Städte und Gemeinden in Oberösterreich am Weg zur Klimaneutralität 2040
: Ein Konzept für die Errichtung und den Betrieb einer Freiflächen-Photovoltaikanlage zur Erhaltung einer kritischen Infrastruktur für Städte und Gemeinden

  • Doris Edtmayer

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

In view of climate change and the ambitious climate targets set by the European Union including Austria, cities and municipalities must become climate-neutral by 2040. The European Union provides the member states with a clear framework for implementation and reporting to the EU6 with the aim of keeping global warming to well below to degrees Celsus. This can only be achieved through joint efforts. The cost of the necessary climate protection measures are lower than the damage caused by climate change. The transformation to climate neutrality is unavoidable, and economic and ecological aspects al well as a social justice must be taken into account. This requires political intervention.78 Firstly, the strategic guidelines at European and national level are analysed. This, as well as the preparation of theoretical principles, is intended to provide cities and municipalities with a basic framework for developing their own climate strategies. Before Austria will be climateneutral by 2040, it must achieve interim targets. From 2030 one hundred percent of total electricity consumption is to be covered nationally by renewable energy sources.9 A central component in the decarbonisation of the energy system is photovoltaics, an environmentally friendly and low-risk source of energy.10 The decision to invest in a large groundmounted photovoltaic system must be carefully considered and include a thorough examination of the technical, legal and economic framework conditions. Local authority representatives express concern about expected hurdles. These include, for example, uncertainty regarding subsidies of scarce feed-in capacities. This finally led to the topic and research questions of this thesis. Using the example of a waterworks that is to be operated in a CO2-neutral, costeffective and largely self-sufficient manner, the economic viability is analysed and the benefits for society assessed. At the beginning, the question of a suitable location and the basic feasibility is raised. Only when these questions have been clarified can the detailed planning be tackled. The overview of the legal requirements, the modelling of the plants on a realistic scale and the profitability calculation provide decision-makers with a tool for an initial assessment. Three different variants were calculated and the dimensioning of the storage systems, which represent the largest cost factor, was designed to achieve the best possible degree of self-sufficiency. All three systems meet the minimum economic requirement that they should pay for themselves within their service life.
Date of AwardAug 2024
Original languageGerman (Austria)
SupervisorThomas Prinz (Supervisor)

Cite this

'