ÖBB builds agrivoltaic system for traction current
ÖBB builds agrivoltaic system for traction current
The plant in Carinthia feeds its yield directly into the overhead lines. The company already uses 100 percent green electricity, which it intends to generate itself by 2030.
13. August 2024 Jochen Siemer (pv magazine): August 13, 2024 Jochen Siemer (pv magazine): At an official event with Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler on Monday, the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) opened an agrivoltaic plant to produce traction current for the line running directly next to it. The plant in Thalsdorf (Carinthia) is expected to generate around 16 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, with an installed capacity of 13.2 megawatts.
The photovoltaic system is combined with the keeping of 6,000 chickens and 60 sheep, which will have a protected run under the 19,000 solar modules. The total area measures 14 hectares, on which trees have also been planted and green strips laid out. The modules reportedly cover an area of around six hectares.
ÖBB has chosen a rare solution for the use of electricity: It is fed directly into the overhead line of the adjacent tracks. The company VENSYS from Diepholz (near Bremen) supplied six VENCON PV 16,7 Hz 2000inverters, which convert the solar power for the railroad's 16.7 Hertz network. ÖBB, meanwhile, commissioned what it claims to be the world's first system with such a concept back in 2015.
According to ÖBB, it has been using 100% green electricity for its trains since 2018 and has also been supplying all buildings, facilities and container terminals with electricity from renewable sources since 2019. By 2030, the company aims to work with partners to generate 80 percent of its traction current with its own systems, compared to 60 percent today. The aim is to increase the proportion of self-supply from the current 11% to 67%. At the same time, “internal energy efficiency” is to be increased by 25 percent, for example by modernizing the traction current network or optimizing buildings. Investments totaling 1.6 billion euros are planned.
Picture: Opening of the Agri-Photoltaic plant in Thalsdorf with (from left) Gaby Schaunig (Deputy Governor of Carinthia), Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler and Hans Pluy (CEO of ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG).
Foto: ÖBB/Waschnig
Click here for the complete article: https://www.pv-magazine.de/2024/08/13/oebb-errichten-agri-photovoltaik-anlage-fuer-bahnstrom/
