High potential for solar expansion along Germany's highways – report
Clean Energy Wire / pv magazine
Spaces alongside German highways could be utilised better to build solar energy systems, with around 250,000 potential sites identified in a report by the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt). The report, commissioned by the transport ministry, suggests a potential capacity of up to 48 gigawatts (GW) of solar power panels along highways, plus up to 4.2 GW for installations on sound barriers and up to 1.2 GW for car parks alongside federal roads.
"Electromobility makes a particularly important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions if the energy required is generated from renewable sources," said BASt head Markus Oeser. "One approach to providing the required energy close to the consumer and thus reducing the load on the grid is to utilise roadside spaces."
The highway management company Autobahn GmbH, which is owned by the federal government, will now draw up a cadastre of all the areas and facilities on public land that could potentially be used for installing solar panels, pv magazine reported. It will then examine whether it can construct and operate the facilities itself. If Autobahn GmbH decides to not use the spaces itself, it could enter contracts with third parties like local authorities, investors and residents, according to the article.
Germany aims to deploy 215 GW of solar power installations by 2030. The country’s cumulative installed solar generation capacity was about 96 GW in late 2024. Rooftops in German cities are becoming increasingly covered with solar panels – another way of tapping into previously underutilised spaces in the energy transition.
