Upper Austria is a pioneer in the expansion of photovoltaic electricity storage.

“Upper Austria is not only at the forefront at national level when it comes to the expansion of photovoltaic power, but is also a clear pioneer in the construction of photovoltaic energy storage systems, as the current figures show,” explains State Councillor for Economics and Energy Markus Achleitner.

With 14,609 photovoltaic storage systems supported by a usable storage capacity of 220,852 kWh, Upper Austria clearly leads the comparison of the federal states in 2023 – ahead of Styria (10,231 storage, 159,958 kWh), Lower Austria (11,693 storage, 152,907 kWh), Carinthia (9,745 storage, 118,644 kWh), Salzburg (2,395 storage, 33,640 kWh), Burgenland (1,757 storage, 20,817 kWh), Tyrol (1,476 storage, 19,012 kWh), Vienna (1,579 storage, 16,257 kWh) and Vorarlberg (695 storage, 10,703 kWh). kilowatt-hour).

“Storage solutions are a must”

“In order to make the best possible use of the electricity generated by photovoltaic systems, the wider use of small storage systems plays a particularly important role in our energy system. With electricity storage, the self-consumption of photovoltaic systems can not only be increased, but also at the same time help to relieve the load on the power grid. It is another element of the energy transition,” emphasizes State Councilor Achleitner.

The great importance of photovoltaic electricity storage in the context of the energy transition also underlines the urgent need for appropriate financing: only in April this year was the purchase of small storage systems financed for the subsequent expansion of existing photovoltaic systems.

“Just over a month later, the budget of 35 million euros was already exhausted, and since then there has been a complete standstill again. If the energy transition is really important for us, storage solutions are a must. The current sunny days in particular show this once again,” says State Councilor Achleitner, confirming the call to Climate Protection Minister Goessler for a new version of the funding.