Renewable Energy and Climate Protection

With a renewable share of 33% (2014) based on the gross final energy consumption, Austria ranks on top in Europe. In 2014, the use of renewable energy, avoided 28.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in greenhouse gas emissions. The data is even more impressive in EU comparison:

• Third place in the share of renewable energies in gross domestic consumption,
• Fourth place in the share of renewable energies in gross final energy consumption according to the Renewable Directive 2009/28 / EC,
• First place in the share of renewable energies in electricity generation and
• Austria takes the first place in the generation of renewable energies measured on the country's terrirtory.

In 2014, the biggest contributions to the total volume of genereated renewable energy in Austria were achieved by hydropower with a share of 38.2%, solid biomass with 29.7% and the renewable share of district heating by 9.6%. Further large contributions came from the areas of energetically used leach with 6.8% and biofuels with 6.2%. The contributions of wind power, solar thermal energy, environmental warming, biogas, geothermal energy and photovoltaics totalled 9.4%

The long-term developments of the last 20 years in the field of energy supply in Austria are mainly characterized by:

• A steady increase in energy consumption - temporarily interrupted by external factors (weather, economic situation, oil prices) - since 2005, however, substantial stabilization or stagnation,
• Significant market share gains from renewable energy sources,
• Improvements in energy efficiency (5th place within the EU at total energy intensity (gross domestic consumption as measured by real GDP) and
• Steady growth in domestic energy production, mainly due to the promotion of renewable energies, especially since 2005