SmallWind4Cities

Large-scale wind power will play a crucial role in achieving Austria’s climate targets. While distancing rules and other legal-regulatory frameworks have severely limited the (siting) potential of large-scale wind power, acceptance for/of wind power in Austria has also fallen to a low point in recent years. Furthermore, large-scale wind power can only make a limited contribution to a secure, sustainable and resilient energy supply for large and small cities based on local generation technologies. In terms of the resilience of urban energy systems, it is important not to depend exclusively on generation plants in the surrounding area, but to make the best possible use of existing energy resources in the city.

One interesting option here is small wind power, which, along with photovoltaics, is one of the few ways to generate environmentally friendly electrical energy even in densely built-up areas as well as in urban environments, thus achieving the goals of the new EU Building Directive, with its requirement for “nearly zero energy” buildings. While small wind power has made significant technical progress in recent years and has developed into a safe and serious generation technology – especially for large and small cities – awareness of the technology and its advantages is still very low in Austria.

Together with the still complex question of site selection and evaluation as well as the administrative aspects (country-specific approval procedures), this means that small wind power has not yet been able to establish itself on the market.