The federal state of Salzburg is likely to miss the targets it has set itself for the expansion of photovoltaics (PV) by 2030. According to the energy master plan, new plants with a total energy of 500 GWh should be built by then. “If we want to achieve the goal for 2030, we would have to submit an application for a photovoltaic system every 30 minutes,” said Herwig Struber, Managing Director of Salzburg Netz GmbH, during a background discussion on Wednesday.
In fact, around 3,000 new systems are currently being built every year – that’s about eight applications per day. The decentralization of power generation is a challenge for every grid operator, because the owners of the PV systems feed the electricity that they do not consume into the grid. And that requires the appropriate infrastructure on the one hand and leads to volatility in the power grid on the other. The comprehensive conversion to intelligent electricity meters (smart meters) started in Salzburg almost a year ago. So far, 63,000 meters have been rolled out, said the second Salzburg network manager, Johannes Walsberger. By the end of the year, this number should increase to 175,000 and the changeover should be completed by mid-2024 – provided there are no significant delays in delivery. The original goal was the end of 2019.
In addition to power distribution, Salzburg Netz GmbH is also responsible for natural gas. Here in the state of Salzburg, a gap is being closed to Tyrol. According to Struber, the remaining 19 kilometers of high-pressure pipeline will be built between Puch and Oberalm in Tennengau and between Saalfelden and Hochfilzen. Salzburg is thus supplied from two sides, namely from Tyrol (and thus via Germany) and from Upper Austria, which increases the security of supply. In total, Salzburg Netz GmbH – a 100 percent subsidiary of Salzburg AG – will invest almost 93 million in the current year.
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