Renewable energy production (wind power, hydropower, solar power, geothermal energy, and biomass) is a landscape service with growing importance and high political relevance in Switzerland.

The expansion of energy production will have a strong impact on competing landscape services such as agricultural production, recreation, tourism, biodiversity conservation and aesthetics.

Our project aims are:

1. Map- at the national scale- the capacity of the landscape to generate renewable energy
2. Model expected conflicts with other landscape services for different energy production scenarios

Research questions:

1. What landscape impacts (type and spatial distribution) can be expected from the production and transportation of renewable energy?
2. What is the conflict potential between the production and transportation of renewable energy and other landscape services?
3. What is the spatial distribution of competing landscape services?
4. What is the spatial pattern of potential conflicts between renewable energy and other landscape services?

Procedure:

1. Gather maps and data of areas with high potential for renewable energy production
2. Develop scenarios for all renewable energies considered
3. Model selected landscape services
4. Identify conflicts by overlaying suitable locations for energy production with the ones for other landscape services
5. Spatial and textual description of conflicts

Product:

We will generate a report with national maps displaying areas with high potential for renewable energy and areas where conflicts might be encountered.

Contact:

• Anna Hersperger
  

• Felix Kienast
  

• Lorena Segura Moran