Approval for electricity production from solar energy appears to be extremely high in Lower Austria: 94 percent of respondents say that more should be invested in solar energy. Wind and hydroelectric energy also receive high approval, around 80%. Only coal and gas (19 percent) perform poorly. 12 percent of respondents think that more should be invested in nuclear energy in Lower Austria.
The representative survey was carried out among 600 people in Lower Austria aged 16 and over using computer-assisted telephone interviews. A particular focus was on photovoltaic systems: However, opinions on the location of photovoltaic systems differ.
Although approval for the expansion of photovoltaic systems in the private sector – i.e. in residential complexes or private homes – is quite high at 94 percent, only 44 percent want them to be expanded to open spaces such as meadows or fields. Every second person agrees with the statement “I don’t want any photovoltaic systems in open spaces in my community”. The proportion of those who say they are disturbed by large photovoltaic plants in open spaces outside the city is equally high. However, expansion in this area is likely to continue to be driven in line with climate objectives.
Expert: “Expansion in sealed areas is not enough”
The state of Lower Austria has set the goal of increasing photovoltaic energy tenfold by 2030. “However, photovoltaic installations on roofs and other sealed surfaces will not be sufficient to achieve the goal, which is why large-scale systems must also be planned on poor quality agricultural land”, says Hubert Fechner, president of the Austrian technology platform Photovoltaik Austria. Club analysis would also show this.
Photovoltaic systems in open spaces are also much better than their reputation, at least when it comes to biodiversity systems: “These areas develop a biodiversity that we rarely find in nature,” Fechner told noe.ORF.at. This is also the case with agrophotovoltaics, where agriculture and solar energy combine.
Policy needed after crises
Past crises, especially high inflation, have also changed the energy supply in Lower Austria. The population also realizes this: around four in five respondents see at least one strong impact of the current crisis situation on energy production.
Many people see the need for policy in this regard: 90 percent of the population of Lower Austria is of the opinion that the federal and state governments should do more to promote the expansion of renewable energy sources. 82 percent expect this from their own community. “This is really a political demand to do more here,” says Paul Eiselsberg, a researcher at the IMAS Institute. When it comes to expansion, security of supply and pricing are likely to be particularly important to respondents.
In response to the argument that electrical grids are not sufficiently developed, Fechner states that measures are underway to expand the electrical grid. It's not just about expanding electrical networks, but also getting to know distribution networks better: “Photovoltaic energy doesn't cause major problems most of the year because it rarely works at maximum. It would be nice if power grids always fed photovoltaics when possible and only limited or stopped photovoltaics when it was actually technically necessary.”