Germany Investigates Using Train Lines to Transport Wind Power

Researched by Industrial Info Resources Europe (Galway, Ireland)--In the wake of Germany's shutdown of seven nuclear reactors, the German government has been forced to rethink the 'energy revolution' announced by Chancellor Angela Merkel last year. Those reactors are likely to be permanently taken off the grid, and an accelerated phase-out of nuclear energy in Germany is in the offing.

Berlin recently announced the investment of billions in renewable energies and the modernisation of its energy grid. For additional information, see April 21, 2011 - Germany Turns to Wind as Nuclear Sector Loses Appeal. Much of the country's future renewable energy will come from the offshore wind parks in the north, such as the 835-megawatt (MW) Borkum Riffgrund development; however, the high-voltage power line capacity needed to deliver that power to the south in not yet in place.

The German Energy Agency (dena) anticipates that 3,600 kilometres (km) of high-voltage lines will be required. To date, only 100 km has been installed. In many parts of the country, locals have protested against the use of huge power masts to carry high-voltage lines, dubbing them "energy autobahns running through their backyards." As an alternative to developing a new energy grid, Germany is considering using the Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG) (Berlin) electricity grid for the German National Railway as a means of distributing electric power. Deutsche Bahn AG operates 33,721 km of track, supported by a grid of 7,800 km of high-voltage powers lines. The government is hoping that the network could be modified to transport energy to the south and plug other holes in the grid.

Deutsche Bahn head Rüdiger Grube has said he is "approaching the idea from a critical point of view." The German rail grid would have to be significantly modified were it to be used for delivering power from the north to the south. Tensions would have to be adapted, and new pylons and cable would likely have to be installed. Deutsche Bahn experts have said it could cost up to €250,000 ($370,000) per kilometer. However, it is estimated that the cost of using the Deutsche Bahn grid would be one-quarter of the price of an entirely new grid.

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