Producing wind power when there is a lull elsewhere

Various phenomena influence the wind conditions at a location. Typically, wind speeds in valleys increase in the afternoon, while they are highest at night on ridges. As expected, the modelling showed such diurnal fluctuations in the upper Rhine valley, on the Rhone bend in the Valais and in the Vedeggio valley. However, large-scale weather situations can also lead to typical wind conditions in Switzerland due to the topography. For example, when there is high air pressure north of Switzerland, the wind channels itself between the Alpine chain and the Jura to form an iron flow as far as Lake Geneva. With their modelling, the researchers investigated at which locations such regional effects lead to wind conditions that differ significantly from the surrounding countries. They found that during high-pressure-dominated weather conditions, the wind blows significantly stronger at Lake Geneva and at the Rhone Bend in Valais. The Vedeggio valley in Ticino also shows above-average wind performance in certain weather conditions.

These regions could therefore produce wind power when the rotors in other regions are at a standstill. The authors of the study see this as an incentive for the construction of new wind turbines, even if the average wind speed does not suggest this at first glance. However, they are hardly able to make a contribution to smoothing the European wind power production. Because these regions are far too small in comparison.

In the Jura, on the other hand, wind conditions correlate with those in the rest of Europe. However, because this region has the highest average wind speeds in all of Switzerland, the wind farms there are already economically viable today.