ÖAMTC and Wien Energie: The Full Speed ​​of the Energy Community

Vienna (A) At the largest ÖAMTC base in Austria, west of Vienna, the PV system provides an environmentally friendly drive. The solar power plant built by Wien Energie not only supplies solar power to the site, but also to private homes in Vienna. The Mobility Club is the first major customer to participate in the Wien Energie Pilot Energy Association. In this innovation project, the excess solar energy is exchanged with other participants via a digital platform and can be used by them. The two companies show what an interconnected energy future across sectors and industries could look like to further protect the city’s climate.

In creating the rules for ÖAMTC, the club pays special attention to environmental protection and energy efficiency. “The solar power plant on a surface area of ​​4,000 square meters produces about 509,000 kilowatt hours of solar energy annually. This saves more than 170,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide at the Vienna West Base annually. In addition, the entire site is heated and cooled with a pump. Heating the air, ”said Oliver Kropitza, Commercial Director of ÖAMTC.

If the photovoltaic system at the ÖAMTC base in West Vienna produces more electricity than is required on site, then project participants can get this solar energy directly for their apartments. Throughout the year, up to 50 percent of the electricity produced by the ÖAMTC system can be used jointly. Seven more PV systems are planned at ÖAMTC bases in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland over the next few months.

Together, protect the climate
ÖAMTC not only supplies the community with electricity, but also draws it from it. Mobility Club is a member of the community, as are nearly 50 private families. On the community platform, they can all choose from the green power plants they wish to have electricity with. As a green electricity producer, ÖAMTC can also offer its own solar energy on the platform.

“There is a particular need in the city for ways in which people can participate in climate protection. Not everyone can install a PV system on its rooftops. Energy communities make renewable energy sources available in the city as well. Major customers with large areas such as ÖAMTC are partners Important for this, let’s do the energy conversion together in Vienna! ”Explains Michael Strbel, Chairman of Wien Energie.

With the photovoltaic system at the base of West Vienna, community participants now have more choices about where they want to get green electricity. Wien Energie makes the platform available and supplies the community with electricity if more energy is needed than what green power plants currently produce.

Collaboration of solar energy to charge energy
“As a mobility club, environmental, economic and social sustainability is of particular importance to us. Projects such as the energy community, expansion of renewable energy along with freight infrastructure and fair roaming with other freight providers, are important elements. With these measures, we want to increase awareness among Both colleagues and members are raising awareness, ”says Ernst Kloppknik, Regional Director of ÖAMTC in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, explaining the cooperation between ÖAMTC and Wien Energie.

Wien Energie has been a roaming partner of the ÖAMTC ePower charging network with time tariff since March 2021. This means that ÖAMTC ePower customers can use the entire Wien Energie public charging network in Vienna and vice versa.

Energy societies as a key to energy transition
The Renewable Expansion Act creates a framework for renewable energy communities with a focus on individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises. With this pilot project, Wien Energie goes one step further and uses virtual models to test how large companies and organizations can also participate in such communities.

Pilot Energy Community is the further development of Viertel Zwei’s “urban pioneer community”, an urban development project by Value One. Most of the current members are people who were already part of the first energy community. Now the community is no longer locally bound to the urban development area; Families outside Graetzel also participate in the research project via the digital platform.