Wind energy utilises the kinetic energy of airflow to rotate turbine blades. The mechanical energy thus generated is converted by a generator into electricity.

The first wind energy facility in Switzerland was put into operation near Soolhof (Längenbrück) in 1986 with a capacity of 28 kilowatts. As of 2007 there are 30 wind plants in operation in Switzerland with a total capacity of 14 gigawatt hours (GWh). The largest of these is on Mont Crosin, near St Imier in the Bernese Jura: it has eight wind turbines with a total capacity of 7,660 kilowatts. Other sizeable wind plants are located in Collonges (canton of Valais), Entlebuch (canton of Lucerne) and on the Gütsch above Andermatt (canton of Uri).

Wind power is undergoing rapid growth world-wide (the global growth rate is currently around 20%). And in Switzerland, too, there is plenty of potential for developing wind energy: by 2030 it would be possible for facilities that meet the stringent criteria of Switzerland's wind energy concept to produce around 600 GWh of electricity per annum. There are ideal locations in the Jura range as well as in the Alps and the western "Mittelland" plateau.

Although wind energy is an excellent option from both an economical and an ecological point of view, the planning of wind plants is often delayed due to opposition and objections. In its resolution of August 2006 concerning the Crêt-Meuron wind park, the Federal Council stated that wind energy production in Switzerland is in the country's interest. For this reason, at the request of the authorities of certain cantons, homeland and landscape protection organisations and the wind energy industry itself, the federal government formulated a Swiss wind energy concept under the guidance of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, the Federal Office for Spatial Development and the Federal Office for the Environment.

This concept specifies the background conditions governing the planning and construction of wind plants and observes the principle of focusing solely on suitable sites for such facilities. The criteria for identifying suitable sites include wind frequencies and strengths, exploitation, distance from residential areas, and compatibility with nature and landscape protection. The concept is intended to serve as a planning instrument for cantons and municipalities.

The aim behind this concept is to promote wind energy with the support of  SwissEnergy so that, by 2010, between 50 and 100 GWh of electricity can be produced from this renewable source.

The SFOE has entrusted Suisse Eole (association for the promotion of wind energy in Switzerland) with the task of marketing wind energy. This organisation assists developers, planners and authorities with procedural planning, communication and clarification of potential sites, and is also able to offer them financial support.