Upper Austria – European leader in the clean energy transition

In Upper Austria, the most industrialised of Austria’s 9 regions, over 30 % of the primary energy demand is already supplied by renewables – more than twice the EU average. Over 2 billion Euro are invested in the clean energy transition by businesses, citizens and the public sector each year – smart investments in a sustainable future!

The region’s gross renewable energy consumption has increased by 35 % since 2005. This success is also reflected in large levels of investments: over 2 billion Euro are invested annually in the clean energy transition – around 40 % in renewable energy and 60 % in energy efficiency measures. Currently, clean biomass supplies the largest share of renewable energy, followed by hydropower, solar, heat pumps, wind and geothermal.

Thanks to an effective regional policy framework, greenhouse gas emissions from buildings have been reduced by around 40 % in the last 10 years. About half of this reduction came from energy efficiency measures and the other half from the switch to renewable energy sources. Upper Austria is a leading region in environment-friendly heating: 60 % of energy demand for space heating and domestic hot water is already supplied by renewables.

Currently, high emphasis is put on phasing out heating oil: a comprehensive regional campaign called „AdieuÖl“ (Goodbye oil) support the transition to renewable heating systems.