Popular initiative for freedom and physical integrity,
Federal law on a secure supply of electricity from renewable sources.
The first the cap of 10% gets my emotional support but …
The second, well I’d like to see costs curbed but not at my expense.
The third is only supported by the UDC so won’t get my support.
The fourth I support, but …it’s not specific enough. The law should require solar on all new buildings and give subsidies to retrofit existing homes. So should I vote no so they go and think again, or yes in the hope that they will get around to my needs …
#1 is just changing money from one hand to the other. What is won by capping primes at 10% of income and having to increase taxes?
#4: is about development of wind and solar energy.
Emotionally, I don’t like all the ads I’ve seen. Electricity is produced in dams up in the Alps, dams in medium size rivers on the flatlands, nuclear and some other facilities. In general, electricity is not produced in “farm lands”.
So, I don’t get the complaint from “farm lands” about rejecting electricity being generated there. I think if people don’t want ugly facilities producing electricity, they could cancel their power contracts. Consuming power that arrives via an underground cable from far away sources and complaining about ugly wind or solar power is too _________.
Sure. But this is in practice very limited. The last two big pump storages in Switzerland took 10 years to build and cost 2+ billion francs each.
More and different storage technologies are needed. Batteries, e-fuels and various forms of thermal storage (rocks, salt). But that should not stop solar build out. Of course, solar alone cannot be the answer. But it is part of it.
Accoording to the first SRG poll in April, 56% would have voted in favour of capping premiums at 10% of income. Romandie and lower income earners clearly in favour.
It will not only need 50%+ but also majority of cantons. As common for initiatives, support has been fading over the last months, although it is still positive. So there is hope it will fail. On the other hand, the sentiment leans generally more towards “the government needs to help” and I am still in disbelief that the 13x AHV vote won.
The biggest issue here is that this initiative only tried to soften the symptoms of the problem. It provides no solution but will immediately put cantonal and federal budget into imbalance.
I’ve received really bad misinformation in the mailbox about this vote. Smart meters and whatever. Great to read that this stupid campaign is going nowhere.
