100% from renewable energy by 2030

Published on: September 11, 2020 / Update from: September 11, 2020 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

With solar power for the energy transition - The One Million Roofs Program - 100 percent of electricity from renewable energies by 2030 - One million roofs with photovoltaics for Austria

Austria plans: 100% renewable energy by 2030 – @shutterstock | Anton_Medvedev

The Austrian Climate Protection Ministry (BMK) also wants to simplify funding for photovoltaic systems on roofs with the future Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG). On Thursday, September 10th, Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler presented details of the planned measures: From 2021, as part of the new Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG), subsidies for photovoltaics (PV) will also be made much more efficient. The focus is on additional approaches, more transparency and a clearer and more accessible funding system.

A million roofs

PV systems should primarily be installed on buildings or structures (e.g. parking lots, noise barriers, operating facilities). The big advantage lies in the existing infrastructure, for example for network connections. However, many roof surfaces are not yet suitable for PV. In this sense, a corresponding accompanying program is planned to improve the mobilization of roof systems. In addition, a funding program for innovative systems (roof-integrated systems, building-integrated systems, etc.) will be made available from next year.

By 2030, 100% renewable energy should be achieved in Austria with the addition of eleven gigawatts of photovoltaics - @shutterstock | Roschetzky Photography

The One Million Roofs Program

• Addition of 11 GW of photovoltaics by 2030 and the equivalent of 11 TWh of electricity generation.
• In the long term, buildings have a PV potential of around 8 TWh - at least 50% of this should be realized by 2030.
• A roof corresponds to a reference PV system of a “typical” single-family home with a system output of around 4 kWp.
• Goal: solar power for everyone.
• This is the current equivalent of around one million roofs

The ambitious One Million Roofs program is intended to make it easier to equip roofs and buildings with photovoltaic systems. Thanks to modern photovoltaic systems, more and more roofs and buildings are being transformed into sustainable energy suppliers. Additional incentives and more effective funding options are now driving the expansion further.

“The energy transition is one of the most important projects in the next ten years. To do this, we all have to pull together. With a good funding system and a stable legal framework, we are ensuring that solar power can be produced on a million roofs in the future,” says Gewessler.

Sustainable investments in photovoltaics make a significant contribution to the energy transition and bring Austria closer to the long-term goal of generating 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energies by 2030.

“The new Renewable Energy Expansion Act will be an important basis for this. In doing so, we are creating a new funding system with continuous funding. And we ensure that every household is allowed to produce at least as much electricity as it consumes,” continued Gewessler.

More planning security and transparency

There are currently two different bodies responsible for promoting PV systems – the climate and energy fund and the green electricity processing agency. The new EAG, however, focuses on a single new funding processing agency (EAG processing agency). This will provide funding on several dates per year and thus ensure that funding can be provided continuously. In addition, access to the grid is made easier: the connection conditions for small systems stipulate that the entire household's electricity needs can be covered by photovoltaics without incurring additional costs.

Furthermore, annual monitoring and extensive prescription options are planned. The necessary transparency from network operators will also be anchored in the EAG. In order to focus more on buildings and landfill areas, sealed or otherwise degraded areas, a discount of around 30 percent is planned for systems on green and agricultural areas. The collected expansion progress of Austrian photovoltaic systems will also be visible online via a website in an open, comprehensible and transparent manner.

Energy communities

Another important lever for the expansion of PV systems on roofs will be so-called “renewable energy communities”. They enable the shared use of locally produced renewable energy - for example in the neighborhood or in the settlement. For example, the PV system on the roof of the fire department can be used to supply the school with electricity on site.

Photovoltaic expansion on roofs needs commitment and further adaptations at the state level

The Federal Association of Photovoltaic Austria is calling for photovoltaics to be mandatory for new buildings.
The “One Million Roofs Program” can make an important contribution to the energy transition. The expansion of photovoltaics on roofs needs commitment and further adaptations at the state level. Herbert Paierl, Chairman of the Federal Association of Photovoltaic Austria (PVA), was at the press conference and represented the voice of the industry: “We welcome the presented 'One Million Roofs Program' to promote expansion on Austria's roofs. In order to achieve the necessary PV boom, we have to release the brakes and, in addition to the federal government, we also need states and municipalities on board. This is where essential competencies lie in order to make the use of buildings and land possible. It is important to take appropriate measures for the solar revolution.”

Utilization of the roof potential requires PV-friendly framework conditions

The “One Million Roofs Program” is a clear mandate for the federal states to take important further steps. Although Austria, with 2.4 million buildings, supposedly has enough roof space to produce solar power using photovoltaic (PV) systems, a current analysis by Hubert Fechner shows that only a part of the existing building stock under the current legal framework - just barely 20 percent – ​​is actually usable. Technical, economic, ecological, social and, above all, bureaucratic factors dramatically reduce the roof potential. Only every fifth building can be equipped with a PV system. Under the current conditions, only half of the “One Million Roofs Program” can be implemented. This corresponds to an installed PV output of four gigawatts (GW) or 36% of the targeted PV expansion of 11 GW by 2030. In order for the fundamentally high potential of roof areas in Austria to be usable, existing framework conditions must be “dusted off” and PV friendlier and better information bases can be created. A consistent reduction of barriers at the state level is essential. “In any case, the roof potential must be fully exploited and we will have to develop the remaining capacities with other areas. This requires increased dual use of locations such as traffic or open spaces as well as the use of innovative PV applications on noise barriers or as floating PV," says Paierl, explaining the extensive possible uses of PV. The planned accompanying program to improve the mobilization of roof systems, special funding for innovative systems and annual monitoring are therefore important measures for achieving the goals.

PV obligation would create another 20 percent of the expansion

Without the mandatory installation of PV systems on newly constructed buildings, the goals of the “One Million Roofs Program” can hardly be achieved. “Similar regulations, such as connection to the water or sewage supply or compliance with a certain building standard, already exist for new buildings. These specifications must be completed with the mandatory PV system construction. “Vienna is setting a good example here,” says Paierl, summing it up. In the next 10 years, 250,000 new buildings will be built (assumption: continuation of the previous trend). With an Austria-wide PV obligation in new buildings alone, a PV output of 2.1 GWp can be installed by 2030, which corresponds to 20% of the necessary PV expansion by 2030.