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The Walchensee Power Plant () is a
hydroelectric power station Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...
in
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It is a
storage power station Energy storage is the capture of energy produced at one time for use at a later time to reduce imbalances between energy demand and energy production. A device that stores energy is generally called an Accumulator (energy), accumulator or Batte ...
that is fed water from the
Walchensee Walchensee or Lake Walchen is one of the deepest and largest alpine lakes in Germany, with a maximum depth of and an area of . The lake is south of Munich in the middle of the Bavarian Alps. The entire lake, including the island of Sassau, ...
which is then released into the
Kochelsee Kochelsee () or Lake Kochel is a lake south of Munich on the edge of the Bavarian Alps. The western 1.7 km² or 28.3 percent of the lake lies within the borders of the town of Schlehdorf, while the rest belongs to Kochel am See. The southern ed ...
. The installed capacity is 124 MW with an annual production of 300 GWh. The power plant is south of Kochelsee, about from the village of Walchensee. It is one of the largest of its kind in Germany and has been owned by Uniper Kraftwerke GmbH since 2016.


Technical operation

The power station uses the
hydraulic head Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a measurement related to liquid pressure (normalized by specific weight) and the liquid elevation above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22, eq.3.2a. It is usually meas ...
of about between the
Walchensee Walchensee or Lake Walchen is one of the deepest and largest alpine lakes in Germany, with a maximum depth of and an area of . The lake is south of Munich in the middle of the Bavarian Alps. The entire lake, including the island of Sassau, ...
(acting as the upper reservoir, at above sea level) and the
Kochelsee Kochelsee () or Lake Kochel is a lake south of Munich on the edge of the Bavarian Alps. The western 1.7 km² or 28.3 percent of the lake lies within the borders of the town of Schlehdorf, while the rest belongs to Kochel am See. The southern ed ...
( a.s.l.) to generate electricity. Through six, ducts connecting the two natural lakes, the water flows to the hydro-electric plant's four Pelton
water turbine A water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy of water into mechanical work. Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now, t ...
s with
single-phase generator Single-phase generator (also known as single-phase alternator) is an alternating current electrical generator that produces a single, continuously alternating voltage. Single-phase generators can be used to generate power in single-phase electric p ...
s, and four
Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...
water turbines with three-phase generators, and then exits into the Kochelsee. Because the water level constantly changes, neither lake fully freezes in the winter; what does freeze on the lakes is potentially hazardous thin ice. The natural outflow of the Walchensee at Niedernach — over the Jachen to the River
Isar The Isar () is a river in Austria and in Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel mountain range of the Alps. The Isar river enters Germany near Mittenwald and flows through Krün, Wallgau, Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching ...
— is blocked by a
weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
, but the natural inflow to the lake is still insufficient to provide enough water to the reservoir for the operation of the power station, so the waters of the Rißbach river are also used.


Isar transfer

The Isar, which flows as a whitewater river from the Austrian part of the
Karwendel mountains The Karwendel is the largest mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps. It is located on the Austria–Germany border. The major part belongs to the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, while the adjacent area in the north is part of Bavaria, ...
, is dammed between
Mittenwald Mittenwald () is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria. Geography Mittenwald is located approximately 16 kilometres to the south-east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is situated in the Valley of the river Isar, ...
and
Krün Krün is a municipality in the Upper Bavarian district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It belongs with Garmisch-Partenkirchen as district capital and cultural center as well as other municipalities to the region Werdenfelser Land. A few kilometers sout ...
by a weir to form the Krüner Isar reservoir () and is then diverted to the Walchensee. This water flows past the Krün hydroelectric plant in an open channel, through a culvert, under the B 11 road at
Wallgau Wallgau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. Population Growth :''*Statistics according to the Bavarian government, as of 2007.'' Demographics :''*Statistics according to the Bavarian gov ...
and then via a tunnel to the Sachensee lake (). Here a 3.9 kilometer long
penstock A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. The term is of Scots origin, and was inherited from the earlier technology of mill pond ...
begins. At the end the water enters the hydro-electric power plant at (), propels the turbines, and finally flows into the lake.


Rißbach transfer

The Rißbach comes from the northern part of the Karwendel mountains, where it gathers the water of smaller streams in the Ahornboden area. After crossing the border between Tirol and Bavaria, and immediately after the inlet of the Fermersbach, a 6960 m lug carries water to the hydro-electric power plant at Niedernach at the southeast end of the Walchensee. The power station has been in operation since 1951.


Distinctive features

The main road from the village of Walchensee to Urfeld runs below the steep slopes of the
Herzogstand The Herzogstand is a mountain in the Bavarian foothills of the Alps, south of the city of Munich. It has an elevation of and is northwest of Lake Walchen. Maximilian II of Bavaria had a hunting lodge built underneath today's so-called ''Herzogs ...
. Construction had to withstand the pressure exerted by the Walchensee on the embankment, so that the road did not slide away. If the water level in winter falls due to outflow through the Walchensee power station, use of the road by trucks is limited by weight restrictions. In spring plant operators are obligated to increase the water level again in such a way that traffic restrictions — primarily affecting tourism — can be lifted or penalties are imposed. During winter operators must monitor the snow accumulated in the catchment area to calculate the amount of melt water expected and to comply with water level requirements. , the Walchensee, along with other Bavarian power stations in the region, produce 1.3
TWh TWH or twh could refer to: * Tai Dón language, a language of Vietnam, Laos, and China * Tai Wo Hau station, Hong Kong; MTR station code * Tennessee Walking Horse, a breed of horse * Toronto Western Hospital, a hospital in Toronto, Canada * Tun ...
of
renewable A renewable resource (also known as a flow resource) is a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of ti ...
electricity annually, i.e. the supply of close to 400,000 Bavarian households.


History

Oskar von Miller Oskar Franz Xaver Miller, since 1875 von Miller (7 May 1855 – 9 April 1934), was a German engineer and founder of the Deutsches Museum, a large museum of technology and science in Munich. Biography Born in Munich into an Upper Bavarian family ...
was the developer and designer of the Walchensee power station. It was initially intended to support the electrification of the Bavarian railways, but the project was suspended by the Bavarian parliament in 1912. It was believed too much electric power would be generated and the economic benefits were in doubt. In 1915, von Miller suggested integrating the proposed power station into the region's power grid and the state-owned power supply company Bayernwerk. The Bavarian parliament agreed to the construction of the power plant in 1918. Construction began in December 1918 and in 1924 the plant began producing electrical power. The problem of transporting that power over long distances was solved with the introduction of overhead power lines. From the outset, demand for power was so great that hydroelectricity could only provide a third of the required output, with the balance being supplied by
traction engine A traction engine is a steam engine, steam-powered tractor used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin ''tractus'', meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any ...
s. The plant was originally owned by the state-owned ''Bayernwerk AG'' (Bavarian Works Company). Bayernwerk was later denationalised and taken over by VIAG (''Vereinigte Industrieunternehmungen'') and as a result the power station is now operated by
E.ON E.ON SE is a European multinational electric utility company based in Essen, Germany. It operates as one of the world's largest investor-owned electric utility service providers. The name originates from the Latin word '' aeon'', derived from ...
Wasserkraft GmbH.


World War II wind tunnel

To develop
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
's planned A10 rocket, a new Mach 10 wind tunnel was planned at the power station. The new power plant was to use the 202 meter difference from the Walchensee down to the Kochelsee to generate 120 megawatts. However, instead of a new wind tunnel and power plant, the Mach 4.4 wind tunnel used for
V-2 rocket The V2 (), with the technical name ''Aggregat (rocket family), Aggregat-4'' (A4), was the world's first long-range missile guidance, guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the S ...
development was moved to the site following the 1943 Operation ''Hydra'' bombing of
Peenemünde Peenemünde (, ) is a municipality on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in north-eastern Germany. It is part of the ''Amt (country subdivision), Amt'' (collective municipality) of Used ...
, and the new powerplant was completed after the war. The wind tunnel was moved to
White Oak, Maryland White Oak is a census-designated place and unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 16,347 in 2020. White Oak was known for its Naval Ordnance Laboratory, which was closed in 1994. The headquart ...
, after the war.


Notes


External links

{{Commons category Buildings and structures in Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen Energy infrastructure completed in 1924 Hydroelectric power stations in Germany 1924 establishments in Germany