Baden-Württemberg: City Day: Municipalities must save energy in the long term

First Corona, now the rising energy prices: many cities have to save, the coffers are emptier.

Baden-Württemberg: City Day: Municipalities must save energy in the long term

First Corona, now the rising energy prices: many cities have to save, the coffers are emptier. A wealth of ideas is required.

Stuttgart (dpa/lsw) - Because of the energy crisis, the cities and municipalities are not only obliged to save gas and electricity in the short term. "They must also look in the future to see how energy can be saved in the medium to long term. They must also think about how the city can save energy and use regenerative energy sources, for example by installing photovoltaic systems on their own roofs," said the executive board member of the Baden-Württemberg town association, Ralf Broß.

So far, the cities have not been able to do it just like that, Broß remarked. "When it comes to a town hall in a historic city with a listed building, the Monument Protection Act still speaks against installing classic square photovoltaic systems on the roof there," said Bross. However, there are also further developments, for example in the form of roof tiles with integrated photovoltaic systems. This could also be an opportunity for monuments.

According to Broß, the cities are prepared for a power failure or total gas shortage within the scope of the existing capacities. "Civil protection is basically a matter for the federal states and is based in the urban and rural districts. Many cities upgraded their infrastructure after the warning day two years ago. Finally, it had to be clarified whether there were enough generators or which means of communication are possible without electricity. Or what happens if E-mail and Internet are no longer available?". Many municipalities have purchased stationary or mobile siren technology.

With the energy shortage as a result of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, according to Bross, the cities are currently also thinking about heating halls. It's about clarifying what happens when people freeze in their private homes. "However, one must honestly say that such heat halls only exist as long as gas actually flows, because most heat halls are operated via gas ovens or gas heaters."

However, the Federal Network Agency has a clear prioritization when it comes to switching off gas consumption. "In the action scenario, industry is first shut down and at the very end the private end consumer, because this has priority," said Bross. Many suppliers and municipal utilities have been in direct contact with energy-intensive major customers since the beginning/middle of last year. "They don't want to risk the Federal Network Agency turning off the gas at some point. Instead, they want to clarify beforehand what options there are for saving gas, for example through shift schedules or changes in production, in order to avoid bottlenecks." There is currently no shortage, the gas storage facilities are full.