Published on: April 21, 2025 / Updated on: April 21, 2025 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
The “Untere Hurst” solar park on the A8 motorway is an inter-municipal solar park project of Sinzheim, Baden-Baden and Hügelsheim – Creative image: Xpert.Digital
Green power along the motorway: Lower Hurst solar park project launched
Sustainability unites: Sinzheim, Hügelsheim and Baden-Baden rely on solar energy
In an exemplary inter-municipal collaboration, the municipalities of Sinzheim and Hügelsheim, together with the city of Baden-Baden, are developing a large-scale solar park along the A5 motorway. The “Untere Hurst” project, with a planned capacity of over 7 megawatts, represents a significant regional energy transition project. The participating municipalities have joined forces to invest in renewable energy, with construction scheduled to begin in 2025/2026. The cooperation is supported by local energy suppliers and is expected to generate almost 8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
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Project structure and participation of municipalities
The “Untere Hurst” solar park is designed as a community project intended to advance the regional energy transition. The participation structure demonstrates strong local ties, prioritizing local value creation.
The municipality of Sinzheim plays a central role and, together with its municipal utility GWS Sinzheim, holds a total of 49 percent of the project company, with 34 percent held directly by the municipality. Mayor Erik Ernst emphasizes the strategic importance of this investment, which is based on several pillars, including the leasing of municipally owned land and indirect profits from participation in the project company.
The Baden-Baden municipal utility company is also involved in the project as a key partner. Managing Director Helmut Oehler explains that this investment in renewable energies strengthens the utility's image as a pioneer in sustainable energy supply and makes a significant contribution to the city's climate protection strategy. The city of Baden-Baden sees the project as an opportunity to achieve its sustainability goals while simultaneously operating economically.
The municipality of Hügelsheim is contributing to the project by leasing its land for the solar park. Mayor Kerstin Cee emphasizes the positive aspect of this collaboration: “The municipality of Hügelsheim is proud to make a significant contribution to the realization of the solar park project by leasing our land. These lease payments support our community and simultaneously promote the sustainable energy future of the region.”
Support from regional energy suppliers
The implementation and project development are being supported by badenovaERNEUERBARE GmbH, a company with experience in municipal projects in the fields of wind power and photovoltaics. Managing Director Michael Klein acknowledges the clear commitment of the local councils and sees the project as a strong sign of inter-municipal cooperation. He also emphasizes the challenges in the region: “The opportunities for photovoltaics are limited in our region, which makes it all the more gratifying that everyone involved in this project is pulling together and that we can thus make a valuable contribution to the generation of locally generated renewable electricity.”
Technical details and environmental impact
The “Untere Hurst” solar park is designed as a high-performance facility intended to make a significant contribution to the regional energy supply. The technical parameters illustrate the scope of this ambitious project.
With an installed capacity of 7.434 MWp, the solar park will be built on a total area of 7 hectares. This size enables an annual electricity output of approximately 7.85 million kilowatt-hours, which represents a significant contribution to the local energy supply. For comparison: The largest solar park in Baden-Württemberg, located near Heilbronn, can supply around 24,000 households with electricity.
The environmental impact of the solar park is considerable: Generating electricity from renewable sources avoids approximately 5,960 tons of CO₂ emissions annually. This saving significantly contributes to reducing the ecological footprint of the participating municipalities and supports regional and national climate protection goals.
Location selection along the A5
The choice of location along the A5 motorway follows a nationwide strategy supported by legal adjustments. The amendment to Section 35 of the German Federal Building Code (BauGB), effective January 1, 2023, facilitates the construction of ground-mounted photovoltaic systems along motorways up to a distance of 200 meters. This regulation makes such locations particularly attractive for solar park projects.
Highways offer several advantages for the installation of solar parks. They are already impacted by traffic and noise, which minimizes conflicts with other interests such as agriculture or recreation. The areas along highways are therefore considered "prime sites"—locations that, due to their existing impact, are particularly suitable for renewable energy projects.
Timeline and current project status
The “Untere Hurst” solar park is currently in the planning phase, with the latest press release from April 17, 2025, reflecting the current state of development. The project timeline anticipates construction starting in 2025/2026, suggesting that actual construction work could begin in the near future.
Current developments indicate that the project is progressing well. The recently published press release from the Sinzheim municipal utilities underscores the commitment of all parties involved to advancing the project. Public communication regarding the project suggests a transparent approach that also includes citizen participation in the process.
In the context of regional solar park developments, it is worth noting that several similar projects are currently underway along the A5 motorway in the region. In Bietigheim, for example, one of the largest solar parks in Baden-Württemberg is being built on an area of 22 hectares within a year and is scheduled to go into operation in mid-2026. In other municipalities, such as Ötigheim, a solar park near the A5 with a total capacity of approximately 4.1 MW was also recently inaugurated. These parallel developments underscore the dynamic expansion of renewable energies in the region.
Comparable projects in the region
The “Untere Hurst” solar park joins a growing number of solar park projects along the A5 motorway. In Sinzheim itself, there is already another project underway: Trianel GmbH, with SolNet as project developer, is constructing a 5.2-megawatt photovoltaic plant on the Waldhof site. The permitting process for this project was expected to be completed by the end of 2023, with construction planned to begin in late 2024 or early 2025.
In July 2023, EnBW began construction of a solar park on the A5 near Bruchsal-Untergrombach. The park, built on a 3.8-hectare site, features an integrated battery storage system. Such battery storage systems increase the efficiency of solar installations, as the generated electricity can be fed into the grid more flexibly and evenly throughout the day.
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Economic and social significance
The inter-municipal solar park project “Untere Hurst” has multifaceted significance for the participating municipalities beyond mere energy production. It not only represents an investment in renewable energies, but also serves as a model for successful inter-municipal cooperation.
The economic benefits for the participating municipalities are manifold. The municipality of Sinzheim profits from direct gains from its investment in the project company as well as from lease income from municipally owned land. For Hügelsheim, the lease income represents an additional source of revenue that strengthens the municipal budget. This local added value is an important factor in gaining public acceptance for such projects.
Mayor Erik Ernst of Sinzheim describes the project as an “inter-municipal flagship project” that serves as a model for future sustainable energy projects and demonstrates “how climate protection and economic foresight can go hand in hand.” This combination of ecological and economic goals makes the project particularly attractive to municipal decision-makers.
Contribution to the regional energy transition
The “Untere Hurst” solar park makes a concrete contribution to the implementation of the energy transition in the region. With its annual electricity production of 7.85 million kilowatt hours, it helps to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. This is particularly relevant in the context of the current geopolitical situation and the desire to become less dependent on foreign energy supplies.
In Baden-Württemberg, renewable energies account for approximately 41 percent of electricity generation, with photovoltaics representing the largest share among renewable energy sources at just over 14 percent. The state has set itself the goal of allocating two percent of its land area to wind power and photovoltaics in order to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and achieve climate protection targets. Projects like the "Untere Hurst" solar park contribute directly to achieving these goals.
Local cooperation, global benefits: The Untere Hurst solar park as a model
The “Untere Hurst” solar park project on the A5 motorway impressively demonstrates how inter-municipal cooperation can contribute to the success of the energy transition. The municipalities of Sinzheim and Hügelsheim, along with the city of Baden-Baden, have developed a model that combines ecological responsibility with economic pragmatism, prioritizing local value creation.
With a planned capacity of 7.434 MWp and an annual electricity production of 7.85 million kilowatt-hours, the solar park will make a significant contribution to the region's renewable energy supply. The avoided CO₂ emissions of almost 6,000 tons per year underscore the project's environmental importance.
The successful collaboration between various municipal stakeholders could serve as a model for similar projects in the region and beyond. The involvement of several municipal energy suppliers and the transparent communication of the project, which contributes to public acceptance, are particularly noteworthy.
With construction scheduled to begin in 2025/2026, this project joins a series of solar park developments along the A5 motorway, representing a significant step towards a sustainable energy supply in the region. Furthermore, utilizing land along transport routes like the A5 demonstrates a smart approach to land use, as it leverages existing infrastructure and minimizes potential conflicts.
The “Untere Hurst” project is a concrete example of how local engagement and regional cooperation can advance the energy transition from the bottom up – a development that is essential for achieving the overarching climate protection goals.
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