The green-black state government in Baden-Württemberg wants to increasingly use fallow land and shoulders of federal and state roads for energy generation.

In the next two to three years, photovoltaic systems (PV) are to be built on around 260 areas, which can generate 122 gigawatts of electricity per year.

According to calculations by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Transport, around 35,000 three-person households could be supplied with solar power.

The aim is also to maintain tunnel structures autonomously in terms of energy with solar systems in the future.

Rudiger Soldt

Political correspondent in Baden-Württemberg.

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Compared to Bavaria, for example, Baden-Württemberg has some catching up to do when it comes to the construction of new solar systems on open spaces.

"The growth of renewable energies is an absolute priority, we are in fourth place in photovoltaics," said Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) on Tuesday in Stuttgart.

Due to the PV obligation for new buildings, there will be an increase of about 60,000 systems per year, the "next construction site" is the construction of such systems at the edge of traffic routes.

Unequal distribution of areas

In addition, the Greens and CDU are discussing a PV obligation for old buildings: the CDU rejects it, the Greens are examining whether constitutional hurdles can be overcome.

Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens) said that up until now the use of embankments or noise barriers had been ruled out due to a lack of profitability.

"But now we have a new time."

There were initially 650 reports for such systems, but 330 areas were not owned by the state.

Public utilities, cooperatives and companies would now have to check whether they wanted to invest.

Model lease agreements have been drawn up for investors, but unfortunately the areas in the country are not yet well distributed. The focal points of the photovoltaic expansion on the roadsides are northern Baden and parts of the Swabian Jura.

Hermann criticized the fact that a PV system could only be built at a distance of 40 meters next to motorways, for which the state is not responsible, in order to keep the ground free for future motorway construction.

However, there are low-traffic motorways where, according to Hermann, a six-lane expansion is unlikely.

The solar system on Autobahn 8 near Gruibingen (Göppingen district) is exemplary.

In Tübingen, a solar system has just been built on the "Lustnauer ears", an open space at a junction with the main road.

It temporarily supplies 500 private households with electricity.

Tübingen Mayor Boris Palmer (Greens) had criticized the fact that the planning and approval phase for the project had lasted nine years, but the construction period only nine weeks.