Energy consumption as well as its production is an all-time pain point for economy, politics as well as society. More energy than ever is needed and less conventional methods to produce energy are available. This is in a large part because auf sustainability reasons and climate risks as well as current developments in politics. Besides that, the passing of the European Green Deal in form of the European Climate Law is what brings the member states to change their behaviour in matters of renewable energy.
The federal state of Vorarlberg has significant industrial players which are reliant on the state’s energy infrastructure (renewables and traditional energy sources). The expansion of the renewable energy sector however is promising. The energy intensity of the Vorarlberg economy, expressed as energy consumption per gross regional product, decreased by 32%.
The citizens of Vorarlberg already have the possibility to claim full green electricity from the provider. Regional green electricity is obtained exclusively from renewable energy sources in Vorarlberg. It is a clear contribution to the country’s energy autonomy and climate protection as well as the EGD. Vorarlberg’s green electricity is also the sunniest electricity in Austria. In addition to many small hydropower plants (the most important and prominent energy source in the region) and biogas plants, over 5,000 photovoltaic systems deliver their earnings for this purpose.
Many good practices and innovations like this exist all over Europe and could be easily multiplied in other regions but often stay undiscovered. This is where the Project RESINDUSTRY comes in. By identifying best practices in different countries of Europe (Czech, Finland, Poland, Spain, Estonia, Austria and Malta) a foundation for a policy learning platform was created. Stakeholders of the energy sector from all over Europe now have the possibility to inform themselves about current developments in the sector. The best practices also include already tested/piloted good working technologies and strategies, showing the immediate as well as long term results of the implemented projects. The diverse character of the project furthermore supports universal applicability of at least one solution. Since the platform contains best practices from different countries with varying sizes, geography, climate zones, and policies, several scenarios and circumstances are already covered. Thus, stakeholders can compare their own situation with the provided best practices and more easily find a fitting solution for their own region.
Additionally, market analyses within the different states provided important insights of the respective energy sector.
An important outcome of the project summarizing the market analysis, lessons learned and key facts, was the Action Plan for each participating region. The document for Vorarlberg is updating the methodology for monitoring and evaluation in the scope of policy instruments, promotes the role of industrial companies as prosumers (producer and consumer at the same time) and advances policies that stimulate the larger share of RES in the national electricity mix, support the expansion of the local manufacturing sector, and ensure reasonable RES costs and environmental protection. During the course of the project several events were held, to bring the project partners as well as many stakeholders together. Expert missions, interregional workshops, master classes, study visits as well as policy breakfasts were carried out internationally, with stakeholders from across Europe. This gave room for discussions, exchange, communication and learning experiences. These activities not only benefit the information on the learning platform and the outcomes of the project in general but also the European interchange with focus on renewable energy.
jens.schumacher@fhv.at
