Here's the place to learn all about renewable energy from wind and photovoltaics!

With its forest of giant wind turbines and its discreet solar power plant, Mont-Soleil, just above St. Imier, is Switzerland's largest research centre for renewable energy.

It can be reached either by a small road (from Saint-Imier and Saignelégier) or by a solar-powered funicular from Saint-Imier.

At Mont-Soleil, everything revolves around renewable energies and gentle tourism: in winter, it is a paradise for snowshoeing and night skiing on the illuminated slopes; in summer, it is a paradise for hiking, electric bicycles and Segways. In all seasons, it is also a gastronomic Mecca, with numerous restaurants, inns and farmhouses, some of which are listed in the Gault & Millau.

It is also the ideal place to make up your own mind about the great controversy over wind turbines: are they really ruining the landscape, are they really unbearably noisy?

As for us, we find these wind turbines extremely elegant and the landscape as beautiful as ever! And as for the noise, we did an unstoppable test by bivouacking 50 m away from a wind turbine in full operation...

Conclusion: all wind turbine detractors should be cut off until they become more objective and supportive...

Useful links

Swiss Canton of Bern (iSwitzerland Guide) - Wikipedia