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Photovoltaics and Green Electricity for Road Tunnels in Bavaria

Recently, Bavaria's Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter inaugurated a photovoltaic system in Traunstein, which is intended to supply power to the Ettendorf tunnel. Additional systems are planned throughout Bavaria.

(v.l.n.r.): Dr. Thomas Zumbrunnen, State Building Office Traunstein, Peter Maltan, State Building Office Traunstein, Bavaria's Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter, Resi Schmidhuber, Deputy District Administrator of Traunstein District, Dr. Christian Hümmer, Mayor of the City of Traunstein, and Michael Wimmer, 1st Mayor of the Municipality of Surberg, in front of the new photovoltaic system. (Photo: StMB)
(v.l.n.r.): Dr. Thomas Zumbrunnen, State Building Office Traunstein, Peter Maltan, State Building Office Traunstein, Bavaria's Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter, Resi Schmidhuber, Deputy District Administrator of Traunstein District, Dr. Christian Hümmer, Mayor of the City of Traunstein, and Michael Wimmer, 1st Mayor of the Municipality of Surberg, in front of the new photovoltaic system. (Photo: StMB)
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von Anna Barbara Brüggmann

As early as March 2024, a photovoltaic (PV) system was put into operation at the Ettendorf Tunnel. The goal: to supply the approximately 760-meter-long tunnel with around 30,000 kWh of electricity per year.

"Road tunnels require a lot of energy during operation, especially for lighting, but also for operational and safety technology," said Bavarian Minister of Transport Christian Bernreiter on the occasion of the official opening. "That's why we are also expanding photovoltaics significantly in the transportation sector," he announced.

At the Ettendorf tunnel, the acquisition costs would amount to around 30,000 euros, and the tunnel's electricity needs would be covered during peak daytime hours.

Bernreiter cites as an advantage that tunnels have the highest electricity consumption on bright and sunny days – precisely when the PV system produces the most electricity. The brighter the outside environment, the brighter the entrance lighting in the tunnel must be, so that the eye can adjust to the darker tunnel environment.

Additionally, the Free State of Bavaria also wants to focus on energy-saving technology. In autumn 2024, the State Building Authority of Traunstein is set to convert the entrance lighting of the Ettendorf Tunnel to LED lamps.

The plan is to reduce the power consumption of the entrance lighting by around 50 percent. Furthermore, the current electricity contract is to be switched to a climate-neutral eco-tariff.

Expansion Planned Across Bavaria

Additional PV installations on tunnels are planned across Bavaria. By the end of 2024 or early 2025, for example, the Wendelberg Tunnel near Melleck on the B 21 is to be equipped with LED lighting and photovoltaics under the jurisdiction of the State Building Authority in Traunstein. The Auberg Tunnel in Altenmarkt is expected to follow in 2025 and the Schlosstunnel in Ruhpolding in 2026.

“On the ancillary areas and noise barriers of federal and state roads alone, we have the potential to generate 2.44 TWh of electricity per year,” said Bernreiter, adding: “We will utilize this potential.”

Translated automatically from German.
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