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The 21st century must become the century of the Sun. If we continue to burn oil, our civilization will collapse. This is common sense. Everyone knows this. Not everyone understands what this means, and it will take time for everyone to understand it and start acting on it. We have everything to gain: solar energy is two hundred times greater than our current consumption. Fortunately, the current debate largely reproduces the problems of yesterday.
Over the past few weeks and months, more than thirty Swiss municipalities have voted in favor of solar systems. Proposals were accepted in Laax in Grisons, in Grengiols in Valais and in beautiful Adelboden in the Bernese Oberland. This means it can be built. However, in Saanen this proposal was rejected, as were the votes on two major projects in the canton of Graubünden. The route will soon be built in Oberiberg in the canton of Schwyz.
In the cities, people scratch their hair, trying to force the disheveled stubborn people in the mountains to find happiness. Colonial reflexes are visible: the savages in the mountains did not recognize the signs of the times. We must teach Alpyokhi more!
The problem has been identified and is being thoroughly resolved. This is a secret vote. According to political science, open public meetings promise desired approval.
We know this problem: everyone needs electricity, no one wants to know how it is produced. Nobody wants a stove in front of a private home. Nobody wants to see a wind turbine. Who voluntarily allows their landscape to be fenced off? Who wants to spoil a beautiful view with ugly panels? You are glad that this cup passed you by. Secret ballots help with this. This is understandable, but it is not enough solidarity and unreasonable.
The secret ballot was introduced for honest reasons. They must immunize citizens against bribery, corruption and intimidation. However, this is a real danger. Political violence, physical and verbal, remains a constant threat in democracies. According to the theory, in a secret ballot, citizens make decisions sovereignly and freely. It is impossible to put pressure on them, no one can control them, neither those in power, nor the social environment that expects conformity.
The numbers seem to support this idea. Participation in public community meetings is low. Only those who believe they are in the majority vote. Who goes into defeat with their eyes open? Who likes to explain why they say no when everyone else says yes? Social exclusion due to deviant political positions and associated shame. Everything happens through open voting.
The secret ballot was considered the gold standard of democracy. No one can hold citizens accountable for their decisions. He can publicly say he said yes. And secretly vote against it.
And that is why they have always caused controversy. In nineteenth-century England they were considered suitable for deceitful, cunning and treacherous nations. In England, where honesty, independence and nobility reign, every citizen is free to hold his own opinion and express it openly. Looking at the secret and fatal Brexit vote, there is no misdiagnosis. A little social pressure wouldn’t hurt here. More correctly, Britain!
Open voting follows the ideal that the best arguments, and therefore the common good, will ultimately win. In a deliberative democracy, people listen, think, and, if necessary, change their minds.
Secret ballot follows a pragmatic idea. The common good must be formed from many voices in a cumulative process.
Both ideas are true and both are wrong.
Nobody can argue forever. At some point, the conversation must end and a decision must be made. This is why the open voting deliberative model is good, but actually fails. And secret voting may be sovereign, but it often leads to irrational decisions that are harmful to society. Out of selfishness, we put our own interests above the common good. However, solar energy is a social need, not a personal one. The individual benefits from his goods only indirectly.
So what do we do when we know what needs to be done, but no one wants to do it? Are democratic processes suitable for constructively managing the coming transitions? Since it will inevitably come, the only question is how we will make it happen.
Instead of getting stuck with faulty procedures, we should develop better templates. Today they are weakening the authority of their authors. It is not citizens or electrical tycoons who decide what projects will look like. Local residents are suspicious. They wonder what this means for them.
The construction of large-scale facilities is based on an idea that originated in the Petrocene. When it comes to nuclear and coal reactors, the manufacturer strives for size and negative scaling. The larger the power plant, the lower the cost of producing a kilowatt-hour. Energy is produced centrally.
Solar energy is not scalable. It depends on the geographical area, topography, time of year and weather. In this context, she distributes cards equally to all players. Decentralization is the preferred method here. Solar panel on every roof. Surpluses and deficits are eliminated jointly and collectively. Every home, every building is a semi-autonomous power plant, interdependent, connected by a smart network with other production facilities and with several large power plants that are launched during periods of electricity shortage. This is what the future energy supply will look like.
Urban arrogance is foolish: buildings account for almost half of energy consumption – but at the same time, this is where the greatest production potential lies: on roofs, facades and parking lots.
Switzerland is struggling to find technological and political solutions. Supply chain problems, too little skilled labor: we are not growing fast enough. Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Hungary and Italy on average cover twice their electricity consumption with photovoltaic systems. Solar heat is a real baby problem, although it should be an important part of the solution. Why generate electricity first when we can heat directly with solar heat? Unfortunately, the numbers are decreasing: ten times fewer sewers are being built than ten years ago, and even annual productivity is now declining.
We have a lot to do. Maintaining and widening the gap between city and countryside will get us nowhere. The energy transition is a task for society as a whole. Damages and benefits must be distributed fairly. The sun rises every morning and, until it sets again in the evening, it shines everywhere, without distinction, over home and farm, over young and old, in town and country. Sali, Sali, the sun is shining for Alli.
Source: Blick
I am David Miller, a highly experienced news reporter and author for 24 Instant News. I specialize in opinion pieces and have written extensively on current events, politics, social issues, and more. My writing has been featured in major publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and BBC News. I strive to be fair-minded while also producing thought-provoking content that encourages readers to engage with the topics I discuss.
