“We are losing acceptance of the energy transition”

The expansion of photovoltaics, driven primarily by private homeowners, is bringing Austria closer to the decarbonization of energy sources. Because the many new systems exceed the capacity of the electricity grid, some network operators are already reacting by stopping the feed-in. The anger among PV system operators is correspondingly great: they ignore the feed-in tariff and fear that their systems will not pay off in the long term.

“We actually have the problem that we are losing acceptance of the energy transition. This has to do with the fact that the low production costs of alternative energies do not reach customers and, above all, the economy,” said former SPD member of the Bundestag Klaus Mindrup visited the Freistadt energy system provider “neoom” last Thursday. Mindrup was particularly interested in “neoom’s” know-how in establishing renewable energy communities (EEG).

These are an instrument for connecting producers and consumers of electricity at a regional level. Mindrup, who is considered the architect of the German climate protection law, is currently struggling with the federal government over a legal framework for these communities: “The Bundestag has called on the government to create the necessary regulations here. But it persistently refuses.” But this legal framework is needed to bring energy communities to urban regions and enable households with fewer financial resources to participate. Mindrup found out how such communities already work in Austria during his stay in Freistadt and from energy communities in Lower Austria.

Learn from Austria

“neoom” currently supports 50 such communities in controlling their energy flows and in automated billing. This is also the case in Freistadt itself, where two EEGs were founded under the aegis of the municipality, but have not yet been opened to broad membership. “When we founded it, we were of the opinion that we could organize this ourselves as a community. I am now extremely happy that we have a competent partner in neoom who can take this work off our hands,” says Environmental Councilor Harald Schuh (FP). Mindrup, who became aware of “neoom” while researching network innovations, also described these experiences in detail: “We are relatively good in Germany when it comes to expanding solar and wind power. But we can learn from Austria when it comes to organization .”

Walter Kreisel, CEO and founder of “neoom”, accompanied Mindrup on his research trip to pioneers of the energy transition. He also sees citizen participation as a lever to make the energy supply more sustainable: “In order to achieve the energy transition, we have to turn several screws. This includes pumped storage power plants as well as the expansion of the power grid and the intelligent control of energy flows. Here we can Contribute our knowledge to neoom.” The “neoom” programmers are currently developing an app with which end customers can charge their electricity storage devices at home at the spot price to the exact minute. Kreisel: “This happens at night at prices that are currently between one and four cents per kilowatt hour.”

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