Midlands

The midlands (including the Jura mountains) are characterized by a high availability of woody and nonwoody biomass from agricultural activities, making biomass a central resource for both electricity and heat. From the technical perspective, a large share of individual and privately-owned houses enables easier uptake of solar PV or thermal collectors, although the potential can be to some extent limited in older farmhouses. The wind power potential is large, albeit difficult to harvest because acceptance for wind turbines is low. The renewable heating can rely on biomass or heat pumps, whereas the potential for district heating or waste heat is only possible near denser populated or industrial sites. Altogether, local decentralized renewable energy systems in the midlands can be expected to at least supply own energy needs of the midlands and potentially export any surplus to the cities. While transport infrastructure is denser in the midlands than in the Alps, individual vehicles remain important, especially for dispersed settlements. Extensive agricultural activities mean that agricultural and goods transport are more prevalent and needto be decarbonized.

From the societal perspective, renewable energy uptake, especially solar, has already been growing faster in the midlands than in other parts of Switzerland. A large share of the population also lives in or near the place where they were born, offering existing networks to initiate cooperation around renewable energy. Farmers and agriculturalcompanies can also be active agents of change. However, skepticism against an energy transition is traditionally more pronounced in rural areas than in cities.