Green Tech Magazine May 2021 (EN)

GREEN TECH MAGAZINE | MAY 2021
#1
Climate
Technology leadership in climate protection with the Green Deal
Cover photo: Jean Revillard/Rezo
Circular
The future of digital solutions for the Circular Economy
Solutions
Bertrand Piccard & Global Innovation Summit in the Green Tech Valley

2 CONTENTS
04
06
DEAR READERS,
Things are starting to happen: While for
a long time it looked as though we were
stuck fast on climate protection, a new
dynamic now seems to be emerging.
08
We are
developing
the Circular
Future.
14
A major boost comes from the European
Union through its Green Deal: Over
one trillion euros are being invested for
this, in conjunction with a whole range
of statutory measures that should finally
enable lift-off for the energy transition and
climate protection. Of particular note with
this initiative is the benefit available to all
areas and levels of green tech through
the various amounts of funding. You can
find out how this works exactly on pages
4 and 5.
Approaches to halting climate change
are also a key theme at the Global Innovation
Summit from 18 to 20 May, which
comes live from the Green Tech Valley.
Also present, as a keynote speaker at this
international EUREKA summit, is the Swiss
pioneer and futurist Bertrand Piccard. We
have already been able to engage him in
an exclusive advance interview.
This, together with other news, trends and
the latest innovations from the Green Tech
Valley await you in this issue. We hope you
enjoy browsing through it.
Yours, Bernhard Puttinger
and the Green Tech Cluster team
Turbo Boost for Climate
Protection
Opportunities that come
with the EU Green Deal
Page 04
Circular Future
Innovation group develops digital
solutions for Circular Economy
Page 06
Fresh Green Tech
Innovation from the Green Tech
Valley
Page 08
A Base for Pioneers
Global Innovation Summit &
Bertrand Piccard live from the
Green Tech Valley
Page 10
Partners: Austrian Ecolabel, PEFC, FSC
Imprint: Media holder 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 Coordination:
Silke Traunfellner, Bernhard Puttinger | Support: www.diesteirerin.at | Printing: Schmidbauer GmbH,
www.derschmidbauer.at
10
Latest
Highlights
Green Startups
An overview of the startup scene
in the Climate Tech area
Page 14
Space for Innovation
How the Energy and Mobility
sectors benefit from collaboration
Page 15
15
Photo credits: Shutterstock, Bioenergie Leibnitzerfeld, Green Tech Cluster/Glacier, SolarImpulse/Joel Saget

World News
Renewables surpass coal and gas for power generation for the first time in Europe
Fossil fuels (Coal, Gas)
Renewable energy (Wind, Solar)
GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 3
Biomass Hydro Other renewables Solar energy Wind power
50%
EU: Green electricity overtakes
fossil fuel energy sources
Europe is simultaneously moving away from coal, nuclear and mineral
oil fired power generation and increasingly into renewable energy
sources. For the first time, last year, more electricity was generated
from renewable sources than from fossil fuels. According to an announcement
from the think tanks Ember (British) and Agora Energiewende
(German), the ratio for generation is now 38 to 37 percent. In
presenting the joint analysis of the organisations, The European Power
Sector in 2020, it was noted that “In 2020, Europe was able to clock
up its greenest year ever for power”. bit.ly/faz-net
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Sources: Der Standard newspaper | EMBER, Agora Energiewende
Power Generation in Europe
Renewables surpass coal and gas for power generation for the first time in Europe
Fossil fuels (Coal, Gas)
Renewable energy (Wind, Solar)
Biomass Hydro Other renewables Solar energy Wind power
50%
45%
40%
€ 12 billion for battery innovation
35%
In the 30% context of the Important Projects of Common European Interest
(IPCEI) 25% program, the European Commission has approved a second
major project in the field of research and innovation in the value-added
20%
chain for batteries. Bringing together 42 partners from 12 member
15%
states, the team for the European Battery Innovation project has set
10%
itself the objective of revolutionising the battery market. A total funding
5%
of € 12 billion is being mobilised to achieve this objective. Out of six
0
Austrian partners, it is particularly pleasing to see that three come
from Styria: AVL, Rosendahl Nextrom and Varta Micro Innovation.
bit.ly/european-battery-innovation
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Sources: Der Standard newspaper | EMBER, Agora Energiewende
USA: $ 1.7 trillion for climate protection
It was a “Blockbuster Year in 2020” for the expansion of renewable
energy according to the market research company BloombergNEF.
33.6 Gigawatts of wind and PV capacity have been added. For the
first time, 40 percent of the power demand in the US is generated
from renewable sources. The new US President, Joe Biden, wants to
make use of this momentum in his climate initiatives: $ 1.7 trillion will
be invested over the next ten years to make the US climate neutral by
2050. Biden has already raised the calculated social cost for a tonne
of CO 2
from $1 to $51. bit.ly/green-usa
Photo credits: MF3d, iStock
icon picture
World’s largest battery in Australia
Construction of the biggest large-scale battery in the world is being
planned for the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. The cost is 2.4 billion
dollars, but it will deliver up to 1,200 megawatts of electricity and
is about eight times larger than the large-scale battery in Hornsdale
in South Australia, which was previously considered the largest when
commissioned in 2017. As the latest in a series of major energy storage
projects announced for the Australian grid, the new large-scale battery
is part of four grid-connected batteries. They have a combined capacity
of 2,000 megawatts. bit.ly/largestbattery

4
Climate Protection
- Turbocharged
Under the Green Deal, the EU is mobilising considerable funds for climate
protection that should also stimulate innovation and growth in Europe.
The Green Deal holds immediate and future opportunities for
indigenous companies in the environmental sector.
One trillion euros. The European Union
views saving the climate as a Herculean
task that demands an equivalent level of
resources. It is providing 30 percent of its
budget for this and is combining this with
other sources of funding. This is adding a the
new dimension, which is at the very heart of
the European Green Deal. Behind this banner
lies the strategic approach that is intended
to make the EU the first climate-neutral continent
by 2050. To do this, the community is
investing in climate protection, clean energy,
elimination of environmental pollution, sustainable
industry, buildings and renovation,
sustainable mobility, biodiversity and sustainable
agriculture. “The Green Deal opens
up enormous opportunities. If you use them
correctly, you can take a leading position in
the markets of tomorrow,” enthuses Martina
Schöneich, project manager in the Green
Tech Cluster.
The cluster wants to assist its members in
transforming the Green Deal into an individual
Green Lead. The opportunities to achieve
this are wide-ranging: New statutory regulations
also bring new market opportunities.
Over the next ten years, the green tech sector
in Europe is anticipating growth rates of
7.5 percent per annum. Among other aspects,
European climate regulation will be significant
and prescribes a 55 percent reduction
in emissions by 2030 compared to 1990. The
Energy Efficiency First Act stipulates that energy
consumption must decrease by at least
32.5 percent by 2030. These laws are intended
both to create predictability as well as
encourage investors to become involved in
new technologies. “We’ve got such a lot to
do here and both large and small companies
can benefit from the new framework conditions,”
says Schöneich.
Batteries “Made in Austria“
In addition, indigenous companies and research
institutions will also benefit from the
considerable amounts of funding that are in
store for the future. Direct grants coming out
of the Green Deal Trillion will primarily flow
through the Horizon Europe research and innovation
channel as well as other funds and
initiatives. One of these is the EU battery research
project, which comes under the banner
of an Important Project of Common European
Interest (IPCEI): In order to make significant
leaps in battery technology, some €
12 billion are being invested in research into
new energy storage systems for the mobility
sector. Three companies from the Green Tech
Valley are involved in shaping this initiative.
They include Varta Micro Innovation, based
in Graz, the research and innovation hub of
Varta AG. Intensive work is being conducted
here to further increase the energy density
of battery cells and thus pave the way for
high-performance batteries that are Made
in Europe. These batteries need to generate
the smallest CO 2
footprint possible while
at the same time reducing or even avoiding
the use of critical raw materials such as cobalt.
“The additional funding will enable us to
further step up and accelerate R&D in the
field of lithium-ion technology,” commented
Herbert Schein, CEO of Varta AG.
Rosendahl Nextrom in Pischelsdorf am Kulm
is also actively participating. The machine
manufacturer is developing flexible and scalable
production and process solutions for
the assembly of lithium-ion modules as well
as all other types of cell packs. In Graz, AVL
rounds up the trio of Styrian companies: The
advanced technology group already has a
long track record of focused research into
new EV battery concepts, such as solid-state
batteries. Under IPCEI, AVL intends to improve
the overall quality of module and pack
production, from incoming goods inspection
to final assembly, and develop new innovative,
energy efficient and high quality production
processes.
Huge Demand
In Carinthia, sales of photovoltaics are really
taking off. During this year, module manufacturer
Kioto Solar intends to double its
production capacity. As Managing Director,
Peter Prasser , commented: “There is a real
buzz in the marketplace due to the Green
Deal, and we have a tangible sense of huge
demand.” A central pillar of the Green Deal
is also financing through the European Investment
Bank (EIB) of climate protection
projects such as wind farms or large-scale
PV systems: “Energie Steiermark is putting
down a marker as a pioneer in sustainability
in Europe with a second European Green
Loan for sustainable projects from the EIB to
the value of € 90 million. Over the next few
years we will invest some € 1.2 billion in the
expansion of renewable, CO 2
free power generation
and in upgrading the power grid that
Photo credit: Green Tech Cluster

2. Financing
The EU finances indirectly through intermediaries
such as: the EEEF (European Energy Efficiency Fund).
European Commission
GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 5
1. Market
New laws bring new market opportunities of varying
sizes. The growth of the European markets in the
Green Tech area is expected to be around 7.5% per year
for the next 10 years. Relevant legislation with market
influence includes:
L
L
M
› A European Green Deal
› An economy in the service of the people
› A Europe for the digital age
› Promotion of our European way of life
› A stronger Europe in the world
› New impetus for democracy in Europe
Climate protection
European climate
law
By 2030 emissions reductions of
55% compared to 1990;
Net zero emissions by 2050
Infrastructure
Use of level(s); an assessment framework
for the sustainability of buildings;
renovation wave, smart mobility
Zero Pollution
Action Plan
Zero Pollution Action Plan for Water,
Air and Soil;
No pollution from large industrial plants;
Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability:
A non-toxic environment
Sustainable
industry
L
M
S
M
Info
The Green Deal is
one of 6 overarching
EU priorities with the goal
of becoming the first
climate neutral continent
by 2050. It covers the
following topics:
Clean energy
Buildings and
renovations
Energy Efficiency First
Reduce energy consumption by at
least 32.5% by 2030
Hydrogen Strategy
By 2030 at least 40 GW of
renewable hydrogen electrolysers
and 10 million tonnes of hydrogen
Secondary Raw
Materials
Higher use of recycled raw materials
Safe & Sustainable
by Design
Development and use of safe
and sustainable materials
and products
Elimination of
environmental pollution
Sustainable
mobility
As a rule, financing
is provided by banks
or funds. Exceptional
cases (major projects
from € 25 million)
are funded directly
through the EIB.
European
Investment
Bank (EIB)
European
Investment
Fund
Financial intermediaries:
Banks, guarantee companies,
microfinance providers, venture
capital and equity funds
Companies
Administrative
authorities of the
member states
EU
Green
Deal
3. Funding
Support
The EU provides direct grants primarily through the
R&D&I program Horizon Europe, funds and initiatives.
e.g.: Innovation Fund
(for low carbon innovation)
Structure
fund
Thematic
funds
e.g.: Exchange programs
for scientists such as
the MSCA program
billion €
billion €
billion €
25,8 13,5
Excellent
Science
Climate, Energy & Mobility
Food, Bioeconomy, natural Resources, Agriculture, Environment
Digital, Industry & Space
Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
Health
52,7
European
Challenges
Horizon Europe
Open-topic innovation
programs such as:
SME Accelerator
Innovative
Europe
Various collaborative initiatives at country level
(worldwide), industry and the EU Commission,
programs such as: Eureka, Eurostars – Fuel Cells
and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking
› My Deal
…implement a green
investment project
…use EU experience
to gain funding for own
research/innovation project
…participate in a research
/ innovation project
…achieve growth with
green solutions
…stay up-to-date in our
topic area at EU level
5 paths to your Green Deal:
My company wants to…
Partner
initiatives
Important Projects of
Common Europ. Interest:
Austrian participation:
IPCEI Batteries /
IPCEI Microelectronics;
current participation efforts in:
IPCEI Hydrogen / IPCEI Low CO2
Emissions Industry (LCI) / IPCEI
Microelectronics II (ME II)
IPCEI
You can find out about financing
options from an EIB partner bank
or directly from the EIB.
Find out about open and upcoming Calls
in the Funding and Tenders Portal.
Identify experienced partners at EU level
in your own national and international
environment or contact them via the
FFG, EEN or GTC network.
Explore regulatory requirements
for climate protection & circular
economy and use them for
business development.
Join EU topic networks,
subscribe to newsletters and
attend network webinars.
Biodiversity
Sustainable agriculture
We will be pleased to give you individual support.
greentech.at/deal
extends to some 30,000 kilometres,” according
to Energie Steiermark board members
Christian Purrer and Martin Graf.
The Green Tech Cluster offers individual support
to ensure this European stimulus package
also reaches SMEs. The cluster has the
relevant know-how on financing and calls for
tender, irrespective of whether it is for implementation
of a green investment project
or for funding a research or innovation project.
“Participation in project consortia is of
particular interest and benefit. EU networks
offer a fantastic opportunity to participate
today in actively shaping the leading consortia
of tomorrow,” emphasises Martina
Schöneich.
Info & contact
Green Tech Cluster
Martina Schöneich
+43 316 407744-21
schoeneich@greentech.at
www.greentech.at/deal
Download the Green Deal infographic
with further details,
to ensure you are in the know
about your Green Deal.
We offer individual support
to cluster partners.

6
The Future of the
Circular Economy
Southern Austria is establishing itself on the world stage following the latest
R&D projects under the circulAr fuTure industrial consortium. Through
strong collaboration between industry and research, Styria and Carinthia are
becoming a model region for the circular economy of the future.
www.interregeurope.eu/condereff
www.interregeurope.eu/plasteco
www.interregeurope.eu/subtract
www.abfallwirtschaft.steiermark.at
The circular economy can be simply
summed up in the 7 R’s – Rethink, Reduce,
Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Recover and Recycle.
Optimising the life cycle of a product
ensures that resources are conserved, the
product’s life cycle is longer, and waste is
reduced to a minimum. How the digital systems
look like and what are the framework
conditions required for this is the central
theme of circulAr fuTure: a consortium made
up of business, scientific and the public sector
bodies that seeks to generate advance
solutions for the circular economy.
This project has been running since 2018,
and involves Andritz, Binder+Co, Komptech,
Mayer Recycling, Redwave, Saubermacher,
KRM, Know-Center, Montanuniversität Leoben,
WKO Styria and the state of Styria.
It pursues the vision of a circular Austria in
which innovation occurs through strategic
networking and where circular products are
conceptualised using Circular Design. Advances
in digitalisation and development of
technology are prerequisites for this.
However, to achieve a functional circular
economy also requires improvements in
the recycling of waste with varying compositions.
The KI-Waste project from Know-
Center and Komptech is funded by the Styrian
Future Fund, and aims to increase the
share of materials recycled by more than 10
percent through the innovative use of AI.
The new COMET project, ReWaste F, is involved
in the experimental development of
a Smart Waste Factory. Within this, waste is
evaluated and characterised at the particle
level and the technical feasibility of recycling
is determined.
“Styria has always been a pioneer in implementing
advanced resource management.
The circular economy is now set to become
a living process within the body of society,”
explained State Councillor Hans Seitinger.
Within the consortium, the state of Styria realises
its role in the raising of awareness for
a circular economy that conserves resources
and protects the climate. Another key task is
to further develop the factor conditions that
are necessary for such a sustainable economy.
The Styrian State Waste Management
Plan 2019 was based on the vision of the Styrian
Circular Economy 2050, and was unanimously
adopted by the Styrian state government.
The EU also provides guidelines in
the 35 point Circular Economy Action Plan,
which focuses on the value chains in industry
Photo credit: State of Styria, A14/Mitterwallner

Digital R&D projects in the circulAr fuTure industrial consortium are establishing Southern Austria on the world stage.
www.greentech.at/circular-future
sectors, such as construction and plastics,
and strengthens confidence in secondary raw
materials that are produced from waste during
the course of recycling.
Reuse is the core theme of one of the three
Interreg Europe projects (European Regional
Development Fund, ERDF), in which Department
A14 - Waste and Resource Management
- of the state of Styria is actively
involved. Under the title of SUBTRACT, this
project is focused on analysing the challenges
and opportunities in establishing durable
The EU CONDEREFF project will improve the circular
economy for construction and demolition waste.
competitive business models in the reuse
sector and creating digital instruments such
as the online information portal Styrian Reuse
Map. Behind this concept is the premise
that reuse enables products to be used for a
longer period of time and maintain their value
and is therefore a key factor in the circular
economy.
As one of the industry sectors with the most
intensive use of resources, construction can
make a major contribution to climate protection
through reuse of construction components
or valuable recycling of construction
waste material. However, this often fails to
happen for technical or economic reasons
- but sometimes the problem is simply the
poor image of recycled building materials.
The EU project CONDEREFF therefore seeks
to identify strategies for improving both
quality management and confidence in recycled
building materials. Available in digital
format, the Styrian Construction Waste
Guide contains specific information for correct
dismantling for target groups, with a
focus on the selective dismantling of reusable
components and high-quality recyclable
materials, and in this context is considered
best practice.
The third Interreg Europe project, in which
the state of Styria is involved, is called PLAS-
TECO. This is concerned with plastic waste
that naturally decomposes into microplastics.
Littering is the term used in the English
language to describe the pollution of public
spaces by carelessly throwing away waste.
PLASTECO is examining the question of
how littering can be stopped on a regional
level and how plastics can be recycled in
a targeted manner. “With our annual antilittering
campaign, Großer Steirischer Frühjahrsputz,
we are in fact a model region at
a European level,” notes Ingrid Winter from
the Department of Waste and Resource
Management. Initiating the transition to a
circular economy in the plastics sector, requires
an increased use of recycled materials
in plastic products.
All three projects are being executed within
the remit of circulAr fuTure. Further measures
are also being taken by the project
partners from the consortium: Over the last
few months, they have been able to open
several innovation centres located in Styria,
including the ART Center and the Digital
Waste Research Lab in St. Michael. A total
of around € 20 million will be invested in the
future of the circular economy.

8
Fresh
Innovative storage solution using e-batteries
Giving batteries from older electric vehicles a second life is a
key step towards sustainability. The Green Energy Lab project,
SecondLife Batteries, achieves just that, and AVL, Energie Steiermark,
GEA and Saubermacher have taken it from R&D to market in
just three years. The cluster project has a core concept: To extend
the life cycle of used battery systems and combine them in one storage
application. One of the first SecondLife storage systems was
set up as a pilot plant in Premstätten near Graz and is assisting
Saubermacher to start up a full battery recycling plant.
bit.ly/gtm-secondlife-batteries
Powering sensors by vibration
When it comes to sensors that are wireless or inaccessible the
question arises of how to supply them with power in a sustainable
manner? The EU SYMPHONY project is dedicated to resolving this
question and aims to develop a power supply platform for wireless
sensor nodes. The focus is not just on the potential for autonomous
power systems, but also on how to make them sustainable.
Joanneum Research is researching improvements to a polymer that
is capable of converting kinetic energy from mechanical vibrations
or rotation into electrical energy.
bit.ly/joanneumresearch-sensoren
The second largest solar
district heating system in Austria
The second largest thermal solar system in Austria has been opened
in Mürzzuschlag. The plant has been designed and built by the Graz
solar energy pioneer, Solid Solar Energy Systems, for Stadtwerke
Mürzzuschlag and feeds into the local district heating network, supplying
some 300 apartments with heat from the sun. This means that
during the summer months, all the heat requirement for Mürzzuschlag
will be generated entirely from solar energy. The project has
been supported through the Climate and Energy Fund and as such
makes a key contribution on the path to environmentally friendly
heating energy transition. www.solid.at
100 % green heating power for cities
In collaboration with the city of Leibnitz, the local district heating operators
are jointly pursuing the goal of heat supply from 100 percent
renewable energy. This is the aim of the ThermaFLEX research project
by implementing a series of sophisticated measures to increase
the flexibility of the heating network. The core element consists of
combining two previously separate networks. To facilitate heat exchange
across the networks, a bidirectional transfer station has been
constructed with a smart control concept. This optimises the use of
all the heat generators to achieve maximum environmental benefit.
bit.ly/thermaflex1
Photo credits: Saubermacher, JOANNEUM RESEARCH/Schwarzl, Bioenergie Leibnitzerfeld, Philipp Podesser

GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 9
Green Tech
Schrott24 recycles nuclear power plant
components
Schrott24 is the largest European online platform for trading scrap
metals and specialises in scrap metal recycling from industrial production.
The company is now recycling components from the decommissioned
Mülheim-Kärlich nuclear power plant. The components
are stripped down into individual parts, plastic adhesives and other
non-metallic joining materials are removed and the metals are separated
from one another according to type. Ultimately, some 1,500
tonnes of steel and copper are to be melted down in recycling plants
and thus fed back into the material cycle. www.schrott24.at
Green Tech Valley: Know-how for Helsinki
As a leading city in the energy transition to a sustainable future, Helsinki
aims to become carbon neutral by 2035. To achieve this goal, the city
decided to launch a competition in February 2020: the Helsinki Energy
Challenge. An international jury has now selected the winners of the
challenge. AEE Intec has been able to succeed in the European HIVE
team against competition from more than 250 submissions. The solution
from HIVE plans to use of a combination of seawater heat pumps,
solar thermal energy, electric boilers and large heat storage systems in
order to provide long-term and efficient district heating and bring an
end to coal fired combustion by 2028. www.aee-intec.at
Photo credits: Schrott24, Stadt Helsinki, Komptech, Lindner-Recyclingtech
New "e-mobile" shredders from Komptech
Komptech is emphasising the use of a highly efficient electric motor
instead of a diesel engine for the new mobile e-versions of its
Terminator and Crambo shredders. This allows for flexible use of
the shredders both inside and outdoors and combines the low
noise and emission-free operation of stationary electrical plant
with the flexibility of mobile technology. The electric drive saves up
to 70 percent of the energy costs with a comparable throughput. In
addition, this concept allows renewable energy to be used instead
of fossil fuels and therefore contributes directly to reducing CO 2
.
www.komptech.com
Fireproof production of alternative fuels
The Lindner Fire Prevention System (FPS) facilitates the active prevention
of fires, caused by damaged batteries in production of alternative
fuels, by detecting overheated particles in the flow of material.
One of the first companies to use the FPS is Mayer Recycling
GmbH in Upper Styria. In collaboration with the Green Tech Cluster,
the Montanuniversität Leoben is establishing an innovation network
in fire protection for companies operating in the waste management,
disposal and recycling sector. www.lindner.com

10
Discover all about the solutions from the Green Tech Valley
www.greentech.at/green-tech-valley-solutions
The Best Footing
for Pioneers
Green Tech Valley is hosting the EUREKA Global Innovation Summit for
green and digital transformation. Many green innovations started life here, in
Southern Austria. Now 600 solutions for climate protection and recycling, with
contact details, are available in digital format.
The virtual Global Innovation Summit will
take place in Graz from 18 to 20 May. 14
nations have already confirmed their participation,
and will take up the core theme
of the green and digital transition. In addition
to the inspiring program, with keynote
speakers, Bertrand Piccard, Dorothee Ritz,
Gabriel Felbermayr and Sabine Herlitschka,
there are several simultaneous themed sessions
on Green Transition, Post COVID and
Digital Transformation.
The session lead by the Green Tech Cluster
will discuss how the Green Deal converts to
the Green Lead. The co-organiser EUREKA,
the world’s leading public network for international
R&D cooperation in 45 countries, invites
you to join in a highly exciting networking
program around the theme of Funding &
Networking. As host for this program of discussion
and dialogue, the Green Tech Valley
is on home turf and has one of the highest
concentrations of leading innovation companies
and research institutions.
Some 600 solutions for a green future are
collectively concentrated under the 300
startups and companies of the Green Tech
Valley. These green tech innovations cover
heat, power, efficiency, mobility, materials
flow, waste, construction, water as well
as many other specialist sectors. The new
Green Tech Valley Solutions platform has
been structured around these specific areas.
Under greentech.at/valley you are able to
search for products and solutions, save them
under a personal wish list and establish direct
contact with the right people.
Photo credits: Green Tech Cluster, Joel Saget

GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 11
A complete body of pioneers has paved the
way in establishing what we, today, refer to
as the Green Tech Valley: a global hotspot
for climate protection and circular solutions,
which is unparalleled in terms of the high
density of innovators and range of expertise.
20 percent of the world’s green electrical
power is generated by hydro and wind power
and photovoltaic systems that originate
from the Green Tech Valley.
The innovative spirit in the Valley is part of
its technology inheritance, starting with the
invention of the revolutionary Kaplan turbine
wheel in 1913 and extending through
many other pioneering achievements to the
present day. It is, therefore, no surprise that
futurists, like Bertrand Piccard from Switzerland,
are travelling to the Global Innovation
Summit in Graz to get a close-up view of the
Valley. We had opportunity to talk about his
vision in advance (see interview), and you
can join him and other keynote speakers live
at the Global Innovation Summit.
Info
Global Innovation Summit
This virtual conference, which
will be broadcast live from Graz
all around the world, covers the
themes of Green Transition, Post
COVID and the Digital Transformation.
Over 1,500 participants are
anticipated. Further information
on participation can be found at
www.gis2021.com – Register Now!
Local Actors take the Lead
Sustainability Futurist Bertrand Piccard
Bertrand Piccard, from Switzerland,
achieved world acclaim as an adventurer
and pilot through solar powered flight.
Now he is showing the world how growth
and environmental protection can go hand
in hand. Piccard will give the Global Innovation
Summit keynote address.
When you circumnavigated the world in the
solar aeroplane Solar Impulse II, in 2016, it
changed public attitudes: It demonstrated,
for the first time, that you can fly through
the air over great distances without fossil fuels.
How long will it be before average consumers
can also fly under electrical power,
without carbon emissions?
Bertrand Piccard: Electrically powered aircraft
can already fly with two to four people
for up to one and a half hours. This is a start
- I think we will have to wait about ten years
before there will be emission-free short and
medium-haul flights. The technology is already
available: Batteries, hydrogen, synthetic
fuels and lightweight construction.
But we need to build up a critical mass first
before this all becomes affordable.
Your arguments for climate-friendly technologies
and business models seem so glaringly
obvious, one could just say: “True!” But,
why haven’t we taken the path to a green
future a long time ago?
Piccard: Simply because we didn’t have the
technological capabilities in the past. Or they
were there, but too expensive. And even today,
there are too many people who do not
understand that the situation has changed.
Governments make promises about climate
neutrality without having a clear idea of how
it can be achieved.
Major changes in processes are initiated either
from above or below. Will we conquer
climate change by lots of small steps or with
one big leap?
Piccard: There is no one miracle solution for
climate change. The real miracle lies in the
fact that there are already 1,000 solutions
available today that are having an effect at
a local as well as global level. Because it is
so difficult to find international agreement,
local actors, companies or regions are now
taking the lead in the fight against climate
change.
At the Global Innovation Summit in Graz you
will be talking to an audience about shaping
the framework conditions for new innovation.
Where lies the greatest shortfall in
framework conditions?
Piccard: Many statutory regulations are outdated
because they are still based on old
technologies, which means that many companies
are still allowed to pollute the environment
under current law. So they have no
incentive to change anything. But that’s exactly
where the greatest need is.
In the Green Tech Valley, 600 solutions for
the fight against climate change have already
been developed and put into use
worldwide. What is your perception of this
environmental hotspot?
Piccard: It is very encouraging and extremely
useful. I find the dynamism of the Green
Tech sector in Austria quite amazing. The
world at large needs to know more about it.
Europe is now taking the lead, after lagging
behind China and the US for a long time.

12
Martin Beermann,
Franz Prettenthaler and Gerfried
Jungmeier from LIFE, the Institute
for Climate, Energy and Society at
Joanneum Research
E-mobility on the
Sustainability Test Bench
At the end of January 2021 there were just
over 45,000 purely electrically powered
cars in Austria. That is less than one percent
of all the vehicles on Austrian roads.
However, the growth curve is exponential.
Increasing awareness of climate change is
driving this curve, but are electric vehicles
really that environmentally friendly? The
sustainability experts at Joanneum Research
have developed the Battery Life Cycle Check
for battery and vehicle manufacturers as
well as for mobility service providers and
consumers (battery.lifecyclecheck.at).
Referred to as the Life-Cycle Assessment
(LCA), this is a systematic analysis of the
environmental impact of services and products
over the entire life cycle of a product,
including manufacture and use and recycling
or disposal. The environmental impact
of the upstream and downstream processes,
including the provision of the required raw
materials and components, as well as the
embedded and consumed energy, are also
included.
“The Covid pandemic has also caused us to
reassess mobility. The bicycle is gaining in
importance and private transport is back in
vogue, with the electric vehicle increasingly
coming into focus for environmentally conscious
consumers,” explains Martin Beermann,
sustainability expert at LIFE, the Institute
for Climate, Energy and Society at
Joanneum Research. “With the Battery Life
Cycle Check, we offer manufacturers the
opportunity to optimise their products and
identify potential for improvement. The consumer
can be informed about the total impact
on climate of the battery, increasing
transparency,” explains Beermann.
One of the challenges with an LCA is the
availability of data for battery production.
For the LCA, the data needs to be as realistic
and as current as possible. As Beermann
notes: “The greenhouse gas emissions from
the manufacture of today’s lithium-ion batteries
depend primarily on the battery capacity,
the battery chemistry and the location
where the materials and the battery are
manufactured. These influences lead to a
wide range of emissions from battery production,
which for typical battery sizes today,
of between 40 and 100 kWh for electric
cars, are around 2 to 12 tonnes of CO 2
equivalent.
Spread over a service life of 200,000
kilometres, battery production corresponds
to an equivalent petrol consumption of 0.3
to 2 litres per 100 kilometres (approx. 940 -
140 (UK) mpg).”
Collaboration with producers and research
companies is essential and is supported,
among other aspects, by the International
Energy Agency (IEA) network. These activities
are financed by the Federal Ministry
for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy,
Mobility, Innovation and Technology and the
Climate and Energy Fund.
Joanneum Research develops solutions and
technologies for business and industry in
a wide range of sectors and conducts cutting-edge
research at an international level.
The research workers are ideally embedded
in national and international innovation networks,
and are focused on developing innovation
under three core themes: Information
and production technologies, human technology
and medicine, and society and sustainability.
Contact
DI Martin Beermann
JOANNEUM RESEARCH
LIFE – Institute for Climate, Energy and
Society
Science Tower,
Waagner-Biro-Straße 100, 8020 Graz
Phone: 0316 876-7632
martin.beermann@joanneum.at
Photo credit: JOANNEUM RESEARCH/Schwarzl

GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 13
Green
Lifestyle
Photo credits: Compuritas, Das Gramm, Morgentau/Clemens Pürstinger
It doesn’t always have to be new to be good
IT refurbishment is of particular value, especially in times of social distancing.
Such electronic devices are used a lot and prone to faults. But
it isn’t always necessary to immediately buy a new PC. Many devices
can be repaired and often even improved. Compuritas in Graz is one of
several sustainable computer dealers that professionally overhauls old
devices. Notebooks, computers, monitors, tablets and mobile phones
can all be given a new lease of life. Through cooperative agreements
with industrial companies, hardware is taken over, cleaned, completely
refurbished and offered for sale with a 24-month guarantee. As the
cooperation companies usually only procure the best quality products,
these refurbished devices are a real bargain. High-performance notebooks
can be found at Compuritas from € 380. www.compuritas.at
Wolfgang Jileks’ cartoon - Circular
Be an organic
farmer in the city
Your entry-level kit
for Zero Waste
In the spring, there is always an accumulation of
empty cleaning product containers in waste bins.
This is where the Zero Waste cleaning kits from Das
Gramm offer a remedy. The set provides a simple
and uncomplicated method for consumers to try
out Zero Waste products and take the first steps
towards a sustainable lifestyle. For a “clean” start to
the spring, the kit includes a solid soap bar, a copper
pot cleaner, an all-purpose cleaner in a dispenser
bottle, a dishwashing brush with replaceable head,
and a descaling agent with a refillable spray bottle
for application. The set can be ordered, from the
comfort of your sofa, for € 39.90 including shipping
to your home (shipping in Austria and Germany).
shop.dasgramm.at/60-zero-waste-kits
Organic vegetables are being
grown and harvested on plots
of 20 to 60 square metres in
a number of densely built-up
urban areas. In addition to
Graz, Steyr and Linz are also
participating with project areas.
The Morgentaugärten
company cultivates fields
and plants them with vegetable
crops. The customers
maintain the fields during spring and are then allowed to harvest
the crops themselves. The smallest field, which produces around 50
kilos of organic vegetables per year, costs around 150 euros. Last
year, around 800 gardening enthusiasts shared in the taste of urban
organic produce. www.morgentaugaerten.at

14
Discover the Climate Tech Landscape
and Startup Catalog now!
Green Startups made in Austria
150 green startups are currently located in Austria and are guiding key innovations to
achieve climate protection targets. Through the Green Tech Summer Graz,
experts take students under their wing to help realise their green business ideas. For
its commitment in respect of green startups, the cluster has been awarded
the Austrian Cluster Prize.
The Climate Tech Landscape has been developed
by the Green Tech Cluster together
with the startup company Glacier, and
provides an overview of Austria’s green
startups. For the first time, this shows how
the Austrian startup scene is positioned
within the climate tech sector. 40 percent of
the startups are located in Vienna, 25 percent
in Styria and 14 percent in Lower Austria.
The highest density of green startups,
by far, is in Styria, with more than twice as
many green startups as in the other sectors.
The Climate Tech Landscape covers all the
startups over 50 pages, including a short description
and a direct link, and is available on
the Green Tech Cluster website.
Green innovation from Vorarlberg via
Leoben to Oberwart
Startups with solutions in the energy, mobility,
building, production, food and circular
economy sectors can be found on the
map. For example, Circulyzer, based in Leoben,
has the stated mission of increasing
the availability of plastics for recycling and
is constructing systems for wet-mechanical
processing of waste containing spent
plastics. The Viennese startup Vibe assists
companies in achieving sustainable and climate-neutral
mobility with its flexible fleet
solution. PhytonIQ from Oberwart is a specialist
in the area of automated indoor farming.
EET from Graz offers solar power systems
for use on balconies. EET founder
Christoph Grimmer is very complimentary of
cluster support. “For several years the cluster
has strengthened the roll-out of our new
technologies.”
Austrian cluster award goes to the Green
Tech Cluster
The first ever Austrian Cluster Prize was
awarded following an assessment of outstanding
achievements in terms of business
startups, research and innovation, digitisation
and specialist experts. “Collaboration
between startups and established companies
in the Green Tech Cluster is highly successful.
This economic ecosystem is increasingly
becoming a global hotspot for innovation,”
commented the Federal Minister for
Digitisation and Business Location, Margarete
Schramböck.
Green startup instead of summer
internship
In most cases, an idea alone is not enough
to start out in the commercial world. This is
the logic behind the Green Tech Summer initiative:
assisting students in developing their
green business concept through to setting
up their own company. Young entrepreneurs
gain the necessary know-how for the commercial
world through startup workshops,
coaching and training to pitch their business.
“Unique in Austria” is a description that the
Green Tech Hub Graz in the Science Tower
can justifiably use. The Department of Economic
and Tourism Development of the City
of Graz and the Green Tech Cluster are the
project originators and act as strong supporting
partners. The hub is a unique ecosystem
to successfully bring startups and
technology leaders together.
www.greentech.at/summergraz/
Economics Minister, Margarete Schramböck, awarding
Cluster Prize to the Green Tech Cluster.
Photo credits: Green Tech Cluster/Glacier, Philipp Hartberger

GREEN TECH MAGAZINE 15
New Opportunities
Intertwining Energy & Mobility
The two sectors of energy and mobility are becoming increasingly
intertwined and offer financial benefits through collaborative business models
that also promote climate protection. New mindsets and the break-up of
previous business structures created the space for innovation.
Advanced and integrated mobility encompasses
a much greater depth and breadth
of scope than the basic term transport. The
core still contains the essential local transfer
of people and goods using different modes of
transport. But, in an advanced mobility concept,
they become increasingly networked
and digitally automated, use alternative drive
and material systems, are based on new
forms of utilisation and provided as a service.
A key part of this is the increasing spread
of electromobility that is opening up future
business areas and models: Energy and utility
companies are redefining their role to become
operators of charging infrastructure offering
all-in-one solutions, allowing them to
evolve new business models as mobility service
providers.
New trends, mindsets & business
opportunities
In a modern energy trading market, the provision
and billing of balancing energy and
control reserves between large energy producers,
network operators and household
consumers has already become standard
practice. Of particular interest for the future
is the utilisation profile of “micro” energy suppliers
connected to the grid, such as private
households that feed in their overproduction
of green electricity or offer their e-cars as energy
storage capacity. The key to opening
up the real and actual business opportunities
lies in decentrally controlled transaction
and energy supply systems using smart contracts
and peer-to-peer energy trading: for
example, in terms of residential tenant utility
models or local Energy Communities, these
include billing systems for prepaid Smart
Meters and bidirectional charging using
e-cars as local reserve capacity.
Cars as an energy soak - Car2Flex
This is a Green Energy Lab project that combines
the dual needs for mobility of private
individuals and stable grid supply within
apartment blocks, based on local fleets of
e-vehicle and e-car sharing. “Sharing rather
than Owning” is a growing trend and shift
in personal values, caused by the rising costs
of mobility and ever decreasing availability
of space, that is generating new service offerings
in mobility. Collaboration is an essential
part of the future, not just between traditional
players and mobility service providers,
or IT companies and new startups, but also
with the property management and real estate
sector and goods logistics services. One
such example is Vibe, a type of Netflix for
mobility that incorporates players, just like
KIR Holding, from property management, insurance,
transport, startups and the media
world in the operations of the utility companies,
through integration of software solutions
with mobility platforms and the vehicle
charging infrastructure. Through these closer
sector ties, new entrants are penetrating the
core business of utilities and OEMs, changing
the competitive landscape. The subsequent
upheaval in mobility is now well under way
and is expected to last for a further five to ten
years. The further development and deepening
of existing collaboration between utilities
and local transport authorities opens up the
scope for actively shaping the transformation
processes towards a climate-conscious future,
within the mobility and energy sectors,
in terms of advanced and integrated mobility
for people and goods.
Further information can be found in the
new Green Tech Radar, New Integrated
Mobility. www.greentech.at/print

16
Did you know?
Power with a click - the Gameboy Solar
When launched, the Gameboy was a gem of a milestone in the video game sector.
But back then, nobody paid much attention to environmental friendly batteries.
With this in mind, a team of computer scientists from the Dutch Technical University
in Delft has set out to produce a battery-free Gameboy. Its energy for
operation comes both from solar panels and the physically clicking of control
buttons by the player. To also reduce energy demand from the Gameboy, it has
been equipped with Energy Aware Gaming (ENGAGE) - energy-saving emulation
software. So, click out charging forever! www.tudelft.nl
Carbon cycle management for cement works
The boom in building is not cool for the climate: Eight percent of global greenhouse
gas emissions are generated from cement production. During the production process,
limestone, clay, sand and iron ore are ground and heated to around 1,450 o C.
This generates significant carbon dioxide emissions. It is now possible to use these
emissions more wisely, even in everyday life, through a variety of Carbon Capture,
Utilisation & Storage methods (CCUS). The Air Company, based in the USA, bottles
vodka that is based on CO 2
. While other CCU(S) producers use captured CO 2
as
a raw material for products such as proteins for food and feedstuffs, protein-rich
meat, carbonated beverages and dry ice. bit.ly/gtm-carbon-capture
End of year electricity billing vs. pay-as-you-go
Domestic utility billing for electricity, water or gas is often performed once a year in many
countries. A current study by ZEW Mannheim shows that this type of billing leads to
greater consumption. People using pay-as-you-go, or immediate payment for electricity
consumption, reduce their consumption significantly by 14 percent. The experiment in
behavioural economics also observed a drop in wasteful consumption of 13 percent when
test subjects had to pay immediately. “With end of year final billing, certain consumers
are less likely to take account of utility costs in their current consumption decisions and
behaviour. In behavioural economics, this is referred to as the Present Focus,” explains
Madeline Werthschulte, ZEW scientist. The switch from annual billing to monthly payment
thus brings advantages both for the consumer and the climate. www.zew.de
Collecting space debris - tested for the first time
Thousands of tonnes of space junk and debris are currently in orbit around the
earth. Mostly it is the remains of completed space missions or disused satellites
that can potentially cause immense damage. Researchers at the TU Braunschweig
and the Saarbrücken Leibniz Institute for New Materials have developed an innovative
gripping system with gecko-inspired adhesive structures. Conventional
systems fail to grip the objects in a vacuum. The gecko system allows debris to be
collected even under space conditions and has already been successfully tested
on board the ISS. bit.ly/gecko-system
Photo credits: Marcel Krijger, Unsplash, TU Braunschweig, iStock