The community of Tutzing would like to generate heat from Lake Starnberg and use it to feed an energy network in the town.
The heating center could be built underground at the monastery.
However, there are still many questions to be clarified.
A technology-open feasibility study should now provide clarity.
Tutzing - This is unusual: More than 20 visitors, including former mayor Marlene Greinwald, appeared at the special meeting of the Tutzing local council on Tuesday evening.
There is great interest in the topic of lake heating - in how water from Lake Starnberg could be used to generate heating energy for the entire town center.
But one thing seemed a bit irritating: the listeners were allowed to listen to an informative lecture by Dr.
Listen to Marco Lorenz from the citizens’ initiative “Tutzing climate neutral 2035”.
However, the decision to commission a feasibility study for a heating network, which was quite realistic given the situation, was made behind closed doors.
Mayor Ludwig Horn announced this via email on Tuesday evening in response to press inquiries.
The reason for the non-public part was a complex consideration of the future heating concept of the middle school, which is being renovated.
As you can easily guess, this also depends on the planning of the heating network.
The municipality put the Seethermie project on hold at the end of 2023 because funding was suddenly no longer available due to the collapsed federal budget.
Since the end of January, the targeted pot called “Federal funding for efficient heating networks (BEW)” has been available again.
According to Horn, the local council voted unanimously in the non-public part to submit an application for the BEW program and, if the decision was positive, to commission a feasibility study, half of which would be funded.
It would cost the community around 25,000 euros.
The municipality has had an offer for an office since November.
Feasibility study is a prerequisite for all further steps
The study is the “prerequisite for the entire further procedure with regard to future heating networks and is technology-neutral in terms of the heat source to be used,” explains Horn.
It will be clarified, for example, how many households will connect to the network and how the lines will run.
Horn emphasizes “technology openness” because it is a condition for state funding.
However, it became clear to the local council: The lake heating was well received, but with a few exceptions there were no critical inquiries.
The committee later also decided that municipal heat planning (mandatory until 2028) “is not the first priority at the moment”.
Background: “We see that something would happen in the town center,” said Mayor Horn to the Starnberger Merkur.
“Here we can do something concrete for climate protection.” That’s why the municipality would rather tackle this heating network first before investing time and energy in the much more superficial heat planning that affects the entire municipal area.
“That’s two pairs of shoes,” Horn clarified when asked.
The implementation of the heating network by 2030 is quite realistic, said Marco Lorenz from “Tutzing climate neutral 2035”.
And there is already a potential location for a heating center from which heat is transported to households: the monastery.
The missionary Benedictine sisters had signaled “great interest and clear willingness”.
“We thought of an underground solution,” said Lorenz.
He mentioned Kustermannpark as an alternative and community-owned area.
Lorenz expected 258 connection objects and calculated the total costs including the energy center and distribution network at 8.5 million euros.
A first house number, nothing more.
Lake heating with citizen participation: “Most charming solution”
Lorenz called tackling lake heating with possible citizen participation “the most charming solution”.
Citizens' initiatives and the community obtained general recommendations from the Weilheim water management office.
One: take the path together with other neighboring communities.
Mayor Horn reported that he had already been approached by colleagues at Lake Starnberg with interest.
An exchange on the topic has been agreed.
The use of lake thermal energy has long been established in neighboring Switzerland, and considerations are being given in Bavaria on Lake Constance, Chiemsee and Tegernsee.
And the community of Herrsching am Ammersee is also considering the idea.
A basic problem: Due to the lack of other projects, the legal requirements are still missing in Bavaria.
Horn therefore has an appointment at the Ministry of Economic Affairs in April.
One thing is clear: the lake's ecosystem must not be impaired.
Where how much water is taken and where it is returned could lead to discussions.
“You can remember the triangular shell,” said Horn in the local council.
“We’ll be hearing more about her.”