Public Participation in Developing a Common Framework for the Assessment and Management of Sustainable Innovation

Glossary

Permalink of this case: https://www.futuresdiamond.com/casi2020/casipedia/cases/890

Citizens Solar Power Plants

The energy provider Wien Energie builds solar power plants in Vienna and Lower Austria. Wien Energie puts up, plans and operates facilities, feeds the eco power into the Viennese net. Citizens have the opportunity to purchase shares of the solar power station (e. g. photovoltaic panel). Wien Energie re-rents this share, respectively the panel from these citizens, which get remunerated on an annual basis.

16 Citizen’s power plants are meanwhile implemented. Demand is still higher than supply. By 2030 Vienna aims to generate about 40% of the city’s power supply through renewable energy sources. Wien Energie even plans to transpose 50% of power production to eco-power by this date.

http://www.buergerkraftwerke.at/eportal2/

Related sector

  • D - Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply

SI Lead organisation

Wien Energie (Municipal Electricity Provider)

http://www.wienenergie.at/eportal/

SI Scope

Vienna (Austria)

SI Process

Start Date: January 2011 End Date: Ongoing

Start Date: January 2011 End Date: Ongoing

Link to H2020 SI Priorities

  • Strategic intelligence and citizens’ participation
  • Climate action eco-innovation policies
  • Eco-innovation and green economy transition
  • Climate change mitigation solutions

SI Type

  • Organisational / Business model - it is a new business model to per-finance eco-innovation
  • Governance - New participation service for citizens.

SI Objectives

  • more electricity production from renewable sources
  • expanding solar power plants
  • offering a green financial investment product

SI Origin

After the decades of liberalisation and turbocapitalism, the power supply system is changing back again to more publicly owned power plants, as a system based on growth in power supply means unsustainable growth of energy consumption. However, life quality of citizens is already high and further increase in energy consumption does not mean more life quality. This paradigm shift brings about new forms of public participation in power supply. Similar models (e. g. energy autonomous regions etc.) have been in constant development all over Austria.

SI Factors of success

  • Economic - New public participation model and financial investment product.
  • Environmental - Production of electricity from renewable resources.
  • Political - New kind of involvement of interested citizens into system change policies.

Sources

  • Primary - There is a website available for the SI case. However, for more detail we will have to contact project managers and perhaps also have a short interview with them.
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This project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement number 612113.

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