Beuron power plant

Beuron power plant
View from the Benediktushöhle to the old fortification in July 2007
location
Coordinates	48 ° 3 '16 "  N , 8 ° 59' 21"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 3 '16 "  N , 8 ° 59' 21"  E
country	Germany Baden-Württemberg
place	Beuron
Waters	Danube
power plant
owner	Beuron Archabbey
Start of operation	1920/2009
technology
Bottleneck performance	0.22 megawatts
Expansion flow	12 m³ / s
Standard work capacity	0.7 million kWh / year
Turbines	1 Kaplan turbine
Generators	1
Others

The Beuron power plant in Beuron in the Baden-Württemberg district of Sigmaringen in Germany belongs to the Beuron Archabbey .

Old system

The monastery has had its own hydroelectric power station on the Danube in the hamlet of St. Maurus between Beuron and the Talhof near Langenbrunn since 1921 . The annual production of the power plant, which was built between 1920 and 1921, not only covered the energy needs of the monastery, but also the amount of energy for all of Beuron. The turbine technology that still works today consisted of a Voith and a Ruch turbine from 1920. Both systems had an output of 40 to 50 kilowatts at normal water levels. The system received a bevel gearbox in 1936 and 1937. In 1991 an electro-hydraulic controller, two new generators and a new control cabinet were put into operation. This produced a maximum output of 110 kilowatts.

New building

The old weir system had become dilapidated over the decades and the amount of energy produced annually, averaging 400,000 to 500,000 kilowatt hours, was ultimately not even enough to provide the monastery with full power. In the past, extreme high or low water led to the shutdown of the power plant. This made a new building urgently necessary for economic operation. The construction work under Father Tutilo, prior of the monastery, began in September 2007 with the demolition of the old complex. At 2.6 million euros, this was the largest single construction site the monastery has ever done. Annual production is to be increased to 800,000 kilowatt hours after the expansion. The hydropower plant produces an amount of electricity that can supply 680 people a year. The entire power requirement of the monastery is thus covered. The project aims to secure the long-term economic existence of the monastic community. On the one hand, the community receives money from feeding its hydropower electricity into the EnBW network ; on the other hand, the Benedictines receive special purchase conditions.

For the new construction of the 55 meter wide weir structure of the hydropower plant, the new defensive walls, into which the new weir flaps were inserted at the end of June 2008, were able to sit on the well-preserved foundations. The two flaps, each weighing 20 tons, were fully assembled, each 27 meters long and 2.20 meters high. The two storage flaps are moved by a hydraulic system that has a lifting force of 200 tons. The old machine house had to give way to the new three-story turbine house. A single 18-ton turbine will have a maximum output of 270 kilowatts. While in the past the maximum output could only be achieved at certain times, the new St. Maurus power plant will always operate at its maximum output, apart from exceptional times. This was made possible by the new technology of the weir. In the future, the water barrier can be flexibly adapted to the respective water level of the Danube.

Difficulties faced the project mainly for environmental reasons. The location of the power plant in what is now a remote part of the Danube Valley in the middle of a nature reserve that has been protected several times ( Natura 2000 ) resulted in a planning phase that dragged on for well over ten years. Due to the increase in the defensive wall and the associated longer backflow of the Danube water, concerns were expressed that the habitats of a protected fish species in the rapids near the sun house would be endangered.

From an ecological point of view, optimal economic efficiency was dispensed with when planning the power plant. In addition, a fish ladder has been created so that fish can migrate upstream and via a fall point downstream. It is the first in the Sigmaringen district. When the water level is low, the fish ladder is supplied with water first and then the turbine. Artificial quarters were built for the bats that had settled in the old hydroelectric power station. For the construction it was necessary to divert the Danube. 3,000 cubic meters of concrete were poured. The construction had to be shut down partly due to flooding. After 18 months of construction, the new hydropower plant was completed in 2009. When it went into operation, the power plant was blessed and the turbine was put into operation.

Web links

• St. Maurus hydroelectric power station on the side of the St. Beuron Archabbey

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Hermann-Peter Steinmüller: Hydroelectric power plant should double output. www.suedkurier.de, January 28, 2006, accessed on January 12, 2017 . 
2. ^ Hermann-Peter Steinmüller: Start of construction is delayed. www.suedkurier.de, April 27, 2006, accessed on January 12, 2017 . 
3. ^ ^{A b c d e} Hermann-Peter Steinmüller: Danube is "squeezed out". www.suedkurier.de, June 12, 2008, accessed on February 12, 2017 . 
4. ^ Hermann-Peter Steinmüller: New power plant for monastery. www.suedkurier.de, May 21, 2005, accessed on February 12, 2017 . 
5. ^ ^{A b} Hermann-Peter Steinmüller: Second building application on the way. www.suedkurier.de, September 24, 2003, accessed on February 12, 2017 . 
6. ↑ Ursula Mallkowsky (sky): 2.6 million project on and in the Danube near Beuron . In: Südkurier of November 21, 2008
7. ↑ ^{a b} Hermann-Peter Steinmüller: New turbine: A feat of strength at the power plant. www.suedkurier.de, October 14, 2008, accessed on February 12, 2017 . 
8. ↑ Vera Romeu (from right): Hydroelectric power station. The concerns of ecology and economy are consciously in harmony . In: Schwäbische Zeitung from May 19, 2009