Opponents of 5G technology have so far mainly fought against installing and upgrading cellular antennas. The resistance continues in Würenlos: In the village on the border with the canton of Zurich, 5G opponents are fighting against the introduction of modern electricity meters, so-called smart meters.
At the community meeting on Tuesday, a loan of around 1.8 million francs was up for debate for the introduction of smart meters. As part of the Energy Strategy 2050, the existing electricity meters are to be replaced by “the intelligent metering systems”, as stated in the agenda report. By 2027, the installation will have been completed in at least 80 percent of households. 3700 meters are in Würenlos. They belong to the Technischen Betriebe Würenlos (TBW), which in turn is owned by the municipality.
Another advantage of smart meters is that electricity customers can freely choose their supplier in a liberalized market, explained Vice-Minister and Head of Department Nico Kunz (FDP). It is unclear, however, when liberalization is a fact.
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Andreas Pestalozzi, a physicist and retired district teacher, defended himself against the planned acquisition for the “IG Mitschrift 5G zWürelos”. The IG is not about the acquisition of smart meters per se, said Pestalozzi. He feared that electromagnetic radiation could spread from the smart meters over all cables in the house, right up to the bedside table.
“We find the information of the community about health risks to the population completely inadequate,” he said. His demand: “We request the rejection of the business, combined with the assignment to the municipal council to work out a regulation that enables smart operation with the lowest possible electromagnetic emissions.” This regulation could be worked out in six months. The IG had already distributed an open letter to the Würenlos households before the community meeting.
Vice-marine Kunz rejected the accusation of insufficient information. The transmission power of the smart meter is low in emissions, he argued. The TBW managing director Richard Leiter added: “The radiation is only a fraction of what we have today.”
For laypeople of the matter, however, it remained difficult to weigh the arguments against each other. With this in mind, the community assembly (167 attendees) finally expressed its confidence in the community council: it rejected the rejection request with 28 yes to 99 no votes. She then accepted the loan with a large majority. The smart meters are to be installed in Würenlos from 2021 to 2023.
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