25 years ago, Püspök built the first own wind farm in Burgenland. A quarter of a century later, the state already produces over 150 percent of its electricity requirements from wind power and photovoltaics. For further development, however, a critical moment is now, Deputy Governor Anja Haider-Wallner and CEO Lukas Püspök made it clear on Wednesday at a press conference in the Pannonia Gols wind farm: “We have to set the course right now.” With the climate protection laws at the federal and state level, the Electricity Economic Act and new funding, important decisions are imminent. Haider-Wallner announced that the Burgenland would legally fix expansion goals in its climate protection law.
As part of a company visit, Haider-Wallner visited two lighthouse projects of the energy transition in Burgenland: the Püspök Super-Hybridpark in Nickelsdorf and the Pannonia wind farm in Gols.
In Nickelsdorf, Püspök sets new standards in electricity generation from renewable energy with the first super hybrid project in Austria. The innovative overall system combines 84 megawatts of wind power, 82 Megawatt-Peak Photovoltaics and a battery memory around 70 megawatt hours.
With this project, several goals are achieved: excess energy from the wind and sun is stored and fed back into the network if necessary. The battery memory stabilizes the network. Due to the intensive, continuous use of the network, the network costs per kilowatt hour decrease.
“With the combination of wind power, photovoltaics and storage technology, we are building the first big super hybrid park in Austria in Nickelsdorf. The project is a milestone on the way to continuous and long-term cost-effective energy supply from renewable sources-every day, 365 days a year for climate neutrality, first in Burgenland, then in all of Austria”, “,” Bishop Lukas, Bishop Ceo von.
In order to implement such projects in the future, the right framework is needed, says Püspök: “We have to drive the expansion of the power grids consistently and intelligently at all levels so that the electricity from the renewable energy power plants can also be used around the clock.” There would already be enormous efforts here both across Austria and in Burgenland. Also on Püspök’s wish list: the further acceleration of the approval procedures.
Burgenland will fix expansion goals
Haider-Wallner sees the Burgenland on the right track: the law on acceleration of approval procedures was decided by the state parliament in April. The development of the Climate Protection Act is in the final. As announced, it will be presented until summer, according to the deputy governor. “In the law we will also fix an expansion goal for renewable energy”, Haider-Wallner announced. She wants to present the “Best Climate Protection Act in Austria”: “We will clearly overtake Vienna in important points.”
Further important steps have already been set in the government program: This includes a photovoltaic requirement for larger commercial companies, repowering projects for wind power and the rapid expansion of the charging infrastructure for electromobility.
Bund determines further development
The federal government will also set important framework conditions in the coming weeks. He has announced a nationwide climate protection law, a renewable expansion acceleration law and a draft on the Electricity Industry Act. “For us, it is now decided how to proceed in the next few years with the expansion of wind power and photovoltaics”, find that CEO Luke Protect.
Despite the announcement of the Federal Government, there is still no draft law in the Electricity Economic Act. However, a “lace cap” for wind power and photovoltaics has already been announced: If a lot of wind power and solar flow is available, the feed -in of renewable energy is restricted. For Haider-Wallner it is clear: “For the operators of the wind and solar power plants, there are big losses here.” This is particularly problematic with wind power, the essential technology for replacing more expensive and climate -damaging gas power plants in winter.
In any case, hybrid systems such as those in Nickelsdorf have to be excluded from the top cap, the Burgenland deputy deputy Haider-Wallner demands. Finally, the combination with battery storage prevents the production peaks anyway.
Lukas Püspök also demands significantly more ambition when it comes to battery storage: “While other countries in Europe have recognized the importance of large -scale storage for the energy transition, Austria still drives with a handbrake attracted. Anyone who says to climate neutrality that in addition to the network, the memory infrastructure must also expand massively – this will not happen without incentives.”
Federal government must keep course in climate policy
Haider-Wallner sees the Federal Government in the obligation to “keep the course in climate policy”: “It is high time to design the framework conditions.
The climate protection law at the federal level also considers Haider-Wallner to be overdue: “We need a nationwide climate protection law with a bite, as we show it in Burgenland. The federal government must now show that it really takes energy independence and climate protection seriously.” Climate funding, for example for the heating exchange, must be restarted quickly, the Burgenland deputy deputy.
The state councilor responsible for energy and climate protection also fights for a fair distribution of network costs and possible fines, the climate goals should not be achieved: “Currently, the federal states that are preliminary in climate policy are currently paying twice and triple: they have the investments in new facilities, have higher network costs and at the end they also have to pay for the failures of other countries.”
Bishop Lukas ergänzt: “Of all things, those federal states that have been courageously investing in the expansion of wind power and photovoltaics for years and are already promoting the necessary network expansion should now be loaded with high network costs. There is actually a mechanism that works exactly – namely a stronger cost sharing of those countries that are still after the expansion of renewable energies.”
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