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IEA Wind TCP Annual Report 2023
Austrian Annual Report 2023 on the activities of the IEA Wind Technology Program
At the 28th World Climate Change Conference (COP28) of the United Nations in Dubai, the international goal of curbing climate changewas reaffirmed and, for the first time, directly linked to a fundamental move away from fossil fuels. This necessity, already accepted in most Western countries, requires the prioritization of renewable energy at national level. For federalist Austria, this means that things need to change, especially at state level, and that political and ideological boundaries need to be overcome as quickly as possible.
In addition to the political, legal and bureaucratic framework conditions, the expansion of renewable energy generation also requires sound scientific support and the continuous development of technical expertise. This is where the wind technology cooperation programs of the International Energy Agency, or IEA Wind TCP for short, come in. These offer the opportunity to discuss relevant topics in an international network of research, industry and business, to aggregate national research results at an international level and to derive new findings for all participants.
Issues are currently being addressed in 23 working and focus groups – known as tasks – and practical solutions are being sought in collaboration with research, industry and business. The Energiewerkstatt is divided into two of these 23 working groups and contributed know-how from theory, international practice and projects.
The work of the individual tasks is published annually in the Austrian Annual Report 2023 on the activities of the IEA Wind Technology Program IEA Wind TCP, the latest edition of which has now been published. Interested parties can download it here – enjoy reading!
It doesn't take much
Austria's wind potential with varying degrees of land use - a study by Energiewerkstatt
How much clean electricity can we generate in Austria if we use 2% of the country’s surface area to generate energy from wind power? These and other burning questions are answered by the current study “Austria’s wind potential with varying degrees of land use“, which was carried out by Energiewerkstatt on behalf of IG Windkraft.
Only a fraction of the potential is currently being used in Austria, just over 0.2 %. If the use of wind energy were to be expanded to 2% of the national territory, significantly more electricity could be generated than is currently consumed in the country. With existing technology and taking into account all criteria such as the required distances to residential areas, roads, power lines, etc., even 1.5 times Austria’s electricity requirements would be possible – on just 3.1% of the country’s surface area. At the same time, 99% of the estimated area can still be used for agriculture, as paths and foundations only take up a fraction of the space. In Germany, the 2% is already a legal requirement, but not – yet – in Austria.
IEA Wind TCP Annual Report 2022
Austrian Annual Report 2022 on the Activities of the IEA Wind Technology Program
The past year has made it even clearer to all of us that there is no way around renewable energies. They represent a climate policy necessity, but they are also indispensable from a geopolitical and economic point of view. Renewable energies minimize dependencies on fossil fuels as well as their suppliers, secure local supply and make an indispensable contribution to reasonable pricing. In particular, the extreme price jumps for electricity and gas increased the attractiveness of alternative energy sources and strengthened the interest in wind energy in addition to the photovoltaic boom.
The International Energy Agency’s Wind Technology Cooperation Program, or IEA Wind TCP, focuses on sustainable energy supply using wind energy and the associated challenges in establishing the technology. At the level of the IEA Wind TCP, there is a regular international exchange on research topics related to wind energy. Currently, issues are being addressed in 24 working and focus groups – so-called tasks – and practical solutions are being sought in cooperation with research, industry and business. Austria is represented in three of these 24 working groups by the Energiewerkstatt, among others, and contributed know-how from theory and international practice or projects.
The work of the individual tasks is summarized annually in the Austrian Annual Report on the Activities of the IEA Wind Technology Program IEA Wind TCP, the current edition of which has now been published. Interested parties can download it here – enjoy reading!
