Monteput has announced a €30,2 tender for the preparation of a techno-economic study on the use of solar potential along the Smokovac-Mateševo highway section. This study should analyze whether solar panels can be installed and used to produce electricity on this route or if another model is needed.
The tender was announced on March 18th and will last until March 24th. The company that is selected for this job will have three months to prepare the study and submit it to Monteput.
Solar panels are one potential solution because the operation of the highway itself, especially when fully constructed, will require huge amounts of electricity.
The tender documentation states that the Smokovac - Mateševo section is a significant consumer, and that 80 percent of the electricity consumed goes to lighting in 16 double-tube tunnels. This highway route receives electricity from substations (TS) located along it and connected to the 110/20kV TS in Mrke and Mateševo.
It is emphasized that the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System (CEDIS) has not yet taken over these substations, so they are still owned by Monteput, and the highway is a consumer, which takes electricity from the Montenegrin Electricity Transmission System (CGES).
"The specificity of the tunnel lighting system is reflected in the fact that it is in operation 24 hours a day, with the need for tunnel lighting intensity, especially in the entrance zones, being greater the greater the insolation in the access zone on the open route, in order to meet the safety conditions for visibility in the tunnels. The Sozina tunnel as part of the future Bar - Boljare motorway, due to its position and volume of traffic, has significantly higher electricity consumption than the tunnel on the Smokovac - Mateševo section of similar length. The study should examine and present the possibilities of using electricity from solar panels based on numerical calculations and simulations using software tools that would ultimately ensure more efficient use of energy, reduce costs and reduce the risk of changes in the price of electricity on the market. The aim of the study is to show the advantages and disadvantages of different models so that, based on a comparative analysis, further strategic decisions related to the supply of the motorway could be made," the documentation states.
This study should also analyze the legal framework, solar capacities, space utilization, grid connection, energy exchange, economic viability, system management and maintenance, and propose specific technical solutions. It is stated that the biggest challenges in building solar panels on the highway are access roads, distance from electricity infrastructure, and securing areas for their installation.
It is pointed out that European Union countries have already started similar projects, that Germany, through the Renewable Energy Sources Act, has designated corridors up to 200 meters from the edge of the road as a priority for installing systems, and that they have recently relaxed this so that the ban is now up to 40 meters. It also says that Switzerland is working on a project to install solar panels on structures above roads, and that neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina has announced a tender for the preparation of documentation for researching the potential of panels on the highway.
According to data from the Study of Valorization of Space for the Purpose of Energy Production from Renewable Solar Sources from 2013, the number of sunny hours in Montenegro is higher than 2.000 hours per year in most of the territory.
The tender documentation states that the Smokovac - Mateševo section is a significant consumer, and that 80 percent of the electricity consumed goes to lighting in 16 double-tube tunnels. This highway route receives electricity from transformer stations located along it and connected to the 110/20kV substations in Mrke and Mateševo.
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