Christiane Egger, O. O. Energiesparverband Christine Ohlinger, O. O. Energiesparverband LandstraRe 45, 4020 Linz T: +43-732-7720-14380, F: -14383 E: office@esv. or. at, I: www. esv. or. at

Presently, 674,000 m2 solar thermal were installed in the region of Upper Austria which is nearly 0.5 m2 per inhabitant (488 m2 per 1,000 inhabitants). In total 230 million kWh heat are produced annually and the Upper Austrian companies account for a quarter of the annual turn-over of the Austrian solar industry of about 121 million €.

This favourable development is a result of the Upper Austrian solar campaign carried out by the regional energy agency O. O. Energiesparverband. However, the successful market development so far took place mainly in the residential sector with every third newly built one family house being equipped with solar thermal collectors. The solar campaign aims therefore at bringing this development also to the large-scale solar market including a number of activities ranging from awareness raising activities and training to subsidies and new professions.

Purpose

In Upper Austria, renewable energy sources (RES) provide 30 % of the primary energy consumption. This high level of market penetration is due to a clear political commitment and based on an integrated action plan. O. O. Energiesparverband, the regional energy agency of Upper Austria, is responsible for the implementation of most of these measures included in the energy action plan.

Methods

The first solar target was set in 1993 to reach an installed surface area of solar thermal collectors of 300,000 m2 until 2000.

By 2000, the new energy strategy "Energy 21" set a further target of 1,000,000 m2 solar thermal collectors by 2010 — equalling nearly 1 m2 per inhabitant!

Approach

A number of programmes are implemented to further increase the market share of solar energy by creating a demand for solar energy products & services and by supporting the market in meeting this demand. The mix of measures comprises information & awareness raising activities (internet, workshops, training), competitions (regional solar league), energy advice (for private households, public buildings, companies), training & education (launching two new educational schemes for jobs in the RES sector) and financial support (including a TPF programme).