The current debate on the expansion of renewable energies in the Alpine region and in particular the creation of open-space PV plants in the Alps highlights lines of conflict that go beyond previous controversies regarding the construction of Alpine energy infrastructure. In particular, this concerns conflicts of objectives between the acute need to expand renewable energy production and the concerns of nature and landscape conservation. However, the discourse surrounding many corresponding projects for the design and implementation of such Alpine energy cultural landscapes shows that the appropriate vocabulary is often lacking for the dialogical discussion of the various dimensions of these projects. In order to overcome these obstacles, a set of arguments is needed that is specifically geared towards practice and opens up a productive space for discourse. This project uses the specific case study of the municipality of Pontresina and explores questions of cultural “identity” and aesthetics. The project is also dedicated to highlighting the possible additional benefits of such facilities in terms of alpine farming, biodiversity and tourism.
Forschungsschwerpunkt
The Alps as resources
Start
January 2024
End
2026
Participants
Boris Previšić
Veronika Studer-Kovács
Annina Boogen
Urs Müller (Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandten Wissenschaften)
Marco Volken
Sounding board
Jürg Rohrer (Zürcher Hochschule der Angewandten Wissenschaften)
Jens Badura
Norman Backhaus (Universität Zürich)