Green Tech Magazine December 2019 en

GREEN TECH MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019
Ahoy climate protection!
Styrian technology for Greta
Cover photo: Andreas Lindlahr, Shutterstock
Interview on climate economy
Austria as a laboratory of the energy transition
Electrical energy storage systems
New developments and business models

2 CONTENTS
GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 3
DEAR READERS,
Climate change – some are even
talking about a “climate emergency”
– is the dominating topic
of 2019. Young people are
demonstrating for more serious
climate protection measures
and corporations are starting
to change their mindsets. What
needs to be done?
The Green Tech Magazine has
talked with the Austrian-American
Climate Economist Gernot Wagner
whose book Climate Shock has become
a popular science best-seller.
Besides carbon taxes, Wagner
thinks the development of innovative
technologies is one of the
most effective ways to protect the
climate. Which means great opportunities
for green tech companies.
Styria’s businesses and research institutions
are already focussing on
two topics of the future. Learn how
sensors will change energy and environmental
technology and why
electrical energy storage systems
are regarded as a key technology
for electromobility and more flexible
energy systems.
We hope you will enjoy reading
and being inspired by the articles
that follow.
Bernhard Puttinger
and the Green Tech Cluster Styria
Team
03
07
World news
Investments in energy
research stagnating
Page 03
Interview on climate economy
Austria as a laboratory
for the energy transition
Page 04
Green Talent
A comprehensive review of
product cycle sustainability
Page 07
Fresh Green Tech
Styrian technology for Greta
Page 08
Partners: Österreichisches Umweltzeichen, eco label, PEFC, FSC
04
8
Publication details: Media owner and publisher: Green Tech Cluster Styria GmbH, Waagner-Biro-Straße 100, 8020 Graz, Austria,
Tel.: +43 316 40 77 44-0, welcome@greentech.at, www.greentech.at. Content and project management: Andreas
Pompenig, Bernhard Puttinger | Production: Die Steirerin Verlags GmbH & Co KG, Schubertstraße 29/1, 8010 Graz,
Tel.: +43 316 84 12 12-0, www.diesteirerin.at | Print: Schmidbauer GmbH, www.derschmidbauer.at
10
Latest
highlights
Green sensors
Sensor technology improves
green tech processes
Page 10
Battery storage
New business models
Page 14
14
Photo credits: Energie Steiermark, Rose Lincoln, Andreas Lindlahr, sloc, Katharina Fröschl-Roßboth, Sebastian Judtmann
Photo credits: Andrej Lišakov on Unsplash, Agripolis, bekky bekks
World News
Investments in energy
research stagnating
In 2018 the member countries of the International Energy Agency
invested 19.6 billion USD into research and development in the energy
sector. Despite the fact that they spent 26 % more than in 2008 their
efforts fell far short of the peak year of 2009. Current developments
will likely require increased spending in the next few years. Measured
in relation to the GDP Norway is the number one when it comes to
R&D spending regarding sources of renewable energy, Austria ranks
5th. www.iea.org/statistics/rdd
Ozone layer success an example
for climate protection?
It was the biggest environmental topic of the 1980s and 1990s: The
hole in the ozone layer. Now the earth's ozone layer has largely recovered
as current research results show. The hole in our UV shield is as
small as it was in 1989. It had been monitored since the early 1980s.
The main culprits responsible for the thinning of the ozone layer are
chlorofluorocarbons. The world community reacted, teamed up and
outlawed their use in the late 80s. The similarities to climate change
are obvious. This problem could also be managed if measures were
implemented on all levels.
https://www.copernicus.eu/en/services/atmosphere
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
Indexed R&D spendings in Euros from 1974 to 2018
Others
Cross-cutting
Power and storage
H2 & fuel cells
Nuclear
Renewables
Fossil fuels
Efficiency
1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018
World record: 350 million trees planted
More than 1,000 communities in Ethiopia are implementing an impressive
forestation project. The country’s people planted 350 million trees
in a single day. The initiative was the brainchild of Prime Minister Abiy
Ahmed (who has since received the Nobel Peace Prize) and his Green
Legacy initiative. The planting of 350 million trees marks a new world
record. In a time in which forests succumb to fires by the hundreds of
thousands of hectares in Brazil and Siberia, such forestation projects
are of particular significance as they bind carbons, thus slowing down
climate change. www.pmo.gov.et/greenlegacy
World’s largest urban farming project
Paris plans to create a massive, 14,000 square metre biofarm on the
roof of the Expo building, where it is supposed to be used to grow
fruits and vegetables. This, the largest urban farming project in history,
seeks to grow 30 different types of plants and harvest some 1,000 kg
of produce per day in the high season. Organic farming guidelines will
be followed by the book; pesticides and other chemicals are not to be
used. Paris has committed to plant a total of 100 hectares of urban
area by 2020, roughly one third of which is supposed to be used for
urban farming. www.agripolis.eu (available in French only)

4 GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 5
Austria as a laboratory
for the energy transition
xxxxxxx
Born in Austria and teaching at New York University, Climate Economist
Gernot Wagner wrote a stirring popular science best-seller
with his book Climate Shock. The Green Tech Magazine has interviewed
Do you think carbon taxes and putting a
price on CO 2
are a viable means to get climate
change under control?
Gernot Wagner: On the one hand, it’s about
putting a price on the risks of climate change
and on the other, about the quick development
and distribution of new technologies.
When it comes to putting a price on carbon
emissions, there are lots of uncertainties –
we are not talking about the known risks but
about the many unknown ones that significantly
raise the price of CO 2
. This requires
both a CO 2
tax and much more direct control:
direct subsidies on the one hand and
intelligent technology, traffic and regional
planning on the other.
What do you think about the Swedish and
the upcoming German CO 2
models?
Wagner: Sweden has had a pretty high carbon
tax for 25 years now. I don't understand
Swedish but I’m pretty sure that the Swedes
don't talk about their carbon tax at the dinner
table. Life goes on, even with carbon taxes of
more than 100 € per tonne. The result? Sweden’s
heating energy sector emits practically
no CO 2
at all. Energy is primarily created using
nuclear and hydro-power as well as other
sources of renewable energy. Fossil fuels are
used, but only on a minor scale. Of course the
question of what came first, carbon taxes or
the low-carbon sources of energy, remains to
be answered. And as so many times, the over-
him to ask how we can achieve effective climate protection
using carbon taxes and innovative technology.
all picture is a complex one. Nuclear and hydro-power
were used long before the carbon
tax was implemented and politically made the
latter possible in the first place.
And what about the German model?
Wagner: In Germany direct solar power
subsidies have resulted in many more solar
panels being installed.
Direct subsidies
for feeding solar power
into the grid used to
be extremely high – 40
cents per kilowatt hour
in 2010, for instance. By
now the subsidies have
gone down. It was learning by doing: Subsidies
are no longer required as the prices for
solar power systems have fallen dramatically
over the last ten years (by more than 70 per
cent). This has also resulted in global prices
having decreased substantially. Does this
mean the energy transition is a good thing?
Yes. It’s expensive, but it’s a good thing. We
should all send thank-you letters to German
households as the Germans have made solar
power cheaper for us too. So it’s not just
about taxes, but also about control.
“It’s about a systemic change
regarding macroeconomic flows.”
Gernot Wagner
Climate Economist
ing sources of renewable energy, much of it
hydro-power. Of course, that is more a matter
of luck than planning: After all, Austria is
a land of “mountains and streams” according
to our national anthem. But even in this
field, we need to do much more. We need
more innovation, more investment into the
future and future technologies. It’s about
controlling research
funding, about research
and development and
the use of these technologies.
There are a
number of competence
centres that might play
a vital role. And: Austria
is a magnificent laboratory for implementing
initiatives. In many ways it’s small
enough to regard the entire country as a
laboratory. But there are many regional
differences, of course. What might work
well in Vienna might not be viable for the
Gastein Valley. However, the principle, for
instance in connection with efficient transport
systems, is the same everywhere. In
the Gastein Valley, trains only run every 2
hours, buses maybe once or twice an hour.
They don’t offer an alternative to private
transport. Why not have an electric bus run
every 15 minutes? This way many Gastein
residents could rely on public transport
without having to do much planning and
the people of the Ziller Valley would have
Photo credits: Katharina Fröschl-Roßboth, Rose Lincoln
What can Austria and the Austrian
companies do?
Wagner: Austria is a country of renewable
energy. 73 % of all power is generated usno
reason to complain about daily traffic
jams in the main skiing season. Austria
could become a laboratory for possible climate
reversal solutions.
What’s your position on solar geoengineering
where sulphur dioxide is transported
into the stratosphere to achieve a
cooling effect?
Wagner: I’m sceptical. Solar geoengineering
is no solution. The solution is to emit
less CO 2
and to remove
CO 2
from the atmosphere.
But we have to
take the topic seriously
too. Solar geoengineering
turns everything we
think we know about
climate protection upside down. Climate
protection is about reducing emissions
and making yourself and others do more.
Solar geoengineering is about research on
the one hand and about acting more slowly
“Austria is a magnificent laboratory
for implementing initiatives.”
Gernot Wagner
Climate Economist
and not rushing anything. The direct costs
of solar geoengineering seem to be so low
that we have to keep others from acting too
fast. It involves a lot of risks and poses more
questions than it answers.
You are a vegetarian and don't have a
driver’s license, providing an example for
others. Is that what every one of us can
do?
Wagner: One the one hand we should –
must – act morally. On
the other, we have to
change the system, redirect
economic flows. It’s
mainly about voting for
the right parties and for
politics to take the right
steps to, in turn, make us, the economic
flows and the economy itself take the right
steps too. The most important single step
every one of us can take is to vote and vote
for climate protection.
Info
Contact
Gernot Wagner, born
1980. The Austrian-
American economist
has been teaching and
researching at New York
University since 2019
and before that, worked
at Harvard University.
Wagner wrote Climate
Shock, the science book
of the year 2017, together
with Martin L. Weitzman.
www.gwagner.com
Energy Showcase Regions
Austria is among the world’s top
countries when it comes to energy
innovation. The “Energy Showcase
Region” initiative in whose framework
sample solutions for intelligent,
safe and affordable energy and
transport systems are developed
and demonstrated, is the best example
for this. These showcase regions
are the Green Energy Lab (flexibility
and digitisation of an integrated energy
system), NEFI (renewable energy
supply for industrial processes/
industrial locations) and WIVA P&G
– (hydrogen-based energy system).
www.greenenergylab.at/en/

6 In certain niches of the market the reuse sector
was already able to show its great innovative
potential. The new Interreg Europe project
SUBTRACT aims to establish lasting and
competitive business models for small and
medium sized companies in the reuse sector.
GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 7
Josef Schöggl developed digital indicators that allow for
an optimisation of product sustainability performance.
He works in the Christian Doppler Laboratory for
Sustainable Project Management in a Circular Economy.
Reuse as
innovative potential
Focussing on the entire
product cycle
Scientist Josef Schöggl creates theoretical and methodological
basics for digital sustainability assessments.
They are already being used in the industry.
The increased reuse of goods is a significant factor in the transition
In certain niches of the market the reuse
sector was already able to show its great
innovative potential; however, it still leads
a shadowy existence overall. Many reuse
companies are socio-economically operated
small and medium sized operations. Many
face economical problems and it seems like
the reuse business model cannot be implemented
without public support throughout
Europe.
The new Sustainable Reuse Centre (SUB-
TRACT) Interreg Europe project’s aim is to
establish lasting and competitive business
models for small and medium sized companies
in the reuse sector.
Reuse initiatives
Styria is home to 53 reuse shops and the
State of Styria has been investing in a number
of measures for increased reuse such
as supporting reusable nappies and reusable
systems being used in the framework
of the G’scheit Feiern initiative as well as the
“Repair Bonus Styria” 2019 pilot project. It is
towards a sustainable circular economy. With “SUBTRACT”
the State of Styria supports reuse business models.
obvious, however, that the reuse sector has
lots of unused potential when it comes to
small and medium sized companies.
The SUBTRACT project offers the chance
to broaden the scope of the reuse sector
through better networking between Styrian
and Austrian players, to create better
framework conditions and to enable the required
innovative boost for sustainable further
development by exchanging experience
between partner regions.
Info
If your company is interested in closer cooperation
in the context of reuse, please contact
the Department of Waste and Resource Management
(contact person: Dr. Ingrid Winter,
Tel.: +43 316/877-21 53, E-mail address:
ingrid.winter@stmk.gv.at).
SUBTRACT is part of the European Commission’s Interreg Europe Programme for interregional
cooperation and is co-funded by the European Fund for Regional Development
(EFRE). Apart from the State of Styria (A14 – Department for Waste and Resource Management)
partners from Italy, Belgium, Finland, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden are on board
as well. www.interregeurope.eu/subtract
Photo credits: Ulrike Kabosch, Shutterstock
Photo credits: private
Only 9.1 percent of the world’s economy is
integrated into a circular system of goods
and services, whereas Austria’s economy
is at 9.7 percent. Josef Schöggl’s overarching
goal is to increase this ratio significantly.
He has been awarded the Styrian Science
Award 2018/2019 and works in the University
of Graz’s recently opened Christian Doppler
Laboratory for Sustainable Product Management
in a Circular Economy under the leadership
of Prof. Rupert Baumgartner. Josef
Schöggl first obtained his bachelor’s degree
in economics before specialising in sustainable
economics and business management.
Wolfgang Jilek's Cartoon “Climate Protection?”
“I became more and more interested in the
principles of the natural sciences. In my doctoral
thesis, I established the theoretical and
methodological basics of digital sustainability
assessment along supply chains,” Schöggl
illustrates. Specifically, he first created a conceptual
framework for data exchange as well
as respective methods for data aggregation.
In this context, digitalisation harbours the potential
of significantly facilitating the gathering
and exchange of data required for these
analyses. Methods of analysis previously used
are often insufficient as most of them only
cover direct supplier relations. Furthermore,
they don’t take into account the use of digital
data exchange.
On behalf of the electronics and automotive
industries Josef Schöggl surveyed ecological,
economical and social aspects and developed
the corresponding indicators. Together with
a car manufacturer he created and tested a
method to optimise the sustainability performance
of components to establish sustainability
criteria as early as the product development
phase.
The results of his dissertation were also incorporated
into the development of a software
platform used to exchange sustainability data
along the value creation chain. Josef Schöggl
is convinced that ecological and social sustainability
will become increasingly important in
purchase decisions and thus, for the manufacturing
companies. “Companies will increasingly
start to look at sustainability even before a
product enters the development stage,” the
scientist says.
In this context companies will extend their focus
on the entire value creation chain. Digitalisation
can significantly facilitate the gathering
and exchange of the data required. It’s about
optimising component design and quality and
about comparing products. “Once companies
apply a holistic approach, they will be
able to save lots of material and CO 2
,” says
Josef Schöggl, who grew up in Mariazell and
who likes to spend his free time exercising and
playing the guitar in several punk rock bands.

8 GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 9
Fresh
Green Tech
Startup acquires competitor
Schrott24 has bought competitor METALSALE, previously Germany’s
largest online platform for non-ferrous metals with a monthly
turnover of roughly one million Euros. The acquisition is an important
milestone for a further digitalisation of the metal recycling market
and to appeal to additional customer groups. Since its inception
in 2016 Schrott24 has been on a path of steady growth, supporting
EU-wide efforts to increase the recycling rate of metal and thus, reduce
the energy-intensive mining of primary raw materials.
www.schrott24.at
Styrian technology for Greta
Greta Thunberg has sailed to New York on the zero-emission
ocean-going yacht “Malizia II” to demand more climate protection action
by speaking at the UN. A tailor-made solar power system from
Graz-based company Sailectron was on board too. Instead of the conventional
thick glass surface these curved solar panels are equipped
with a thin plastic coating. The coating cools the panels, making cooling
systems on the back redundant, and allows for the panels to be
walked on. Another special feature are built-in bypass diodes and controllers
that give the solar power system a great efficiency even in the
shade produced by the sails. çwww.sailectron.com
The world’s first solar sea water
desalination system
Drinking water is a valuable and precious commodity in Saudi Arabia.
Siemens Austria has now built the world's first solar-powered large
sea water desalination system with a capacity of 60,000 m³ there.
The system is tailored to the solar energy available, meaning that water
production uses a maximum of renewable energy. Besides electrics,
measuring and control technology, Siemens also supplied the
transformers required for energy supply. Further sea water desalination
plants equipped with Siemens technology are planned.
https://new.siemens.com/global/en
Europe’s largest solar module production
Energetica Photovoltaic Industries’ solar module manufacturing facility
is not only the largest in Europe but also one of the most modern in
the world. The latest generation high-performance solar modules run
on a fully automated production line at Industry 4.0 level. Utilising an
area of 63,000 m² some 100 employees produce solar modules capable
of putting out one gigawatt per year. When completely finished the
“Zero Emission Factory” will be supplied by a solar power plant with
battery storage and a biomass power plant.
https://www.energetica-pv.com/en/
Ibiza’s organic waste is turned into energy
Styrian biogas-tech company Botres Global is taking on organic
waste and power shortages on the island of Ibiza. While the Balearic
island is only inhabited by about 150,000 people throughout the
year, almost 3 million tourists flock to it in the summer months. The
amounts of waste produced and energy consumed are staggering.
Using unique technology, its organic waste is now processed in such
a way that it can be used to produce biomethane, high-quality fertiliser
and clean water. With its modern systems Botres Global has left
many strong competitors in its wake. The system will be taken into
service in September of 2020. www.botres.com
Dual cell solar technology
Researchers with MATERIALS, the Institute for Surface Technologies
and Photonics at JOANNEUM RESEARCH, are developing new
solar cells that produce energy with up to 50 % more efficiency than
conventional solar cells. They will not only produce more power but
also make power more affordable for consumers thanks to lower
production costs. These solar cells are comprised of a silicon cell and
a second solar cell made from III-V semi-conductors. Thanks to an
anti-reflection coating, a maximum of sunlight reaches the cell.
www.joanneum.at/en/materials/
Photo credits: Schrott24, Siemens, JOANNEUM RESEARCH/Buchgraber, Botres Global
Photo credits: Andreas Lindlahr, Energetica Photovoltaic Industries, AEE INTEC, RP Global
Green power for Tanzania
With its joint venture JUMEME Austrian company RP Global has taken
into service a total of 11 solar power plants and more than 180 km
of low and medium voltage networks in Tanzania. This allows for 20
villages and a total population of 80,000 to be supplied with power
for the first time. The availability of clean power moreover promotes
local economic activity. www.rp-global.com
Compact and zero-loss heat storage
An international consortium under the leadership of AEE INTEC from
Gleisdorf and incorporating the partners EDF (FR), Vaillant (D) and,
among others, TNO (NL), has developed a novel heat battery. The heat
storage system based on thermochemical materials implemented in
Warsaw (PL) allows for economical, compact and zero-loss seasonal
heat storage in existing buildings. Its “secret” is its modular prismatic
storage module design which raises the efficiency of using a building’s
available volume by up to 20 % when compared with conventional
cylindrical modules. Granulated potassium carbonate (K 2
CO 3
) is used
as the storage medium to improve performance, stability and energy
density. www.createproject.eu

10
Cluster News
GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 11
Climate protection yields growth
SLOC develops sensors for the waste management industry. Their so-called
“Smart Waste Bins” deliver information on fill level and temperature inside the bin.
Green sensors
on the rise
Eologix sensors reduce the downtime of more than
300 wind power plants by conducting measurements
on the rotor blades.
This year’s economic survey carried out by the Styrian Green Tech
Cluster shows that climate protection and economic growth don’t
contradict each other. Record numbers were reported in terms of
employment with employment figures exceeding 25,000 people for
the first time (+7.5 %) and turnover which for the first time exceeded
5 billion Euros (+3.66 %) This equates to roughly 11 % of the regional
gross economic product. Green technologies are also a veritable
export hit: More than 96 % of machines are sold to foreign countries
and used to save more than 550 million tonnes of CO 2
around the
world. That’s 40 times more than the region emits. 20 % of global
green power are produced with Styrian technology in the form of
hydro-power, biomass systems and solar panels.
www.greentech.at/en/climate-protection-yields-growth
Mayor Siegfried Nagl (City of Graz), State Secretary Johann Seitinger
(Department for Living), State Secretary Barbara Eibinger-Miedl (Department
of Future Development) and Bernhard Puttinger (Green Tech Cluster) are happy
about the record green tech numbers.
The biggest current trend on the sensor
market is towards further miniaturisation at
high performance density, lower costs and
minima energy demand. Sensor fusion, the
integration of several different sensors into
a complete measuring system, will also see
strong growth in the years to come. Printed
sensors on various substrates, the most
common and ready available of which is biodegradable
paper, are another development
step as are nano-sensors that – at 20–80µm
– are so small that they can no longer be built
by hand and are instead printed. In the process
3D nano-printers bombard gas molecules
under the atomic force microscope. The
material then sticks to the surface as a probe.
Sensor technology is one of the foundations
of digitalised products, services and product improvements
Power-ups for wind power systems
Technology firm eologix from Graz shows
how sensors can reduce costs in power generation.
It develops and produces sensors
for wind power systems while further applications
for railway infrastructure, aviation
and industry are currently being tested. One
solution to improve the efficiency of wind
power systems is their system consisting of
thin, independent and flexible sensors for
precise ice detection and temperature measurements.
“Ice formation on the individual
rotor blades is measured exactly where it
happens. Directly measuring on the rotor
blades allows us to reduce downtimes and
thus loss of income by up to 80 %,” eologix’s
Thomas Schlegl illustrates. By mid-2019 the
company had equipped more than 300 wind
power systems with their solution.
in the green tech industries.
Smart waste bins
Founded by Alec Essati, the Graz-based
startup SLOC develops and produces sensors
for Industry 4.0 applications that optimise
logistic processes across industries.
SLOC-developed sensors are specifically
used in so-called “Smart Waste Bins” in the
waste management industry. They combine
ultrasonic, motion and temperature sensors
and deliver information on fill level, current
position of the bin’s lid, number of times the
lid was opened and the temperature inside
the bin. “Based on this information disposal
companies only empty the bins when they
are full. That means less traffic and thus, less
CO 2
emissions. The advantage of our sensors
is that we calculate this information directly at
the sensor and that the processor is located
at the same place so that we have to transfer
less data which saves additional costs,”
SLOC’s Christoph Kohlbacher explains.
Green Tech Radar
You will find more information on this in
the new Green Tech Radar titled “Sensor
systems for future green tech applications”.
www.greentech.at/print
Photo credits: eologix, SLOC
Photo credits: Green Tech Cluster
The Green Tech Hub offers many initiatives aimed at connecting start-ups with
established green tech companies.
100 green tech projects in 5 years
Around the world Styrian green tech companies often set new
standards. From the most efficient hydro-power plants and the
world’s largest briquetting presses to the world’s leading battery
recycling systems, many technologies originate in Styria. The Green
Tech Cluster supports this innovative spirit, for instance by having
– together with its partnering companies – initiated more than
100 innovative projects in the last 5 years such as online platforms
for digital waste services, novel LED lighting concepts or special
collecting barrels for lithium ion batteries. www.greentech.at
Largest green start-up network
Graz is a hot spot for green tech start-ups. The fresh ideas range
from private solar panel consumption optimisation and wind
power sensors to the world’s most affordable solar hot water
generation systems. As part of the Green Tech Cluster more than
40 start-ups develop projects for a brighter future. This makes
the Styrian Green Tech Cluster Austria’s largest green tech startup
network. In cooperation with the 200 cluster partners many
initiatives are offered to help young entrepreneurs put their
ideas into practice. This joint growth is best exemplified by the
Green Tech Hub Graz, a platform through which the City of Graz
and the Green Tech Cluster connect start-ups with established
companies. www.greentech.at/startups
Many of the joint innovative projects are born at the Green Tech Innovators’ Club.

In the energy industry, the weather
12 influences both the heating and cooling
GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 13
demand as well as power generation from
sources of renewable energy such as solar,
wind and hydro-power.
One step ahead
Green
Lifestyle
of the weather
Improving the management of weather risks and creating a transparent
planning basis with the WEDDA® analysis and prediction tool:
Weather forecasts deliver the foundation for company-specific demand
forecasts and forecasts for decentralised energy systems.
Recycling cups from the
3D orange printer
Weather forecasts are easily accessed
from anywhere. They have an effect on
how we dress, how we can better plan our
energy consumption and mobility. However:
Weather forecasts offer companies no direct
information on how the (forecast) weather
directly influences their sales, turnover or
visitor traffic. With their tailored analysis and
projection tool WEDDA® the experts of LIFE,
the Centre for Climate, Energy and Society
at JOANNEUM RESEARCH, support companies
with optimising their business processes
in terms of weather risks.
The weather has varied effects on the economy:
Bad weather results in public transport
being more heavily used as well as traffic
jams and more people being late to work.
Changing weather increases demand for
cold medication in pharmacies, hot days in
the summer lead to peak visitor numbers in
public pools and sunny skies in the winter
make skiers flock to the slopes. WEDDA® creates
an objective and transparent management
prediction foundation using demand
predictions that are updated daily and are
based on weather forecasts. This allows the
required resources to be planned efficiently
and thus achieve cost savings.
Prediction tool for the energy sector
Building on the base product its makers are
now launching WEDDA-S for the energy
sector: a weather-driven analysis system to
predict supply and demand of decentralised
energy systems. In the energy industry, the
weather influences both the heating and
cooling demand as well as power generation
from sources of renewable energy such as
solar, wind and hydro-power.
In order to secure the power grid’s voltage
stability despite changing weather, WED-
DA-S can be used to evaluate demand as
well as output by means of a “day ahead”
prediction tool.
Michael Kernitzkyi, the Head of the LIFE
Research Group for Weather and Climate
Risk Management: “Precise prediction tools
are of central importance in making a transition
to decentralised, renewable energy
systems work. A large-scale expansion of
decentralised energy systems can only
be implemented, if we properly plan and
coordinate generation and consumption –
in combination with storage systems – in
advance. WEDDA-S quantifies the effect
of the weather on energy generation and
consumption, thus increasing technical and
economical performance.”
10 day predictions covering energy consumption
and generation using solar and
wind power systems are updated up to
every hour and can be accessed. Additionally
WEDDA®-S offers a forecasting and
suggestion system for power trading strat-
egies and the control of system components
based on decision logic that ensures economical
operations.
Info
LIFE – the Centre for Climate, Energy
and Society explores essential questions
concerning climate change. LIFE’s
clear societal mission includes strengthening
resistance against climate- and
weather-related risks and a transition to
a low-carbon economy and society by
2050. www.joanneum.at/en/
Contact
Research Group Head
Mag. Michael Kernitzkyi
LIFE – Weather and
Climate Risk Management
JOANNEUM RESEARCH
michael.kernitzkyi@
joanneum.at
Photo credits: JOANNEUM RESEARCH/Schwarzl, i iStock/zhongguo
Photo credits: Evoware, Feel the Peel/Gary di Silvio, AIT, oekom verlag/Esther Gonstalla
Edible sea weed packaging
Evoware from Indonesia has found an alternative to the global flood of plastic
packaging material. The company produces packaging material from sea
weed which is biodegradable or can simply be eaten as a side. The products
are generally tasteless yet contain many nutrients. However, their colour
and taste can be individually adapted. Those who don't want to eat the
packaging can also use it as a plant fertiliser. Evoware aims to make a first
step to fight global ocean pollution, a problem which particularly affects
Southeast Asia. www.evoware.id
The ticket of the future
Researchers with the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) have developed
an App that fully automates bus and railway ticket purchases. Once users
have registered, entered their payment information and activated the App
on their cell phone, tickets are automatically purchased and the price deducted
when getting in and
off or changing buses or
trains. To achieve this the
software has to recognise,
collate and evaluate
complex parameters
(means of transport,
timetables, real time information
etc.). The system
can recognise up to
eight different means of
transport.
www.ait.ac.at/en/
Italian design company Carlo Ratti Associati and the energy
company Eni have developed a prototype for a sustainable
3D juice bar called “Feel the Peel”. One of its special features
are its cups which are made from orange peels. In a chemical
process polylactic acids turn the peels into a bio-plastic material
which melts at heat to form a filament. A machine with
a built-in 3D printer turns the strings into cups that are then
used to drink the freshly squeezed juice and subsequently
recycled in the material cycle.
www.carloratti.com/project/feel-the-peel/
The climate in 50 graphics
Esther Gonstalla’s Klimabuch
(“The Climate Book”, only available
in German) uses 50 vivid
graphics to explain even to the
most stubborn doubter how
the planet and its climate are
changing. Driven approximately
10,000 kilometres per year, diesel-powered
SUVs blast about
three tonnes of CO 2
into the
atmosphere. Those who take
one short and one long-distance
flight every year, emit 4.5
tonnes of greenhouse gases. Not eating any seasonal food
from one’s own region and eating lots of meat accounts
for two more tonnes of CO 2
per annum. Yet the author also
shows solutions: Readers learn how much CO 2
can be saved
by using a bicycle or train instead of one’s car, taking less
flights, generally consume less and utilise sources of renewable
energy. In summary: We can all contribute to protecting
our climate. www.erdgeschoss-verlag.de

14
New business models
made possible by battery
storage systems
Electrical energy storage systems are increasingly regarded as a key
technology to master the surge of electromobility and the flexibility
Energy storage systems at Energie Steiermark
The battery storage system market will
see massive growth in the next 20 years.
While the battery storage systems installed
all over the world in 2017 only reached an
output of approx. 4 GW or slightly more
than 2 percent of the global power storage
figure of 176.5 GW, its ratio will starkly
increase until 2030. Until then, the International
Energy Agency (IEA) expects a
marked growth to approx. 100 GW in the
area of large-format battery storage systems
alone. By 2040 they are expected to
reach 220 GW. According to recent studies*
sales in this area will amount to 300 to 600
billion USD in the next 10 to 20 years.
Decentralised home storage systems in
combination with solar power systems are
already gaining importance. By the end of
2017 roughly 4,000 solar power storage
systems with a usable low-voltage storage
capacity of approx. 27 MWh were installed
in Austria’s households. They are primarily
used for private consumption while excess
power is stored and used at times when
of the energy system. New business models arise.
solar power generation is low. Contrary to
Germany the use of a power storage system
to optimise one’s own power consumption is
currently not very economical in Austria due
to relatively low electricity prices.
The increased use of battery storage systems
will have an effect on new business
models, especially for various grid participants
such as households/household storage
systems, communities, commerce and
industry as well as grid operators and energy
suppliers. New communal and multifunctional
operating and usage models will
develop around battery storage systems.
Apart from increased efficiency, one of the
drivers of this development will be the EU’s
Clean Energy for all Europeans package
which creates the framework conditions for
the joint use of generation and storage systems
by several buildings.
Minimising peak loads
Battery storage projects are already underway
in the commercial and public sectors.
One example is the SPIN.OFF research
project in whose context a battery storage
system was tested to reduce the loads in an
office building in Vienna’s 21 st district. For
this purpose a system with a 30 kW solar
power unit and a heat pump salt water battery
storage unit was installed. A self-learning
energy management system based on
an artificial neural network operates the
battery storage system in a predicative
manner to minimise peak loads.
“A self-learning system is supposed to guarantee
the best possible interplay between
all components, allowing for a flexible and
demand-oriented operation as well as demand
predictions. One of the challenges
was to make the system predict peak loads
at 15 minute intervals,” Project Manager Kurt
Leonhartsberger from Technikum Wien illustrates.
Based on this it was supposed to
determine the best possible charging and
discharging schedule for the battery storage
system and allow for isolated operation
to maintain emergency operations in the
event of a system or grid malfunction.
Photo credits: Energie Steiermark, Montage: hope-design.at * https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/energy-storage-systems-market
Electric cars as
control energy stations
Households / home storage systems
Second-life applications/recycling
Multi-functional solar
power home storage
system for multiple use
2 nd life
applications
rising electricity costs
District /
community
storage system
Grid sized battery
storage systems –
providing
various system services
Grid-sized battery storage
systems – providing and
selling flexibility
Large storage systems
for various system
services
Grid operators and energy providers
Local consumption optimisation
Battery storage systems are very expensive
which means they can only be operated efficiently
if their use is maximally optimised.
The FeldBATT** project including several
Styrian companies seeks to create a district
storage system with a capacity of more than
400 kWh to advance the optimisation of local
private consumption in combination with
solar power and small hydro-power plants.
“This project’s main challenge is to find usage
strategies that work in parallel and cover
the needs of all users. On the one hand it’s
about the optimal use of renewable energy
and about supply reliability on the other,”
4ward Energy Research GmbH’s Thomas
Nacht explains. Various users are connected
to the battery storage system via direct
lines and while some consume energy, others
feed power into the grid. “With these
two strategies and our technical system we
are on the right track to make battery storage
systems economically viable,” Thomas
Nacht confidently exclaims.
Battery storage for peace of mind
Leo Riebenbauer, the Managing Director of
the Office for Renewable Energy, goes one
step further: “The most plausible solution
would be to get rid of grid fees for charging
and discharging a storage system.” Riebenbauer
is currently working on a project that
grid fees
Market-ready by
20 25
New technological
developments
Reducing feed-in
peaks/local grid relief
Grid-sized battery storage systems
– providing control energy
Use of
variable rates
Seasonal storage
District storage systems for
local private solar power
consumption optimisation
District storage systems to
relieve the grid
Reduction
of peak
consumption/
local grid relief
for private quick
charging stations
Emergency power supply
Private solar power
consumption
optimisation
Storage systems as an
integral part of the distribution
grid
Contracting/flat rates
Public quick charging stations
with storage systems
Multi-functional
district storage system
Consulting district and
community storage
systems
Seasonal storage
performance-related
varied
regional
Trade
Private
households
20 23
20 21
20 19
Emergency power
supply
Large storage systems
to provide control
energy
Independent
telecommunication
radio masts with
solar power and
storage systems
looks into the possibilities of the economical
use and integration of battery storage systems
into various target group sectors for the
Wechselland-Thermenland LEADER region.
“We have private households, farmers and
public offices on board and create model
target-group-oriented solutions that can be
multiplied easily. His interim conclusion: Private
households will currently struggle to run
storage systems in an economical fashion.
Communities / Smart City / new players
The Green Tech Radar shows the expected relevance of
various business models in 4 fields of application until 2025.
Some want to install them anyway because
they see their future potential,” Riebenbauer
reports. Others are all about peace of mind.
In the Wechsel region, lightning strikes often
lead to power outages but ventilation systems
in farm stables must continue to work
or else the livestock will perish. Battery storage
systems are an interesting back-up option,
also for communities or emergency services.
** FeldBATT project partners. Lokale Energieagentur – LEA, Municipality of Feldbach, Energie Steiermark Technik, Energienetze Steiermark, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Sprecher Automation, SEPH
Noticeable results of
climate change
Providing
control
energy
Uniform/
atypical
grid use
2 nd life
applications
Direct sales solar
power/wind farm
with short-term
storage system
Consulting
district and
community
storage systems
Development of
electromobility
Increasing acceptance and consciousness in society
Consumer compliance
with schedules
Private solar
power consumption
optimisation
Increasing EE percentage
Use of
variable rates
Providing/selling
flexibility
Providing various
system services
Capping connection
values (reducing
maximum
performance)
Seasonal storage
Falling storage costs
Increasing CO 2
certificate
prices
Recuperation
via overhead
lines (railway,
tramway, bus)
Public quick
charging stations
with storage systems
Large storage systems to
provide control energy
(Younicos)
Reducing feed-in peaks/local grid
relief
Quick charging stations
at businesses
Multi-functional
storage systems
(multiple use)
Trade and industry
Reducing consumption
peaks/local grid relief
Balancing voltage
fluctuations (power quality)
Establishing a
nation-wide
charging infrastructure
Micro-grids
and communal
storage systems
Company vehicles as
control energy stations

16
Did you know?
How biomass cuts down on CO 2
in two ways
Instead of air, the BEST – Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies
competence centre in Graz uses a solid material (metal oxide) to incinerate
and gasify biomass in a new process called chemical looping
(CL). This allows for the simple and affordable separation of CO 2
and
its subsequent use as a valuable resource for further processing. Combined
with the use of sustainable biomass this method thus reduces
CO 2
emissions in two ways and significantly contributes to fighting
global warming. www.best-research.eu/en
Mushroom packaging: A natural fertiliser
Mushroom threads, so called mycelia, replace Styrofoam packaging
at furniture giant Ikea. This newly developed mushroom packaging
not only contributes to reducing waste but can also be used as natural
fertiliser after it has done its main job. It was developed by New
York based company Ecovative whose customers include technology
corporation Dell. Agricultural waste is mixed with mycelia and
stored in specially formed moulds. After drying the mushroom packaging
can be disposed of in organic waste bins.
www.ecovativedesign.com
“Invisible” foil prevents bird deaths
A startup from Graz called Birdshades is developing an affordable bird
scare foil that is invisible to the human eye and whose UV strips can
only be seen by birds. This effect is amplified by special patterns in the
foil’s UV strips. Currently the pre-production foil is being attached to
Graz’s Science Tower. The statistics show how important its development
is. Some 50,000 birds annually die from colliding with windows
and façades in Vienna alone while the U.S. records one billion dead
animals per year. www.birdshades.com
Furniture made from cigarette butts
Annually, some 5.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded around the
world. They can’t be composted, but they can be recycled. A French
non-profit organisation shows how it’s done: GreenMinded collects
cigarette butts in several cities and first cleans them in a processing
system. In this process, they extract “clean” plastic which makes up
92 % of the butts. The raw material thus produced can be used to
make furniture and pen holders. Of course, it's even more environmentally
friendly to just quit smoking. https://smokefree.gov/
Photo credits: BirdShades/Peter Brandstätter, Ecovative Design, Jasmin Sessler on Unsplash, istock/tchara