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For the energy transition, all renewable energies must be massively expanded, so above all
- Hydropower, which already represents 60 percent of the electricity mix
- Wind power, which has a share of around 12 percent
- Photovoltaic energy (solar energy), currently with a share of just over one percent
- Biomass
- Green gas (from organic waste)
Expansion objectives have already been established in the Türkis-Grün coalition pact. Then it takes
- about ten times more photovoltaic modules than there are today
- almost three times more energy from wind power than is currently generated
- an expansion of hydroelectric power by 5 terawatt hours (currently around 40 TWh are produced)
- a little more biomass and significantly more green gas (also 5TWh)
costs
Electricity production generally has to be subsidized: the government has set a cap that stipulates that subsidies for the expansion of renewables cannot cost more than 1 billion euros per year (over a three-year period). That makes a total of around ten billion euros by 2030.
Gewessler sees this as a lever for additional private sector investments of 30 billion euros. And of course green jobs, for example, for “solar technicians” who install photovoltaic systems.
Gas power plants as grid backup
Existing gas power plants should not be decommissioned; rather, as a grid backup for security of supply, they must be ready to supply electricity at any time if it is not possible to produce enough electricity from renewable sources.
Subsidies should be applied differently, for construction or revitalization, and in the form of power fees (additional payment for supplying green electricity to the electrical grid).
Energy transition as climate protection
The ministry’s calculations assume that the energy transition to renewable energy sources will save around 9 million tons of CO2 by 2030, an average of around 896,000 tons of CO2 each year.
Some turquoise-green energy transformation projects have already been presented, such as energy communities where, for example, neighbors buy a photovoltaic system together and use electricity together; or each citizen can participate in an ecoenergy project (community energy communities) and obtain electricity from there.
One of the objectives of the EAG is to give project operators, for example for wind turbines, more stability and security in planning. This includes the funding period being set uniformly for all technologies (photovoltaic, wind, hydro, etc.) over 20 years, at the same level as in other countries. So far, for example, wind power generators have complained that due to the current 13-year funding period, many systems were no longer eligible for funding prior to their technical depreciation period. The amount of the bonus will decrease because the funding is spread over a longer period of time.
There are several types of financing: There should be investment financing for smaller systems with higher self-consumption, for example photovoltaic systems on your own roof. For larger plants that have to trade the electricity they generate themselves, there must be market premiums that are added to the market price. Depending on the technology, the amount of the premium must be determined through regulation or through auctions. In the case of wind energy, the premium will be set once a year by ordinance; In the case of biomass and photovoltaics, the auction system is planned.
Numerous obstacles along the way
The overarching goal of obtaining electricity only from sustainable sources by 2030 has a big problem: the federal government can only improve framework conditions, for example through investment subsidies and subsidies to supply green electricity to the grid.
The actual expansion is ultimately subject to the federal states, which have to issue the permits, for example, or regulate where something can be built (zoning).
Furthermore, there is no “quota” for the federal states for the expansion of individual green electricity sectors.
Using wind energy as an example: Vienna, Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg have practically no wind power plants, Upper Austria and Styria have only a small share, 85% of total wind energy is produced in Lower Austria and Burgenland. However, the federal government can force my federal state to approve new wind farms.
Furthermore, wind power plant projects are increasingly facing public outcry.
With the expansion of photovoltaic energy, Climate Minister Gewessler introduced the “1 million roof program” until 2030 just a few days ago, so by then solar modules should be on every second roof of a house in Austria. However, these would only reach about 40 percent of the expansion target (11 terawatt hours), the rest will be produced by large-scale photovoltaic systems.
Here too there is now a conflict, specifically in Lower Austria: the state recently issued clear guidelines for the construction of new photovoltaic systems, but now the state parliament has an amendment to spatial planning stating that in the next two years only the Se They are called areas where large-scale photovoltaic systems can be installed. Therefore, the photovoltaic association warns against the expansion of photovoltaic energy in Lower Austria for four to five years.
By expanding hydroelectric power, Gewessler, as Green Party minister, wants new criteria for ecological protection, “strict criteria in terms of ecology and compatibility with nature”: new hydroelectric power can no longer be built on “particularly ecologically friendly stretches of water. valuable with very good ecological conditions “. Adas is viewed critically in the federal states because the expansion goal cannot be achieved with him, hence the criticism.
