is well developed. Thanks to the proximity to wheelchair lifts and gondola lifts, electricity transmission losses will be reduced. In addition, the system is not visible from the valley, which means that no reflections or other defects can occur, as was said before the vote. Cultivated land and pastures must also be preserved.
Critics of the project have argued that building the plant represents an economic risk that is difficult to calculate because of its dependence on future electricity prices. Additionally, the construction site and facility area can disturb the wildlife that lives there.
A pilot project was implemented in the region before the vote. The local council said the results were positive. EWD Elektrowerk Davos wants to set up the production plant in cooperation with three other local electricity companies and Swisspower AG, an alliance of Swiss municipal utilities.
SDA/No
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