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The emerging energy transition is particularly described as a move towards a cleaner, lower-carbon system. In the context of the global shift towards sustainable energy sources, this paper reviews the potential and roadmap for hydrogen energy as a crucial component of the clean energy landscape. The primary objective is to present a comprehensive literature overview, illuminating key themes, trends, and research gaps in the scientific discourse concerning hydrogen production and energy policy. This review focuses particularly on specified geographic contexts, with an emphasis on understanding the unique energy policies related to renewable energy in Brazil, Austria, and Germany. Given their distinct social systems and developmental stages, this paper aims to delineate the nuanced approaches these countries adopt in their pursuit of renewable energy and the integration of hydrogen within their energy frameworks. Brazil exhibits vast renewable energy potential, particularly in wind and solar energy sectors, positioning itself for substantial growth in the coming years. Germany showcases a regulatory framework that promotes innovation and technological expansion, reflecting its highly developed social system and commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels. Austria demonstrates dedication to decarbonization, particularly through the exploration of biomethane for residential heating and cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources (RES) can provide valuable flexibility potential for multiple markets and grid services in the future. In this paper, the focus lies on the development of algorithms for an optimal dispatch and bidding of a RES-based virtual power plant (VPP) by considering current short-term and balancing market conditions in Austria, as well as a proposed redispatch market. Specifically, different pricing and bidding strategies for a redispatch market are compared and their feasibility is analyzed. The attractiveness of different pricing models and remuneration mechanisms for redispatch, as well as the influence of the redispatch call probability on the bidding behavior of the VPP, is investigated. The simulation of the bidding behavior is carried out using linear optimization techniques. The paper describes the algorithms as well as the assumptions for market rules in redispatch, balancing and short-term electricity markets. The results show that the probability to be activated for redispatch and thus the required incentives depend highly on the location of the plant. Pre-curtailment of the plant to offer positive redispatch is not recommended as the prices would need to be set at up to 200–300% of the day-ahead price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings are responsible for around 30 to 40% of the energy demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in European countries. Building stock energy models (BSEMs) are an established method to assess the energy demand and environmental impact of building stocks. Spatial analysis of building stock energy demand has so far been limited to cases where detailed, building specific data is available. This paper introduces two approaches of using synthetic building stock energy modelling (SBSEM) to model spatially distributed synthetic building stocks based on aggregate data. The two approaches build on different types of data that are implemented and validated for two separate case studies in Ireland and Austria. The results demonstrate the feasibility of both approaches to accurately reproduce the spatial distribution of the building stocks of the two cases. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that by using a SBSEM approach, a spatial analysis for building stock energy demand can be carried out for cases where no building level data is available and how these results may be used in energy planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union is aiming at reaching greenhouse gas (GHG) emission neutrality in 2050. Austria's current greenhouse gas emissions are 80 million t/year. Renewable Energy (REN) contributes 32% to Austria's total energy consumption. To decarbonize energy consumption, a substantial increase in energy generation from renewable energy is required. This increase will add to the seasonality of energy supply and amplifies the seasonality in energy demand. In this paper, the seasonality of energy supply and demand in a Net-Zero Scenario are analyzed for Austria and requirements for hydrogen storage derived. We looked into the potential usage of hydrogen in Austria and the economics of hydrogen generation and technology and market developments to assess the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH). Then, we cover the energy consumption in Austria followed by the REN potential. The results show that incremental potential of up to 140 TWh for hydropower, photovoltaic (PV), and wind exists in Austria. Hydropower generation and PV is higher in summer- than in wintertime, while wind energy leads to higher energy generation in wintertime. The largest incremental potential is PV, with agrivoltaic systems significantly increasing the area amenable for PV compared with PV usage only. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV) use energy more efficiently than Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars; however, the use of hydrogen for electricity generation significantly decreases the efficiency due to electricity–hydrogen–electricity conversion. The increase in REN use and the higher demand for energy in Austria in wintertime require seasonal storage of energy. We developed three scenarios, Externally Dependent Scenario (EDS), Balanced Energy Scenario (BES) or Self-Sustained Scenario (SSS), for Austria. The EDS scenario assumes significant REN import to Austria, whereas the SSS scenario relies on REN generation within Austria. The required hydrogen storage would be 10.82 bn m3 for EDS, 13.34 bn m3 for BES, and 18.69 bn m3 for SSS. Gas and oil production in Austria and the presence of aquifers indicates that sufficient storage capacity might be available. Significant technology development is required to be able to implement hydrogen as an energy carrier and to balance seasonal energy demand and supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union and the Austrian government have set ambitious plans to expand renewable energy sources and lower carbon dioxide emissions. However, the expansion of volatile renewable energy sources may affect today's energy system. To investigate future challenges in Austria's energy system, a suitable simulation methodology, temporal and spatially resolved generation and consumption data and energy grid depiction, is necessary. In this paper, we introduce a flexible multi-energy simulation framework with optimization capabilities that can be applied to a broad range of use cases. Furthermore, it is shown how a spatially and temporally resolved multi-energy system model can be set up on a national scale. To consider actual infrastructure properties, a detailed energy grid depiction is considered. Three scenarios assess the potential future energy system of Austria, focusing on the power grid, based on the government's renewable energy sources expansion targets in the year 2030. Results show that the overwhelming majority of line overloads accrue in Austria's power distribution grid. Furthermore, the mode of operation of flexible consumer and generation also affects the number of line overloads as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts towards climate neutrality in Europe must prioritise manufacturing industries, particularly the energy-intensive industry (EII) subsectors. This work proposes a novel approach to assessing transformation options for EII subsectors. At the center of this approach we position a potential analysis of technologies' impact on subsector decarbonisation—an approach only known so far from the investigation of renewable energy potentials. These so-called technical climate neutrality potentials, supplemented by a set of indicators taking into account energy consumption, capital and operational expenditures, and GHG taxation programs per technology and subsector, enable cross-sector comparisons. The indicators allow the reader to compare the impact on GHG emission mitigation, energy demand, and cost for every considered technology. At the same time, we keep an open mind regarding combinations of technological solutions in the overall energy system. This ensures that the technology pathways with the greatest climate neutrality potential are easily identified. These focal points can subsequently serve in, e.g., narrative-driven scenario analyses to define comprehensive guides for action for policymakers. A case study of Austria for the proposed potential analysis demonstrates that bio-CH4 and electrolysis-derived H2 are the most economical green gases, but GHG certificate costs will be necessary for cost-competitiveness in high-temperature applications. Electrification offers advantages over conventional technologies and CO2-neutral gas alternatives in low-to-mid temperature ranges. Under the given assumptions, including GHG emission certificate costs of 250 EUR/t CO2, alternative technologies in the identified climate neutrality pathways can operate at total annual costs comparable to conventional fossil-based equivalents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, the operating results from an innovative, renewable, energy-based space-heating and domestic hot water (DHW) system are shown. The system used solar thermal energy as its primary source and was assisted by a shallow geothermal application in order to accommodate the space-heating and DHW needs of a domestic building in Austria. The system incorporated phase-change materials (PCMs) in specially designed containers to function as heat-storage modules and provide an energy storage capability for both the space-heating and DHW subsystems. This system was designed, implemented, and tested under real operating conditions in a building for a period of one year. The operating and energy results for the system are demonstrated in this work. The system was compared with a conventional one, and a reduction in the primary energy consumption equal to 84.3% was achieved. The maintenance and operating costs of the system were reduced by 79.7% compared to the conventional system, thus significantly contributing to the NZEB target of the building. The newly proposed system, although presenting an increased operating complexity, utilizes an innovative self-learning control system that manages all of its operations. The combination of a solar thermal energy source with thermal energy storage increases the use of renewable energy by extending the capacity of the system beyond the solar hours and using excess solar energy for space-heating needs. The thermal energy storage unit also increases the energy and economic efficiency of the geothermal heat pump by operating it during the hours of a reduced electricity tariff and using the stored energy during hours of a high electricity demand. The cost for the installation of such a system is higher than a conventional one, but due to the significantly decreased operating costs, the pay-back period was calculated to be 8.7 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate short-term solar irradiance forecasting is crucial for the efficient operation of solar energy-driven photovoltaic (PV) power plants. In this research, we introduce a novel hybrid ensemble forecasting model that amalgamates the strengths of machine learning tree-based models and deep learning neuron-based models. The hybrid ensemble model integrates the interpretability of tree-based models with the capacity of neuron-based models to capture complex temporal dependencies within solar irradiance data. Furthermore, stacking and voting ensemble strategies are employed to harness the collective strengths of these models, significantly enhancing the prediction accuracy. This integrated methodology is enhanced by incorporating pixels from satellite images provided by the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). These pixels are converted into structured data arrays and employed as exogenous inputs in the algorithm. The primary objective of this study is to improve the accuracy of short-term solar irradiance predictions, spanning a forecast horizon up to 6 h ahead. The incorporation of EUMETSAT satellite image pixel data enables the model to extract valuable spatial and temporal information, thus enhancing the overall forecasting precision. This research also includes a detailed analysis of the derivation of the GHI using satellite images. The study was carried out and the models tested across three distinct locations in Austria. A detailed comparative analysis was carried out for traditional satellite (SAT) and numerical weather prediction (NWP) models with hybrid models. Our findings demonstrate a higher skill score for all of the approaches compared to a smart persistent model and consistently highlight the superiority of the hybrid ensemble model for a short-term prediction window of 1 to 6 h. This research underscores the potential for enhanced accuracy of the hybrid approach to advance short-term solar irradiance forecasting, emphasizing its effectiveness at understanding the intricate interplay of the meteorological variables affecting solar energy generation worldwide. The results of this investigation carry noteworthy implications for advancing solar energy systems, thereby supporting the sustainable integration of renewable energy sources into the electrical grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving climate neutrality requires a massive transformation of current energy systems. Fossil energy sources must be replaced with renewable ones. Renewable energy sources with reasonable potential such as photovoltaics or wind power provide electricity. However, since chemical energy carriers are essential for various sectors and applications, the need for renewable gases comes more and more into focus. This paper determines the Austrian green hydrogen potential, produced exclusively from electricity surpluses. In combination with assumed sustainable methane production, the resulting renewable gas import demand is identified, based on two fully decarbonised scenarios for the investigated years 2030, 2040 and 2050. While in one scenario energy efficiency is maximised, in the other scenario significant behavioural changes are considered to reduce the total energy consumption. A techno-economic analysis is used to identify the economically reasonable national green hydrogen potential and to calculate the averaged levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH2) for each scenario and considered year. Furthermore, roll-out curves for the necessary expansion of national electrolysis plants are presented. The results show that in 2050 about 43% of the national gas demand can be produced nationally and economically (34 TWh green hydrogen, 16 TWh sustainable methane). The resulting national hydrogen production costs are comparable to the expected import costs (including transport costs). The most important actions are the quick and extensive expansion of renewables and electrolysis plants both nationally and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The realization of sustainable plus energy neighborhoods (SPENs) is key to achieving a carbon neutral built environment, and meeting the objectives of the green deal. Financial schemes have demonstrated effectiveness in driving the energy transition of individual buildings. However, the role of financial schemes in initiating the development of SPENs remains unclear. This study aims to address this research gap by investigating the extent to which existing financial schemes support the technological advancements and stakeholders involved in SPEN realization. The focus is on four European countries: Austria, The Netherlands, Norway, and Spain, where noteworthy SPEN initiatives have been established. This study investigates whether and how financial schemes facilitate SPEN development and address the neighborhood-level dynamics. Our research used a mixed-methods approach comprising a literature review, case studies, and interviews. Our findings shed light on two significant barriers within current schemes. Firstly, the schemes rarely incentivize collective energy sharing and may inadvertently impede individuals' prosumerism. Secondly, they primarily favor individuals capable of making upfront capital investments, rendering them inaccessible to a large portion of European citizens. By identifying these limitations, our study highlights the need for policy adjustments and innovative financial mechanisms to overcome the barriers hindering SPEN implementation. Moreover, our research contributes to the broader understanding of sustainable urban development and offers insights that extend beyond the examined countries, aiding policymakers and stakeholders in other regions facing similar challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy supply in Austria is significantly based on fossil natural gas. Due to the necessary decarbonization of the heat and energy sector, a switch to a green substitute is necessary to limit CO2 emissions. Especially innovative concepts such as power-to-gas establish the connection between the storage of volatile renewable energy and its conversion into green gases. In this paper, different methanation strategies are applied on syngas from biomass gasification. The investigated syngas compositions range from traditional steam gasification, sorption-enhanced reforming to the innovative CO2 gasification. As the producer gases show different compositions regarding the H2/COx ratio, three possible methanation strategies (direct, sub-stoichiometric and over-stoichiometric methanation) are defined and assessed with technological evaluation tools for possible future large-scale set-ups consisting of a gasification, an electrolysis and a methanation unit. Due to its relative high share of hydrogen and the high technical maturity of this gasification mode, syngas from steam gasification represents the most promising gas composition for downstream methanation. Sub-stoichiometric operation of this syngas with limited H2 dosage represents an attractive methanation strategy since the hydrogen utilization is optimized. The overall efficiency of the sub-stoichiometric methanation lies at 59.9%. Determined by laboratory methanation experiments, a share of nearly 17 mol.% of CO2 needs to be separated to make injection into the natural gas grid possible. A technical feasible alternative, avoiding possible carbon formation in the methanation reactor, is the direct methanation of sorption-enhanced reforming syngas, with an overall process efficiency in large-scale applications of 55.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regional parliament of Tyrol in Austria adopted the climate, energy, and resources strategy "Tyrol 2050 energy autonomous" in 2014 with the aim to become climate neutral and energy autonomous. "Use of own resources before others do, or have to do" is the main principle within this long-term strategic approach, in which the "power on demand" process is a main building block and the "power-to-hydrogen" process covers the intrinsic lack of a long-term, large-scale storage of electricity. Within this long-term strategy, the national research and development (R&D) flagship project WIVA P&G HyWest (ongoing since 2018) aims at the establishment of the first sustainable, business-case-driven, regional, green hydrogen economy in central Europe. This project is mainly based on the logistic principle and is a result of synergies between three ongoing complementary implementation projects. Among these three projects, to date, the industrial research within "MPREIS Hydrogen" resulted in the first green hydrogen economy. One hydrogen truck is operational as of January 2023 in the region of Tyrol for food distribution and related monitoring studies have been initiated. To fulfil the logistic principle as the main outcome, another two complementary projects are currently being further implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Austria has set the goal to transform its electricity sector to 100% renewable energy sources by 2030. The transition to highly renewable power systems is not only a technical challenge but also has economic implications due to high investment needs. Furthermore, electricity price and demand are interlaced and influence each other, which requires both technical and economic analyses. In order to provide these comprehensive integrated analyses, we present a novel approach of linking the technical model of the continental European electricity system ATLANTIS with the macroeconomic model DYNK. This allows us, inter alia, to analyze the effects of increasing shares of renewables on wholesale electricity prices and demand, and to perform a sensitivity analysis with respect to CO2 prices. Our results show that increasing CO2 prices greatly affect coal-fired generation abroad, which in turn promotes the role of gas-fired generation, at least until 2030. For Austria, this results in increased national gas-fired generation and electricity exports. Therefore, gas-fired power plants still determine the Austrian market price for electricity in the merit order, which leads to higher electricity prices due to CO 2 pricing. In turn, however, higher electricity prices only cause a marginal reduction in the electricity demand in Austria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a grid section is re-energized after an interruption, the load behaviour can be significantly different from normal operation. In this manuscript, the impact of the phenomenon—known as cold load pickup—is investigated by evaluating 31 time series measured after network outages in Austria and Germany. Its impact on power system restoration and the adequacy of the most common type of simplified model for such investigations is assessed by the time domain simulation of a restoration setting involving the parallel operation of conventional and renewable generation. Parameter distributions are provided for the exponential decay and the delayed exponential decay model with the aim of facilitating meaningful consideration of the phenomenon in time domain simulations of power system restoration. The benefits and limitations of these models are assessed by comparison of time domain simulation results using either the normalized raw data, an exponential decay model or a step-wise active power chance to reflect load behaviour. It is shown that using an exponential decay model leads to higher fidelity of simulation results with respect to the resulting steady-state active power sharing among generators than just applying a step-wise power change in the simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Russia-Ukraine war of 2022 showed the danger of reliance on autocratic regimes for energy supply. The use of renewables is a viable opportunity to substitute energy imports. Prosumption is one of the essential pillars of the Fourth Energy Package of the EU. After the war, Ukraine will require recovery packages, among other policies, aimed at increased energy prosumption. It will spur energy generation and foster employment, as well as being one of the means to avoid CO2 emissions. Following the example of Austria, the investment grant sizes for households and energy cooperatives in Ukraine were assessed. Potential job growth was estimated using the employment factor method and the size of CO2 emissions reduction. Should investment grants of EUR 50–200/kW for households and energy cooperatives be introduced, up to EUR 359.4 million would be required in 2022–2030. Households and energy cooperatives in Ukraine will still need to invest up to EUR 988 million until 2030. About 11 thousand full-time jobs may appear by 2030. Energy generation by households in 2020–2030 would enable the avoidance of 3.39–5.94 million tons of CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the logistics sector is increasingly coming into focus. While increasing electrification is taking place in the road transport sector, the numbers in heavy-goods transport have so far been vanishingly small. Payload limitations, high investment costs, and charging times make it difficult for logistics companies to think about a conversion. An e-highway on Austria's highways could provide an approach to counter these problems. Based on route data of an entire truck fleet in the construction logistics sector and by creating a model with Openrouteservice and MATLAB, calculations are carried out to show the savings potential of required battery capacities and charging infrastructure. The results show a high potential for reducing battery capacities and the required charging infrastructure at the locations approached. The results show high reduction potential, keeping the average required capacities in all scenarios below 350 kWh. Having a higher-powered e-highway of 150 kW nets slightly better results, but a major effect can still be achieved with a power of 60 kW. The cost reduction potential related to batteries and charging stations is up to 65% for individual scenarios. Thus, the result of this work primarily aims at presenting the advantages of a potential e-highway for logistics companies operating on Austria's roads but can also be considered from the regulatory side when it comes to incentivizing sustainable logistics solutions from the political side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Austrian National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) refers to spatial planning as an important instrument to achieve 2030 targets because the technical potential of renewable energy sources (RES) are closely related to the types of land use. In Austria, land use is regulated by the spatial planning laws of the nine provinces, whereby the municipalities play an important role. It was the objective of the transFORMAT project to understand the scope for action of the municipalities with regard to promoting renewable energy use, and to understand the practical implications for renewable energy projects. To this end, the consolidated versions of spatial planning laws were analyzed and supported by a software tool (transFORMAT-Analyzer) that was developed to facilitate this process and the resulting follow-up activities. Responsible administrative departments were approached for supplementary information when deemed necessary. As a conclusion, the legal instrument (municipal ordinance), called a municipal development plan or concept, represents a long-term plan for the development of the municipality with the obligation or the option for revision under specific conditions. In theory, these revision intervals could be used to better align municipal plans with the NECP. In practice, however, significant barriers exist and opportunities for improvement have been identified, leading to recommendations on how investments in renewable energy systems can be planned more realistically and, thus, more sustainably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]