Recently, with the increasing global demand for clean energy, Austria's development in the field of renewable energy has attracted much attention. According to the 2023 Energy Trends Survey report released by Austrian media, as many as 91% of respondents believe it is necessary to rapidly expand the development of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydropower. Over 80% of the public supports the installation of related facilities in the community, and nearly 80% of respondents are willing to use renewable energy. In this context, the Austrian government prioritizes the development of renewable energy and aims to achieve 100% electricity supply from renewable energy by 2030.
Austria has abundant water resources, and hydropower is its most important renewable energy source, accounting for about 60% of its total electricity generation. With nearly a hundred large hydropower stations and thousands of small hydropower stations, it has become one of the countries with the largest installed hydropower capacity in Europe. In recent years, Austria has invested heavily in the fields of wind and solar energy, with a rapid increase in the number of wind turbines and solar panels, driving a significant increase in the share of wind and solar energy in the energy structure. Not long ago, eight micro wind turbines from the Austrian highway bridge management company were put into operation on the bridge piers of the highway viaduct, providing green electricity to local toll stations.
In terms of photovoltaic power generation, in early July this year, the Austrian government launched the "Austrian Integrated Grid Infrastructure Plan", which stipulates that 40% of photovoltaic installation targets need to be allocated to building roofs, and the remaining 60% will be provided by states. It is expected that about 11 terawatt hours of photovoltaic installed capacity will be deployed nationwide.
The vigorous development of renewable energy in Austria cannot be separated from government support. In 2022, the government announced the provision of 300 million euros to support the development of renewable energy, and also considered issuing market subsidies to balance power generation costs with international market prices. In addition, Austria actively engages in international cooperation and has increasingly close cooperation with China in the field of renewable energy. In June of this year, Longi Green Energy signed a supply framework agreement with an Austrian photovoltaic company to supply at least 1.5 gigawatts of photovoltaic modules within three years; Shanghai Aixu New Energy Company and Austrian Burgenland Energy Company signed a strategic cooperation memorandum to carry out multi field technological innovation and research and development cooperation.
Despite significant progress, Austria still faces challenges in achieving its 2030 goals. The Austrian Energy Organization pointed out that an additional 27 terawatt hours of renewable energy installed capacity is needed. However, there is currently an increasing trend in natural gas consumption, and the approval process for projects such as wind power takes a long time. Barbara Schmidt, Secretary General of the Austrian Energy Organization, emphasized that accelerating the deployment of renewable energy is crucial to achieving the carbon neutrality goal by 2040.
(Editer：admin)
