Upper Palatinate technology for electricity pylons of the future

2021-11-18 MR

Innovative concept helps make the energy transition faster and more environmentally friendly

Growing population figures as well as advancing electrification and digitalization will increase the demand for electricity in the coming years. At the same time, the energy transition requires a rapid switch from fossil to renewable energy sources. This will lead to more decentralized and more frequently fluctuating power generation. As a result, power grids worldwide are facing major challenges. Their expansion and modernization is therefore indispensable. Reinhauen Power Composites (RPC) from Regensburg, a subsidiary of Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen (MR), has taken up this challenge together with four European partners.

 Funded by the EU's Horizon 2020 funding program, the five partners - BYSTRUP (DK), Valmont SM (DK), Reinhausen Power Composites (DE), Nexans (FR) and Dervaux (FR) - worked for two years on the development of a new overhead line concept under the project name "European Composite Pylon." In August 2021, three new 2x400 kV (the highest transmission capacity in Germany) high-voltage pylons could be erected for demonstration purposes in Denmark for the first time.

An innovative, compact and environmentally friendly solution

"The special feature of the new power pole is the enormous reduction in height and footprint compared to
conventional steel lattice towers. Together with the filigree and aesthetic design, this can increase the necessary acceptance for overhead lines among the population," Marcus Hartmann (Director Business Development & Sales at RPC) is certain. This is made possible by the use of high-quality lightweight construction and insulation materials. The innovative design of the electricity pylon blends in perfectly with the landscape. Wilfried Breuer adds that, also from the perspective of grid operators, the acceptance of local residents is a key to the urgently needed acceleration in grid expansion. Christian Doleschal, a member of the European Parliament, also agrees with Hartmann "The look of the ECP masts is much more attractive than that of conventional steel lattice masts." The reduction in sealed ground areas as well as the transport and installation effort also have an environmentally friendly effect.