Green Tech Magazine

GREEN TECH MAGAZINE | NOV 2021 

Cover photo: iStock 

Valley Companies 

Grow p. 07 

Expo Premiere for 

Smart Waste Solutions p. 11 

Green Tech Valley 

The Hotspot for H 2 

R&D p. 14

04 

2 GREEN TECH 3 

DEAR READERS, 

07 

“Green Tech is Booming: 

Green transformation creates jobs” 

the statistics from the Green Tech Cluster 

economic survey have a clear message: 

The Green Tech sector is booming. 

Every tenth company in the green 

tech sector plans to double in size this 

year. The sector has left the crisis behind 

it faster than others. 

11 

12 

08 

14 

The former EU Commissioner 

for Climate Protection 

Connie Hedegaard in 

an expert talk. 

The opportunities to be part of this rapid 

sprint to catch up are open to all of industry 

– all it requires is the decision to 

transform to a climate neutral company. 

The Green Tech Cluster demonstrates 

both the potential for savings and the 

huge business opportunities that can be 

expected. Examples of three flagship enterprises 

show how the transformation 

to a CO 2 

neutral business is a recipe for 

success. 

Today, we stand on the brink of another 

major transformation in the energy 

sector: New doors are opening in hydrogen 

technology, in the energy economy, 

trading and industry, and in the mobility 

sector. And Southern Austria is in pole 

position, as can be seen from the Hydrogen 

Research Map of Austria – it is the #1 

Hotspot for R&D! 

Once again, a lot has been happening 

down in the Green Tech Valley. So, you 

can look ahead to even more fascinating 

innovations and collaboration projects. 

Yours, 

Bernhard Puttinger 

and the Green Tech Cluster team 

Climate Neutral 

Industry and its Path 

to Zero CO 2 

Page 04 

Innovation Booster 

Green Tech Valley as an Engine 

for Growth 

Page 07 

Fresh Green Tech 

Innovation from the 


Page 08 

Smart Waste Solutions 

Expo Premiere for Saubermacher, 

Komptech and REDWAVE 

Page 11 

Partners: Austrian Ecolabel, PEFC, FSC 

Latest 

Highlights 

Energy Communities 

From Consumer to Generator 

Page 12 

Home-Grown Lead 

Green Tech Valley is 

the Hydrogen Hotspot 

Page 14 

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: 

Christina Kropf, Bernhard Puttinger | Support: www.diesteirerin.at | Printing: Schmidbauer GmbH, 

www.derschmidbauer.at 

Photo credit: Stella, Shutterstock, Andrea Renault 

Photo credit: Connie Hedegaard 

The Green Tech companies in Southern Austria 

are proof that the Green Tech sector continues 

to be stable and growing despite the 

crisis. Employment in the Green Tech sector 

is booming. Former EU Commissioner for 

Climate Protection Connie Hedegaard, who 

as a board member of the European Climate 

Foundation is still committed to green transformation, 

knows all about the potential for 

industry. She actually sees the opportunities 

for employment in the green transformation. 

Her term of office as climate commissioner 

began in the stormy times of 2010, in the 

middle of a full-blown financial crisis. At the 

time, climate protection was not the topic at 

the top of the political agenda. 

Ms. Hedegaard, at that time, how did you 

convince your fellow Commissioners of the 

urgency of the energy transition? 

Connie Hedegaard: As a consequence of 

the financial crisis, we faced an unemployment 

level of 26 million in Europe. So, we 

needed economic growth in areas that also 

created jobs. The Green Tech sector has 

enormous potential for the labour market, 

so we needed to make sure that Europe was 

making the most of it. Using this line of argument, 

it was possible to anchor climate 

measures in the EU budget. For the first time 

in the history of the EU, 20 percent of the 

entire budget has been allocated specifically 

to the fight against climate change. At a time 

when no one else paid any attention to the 

issue, the EU kept the discussion alive. 

Today you sit on the supervisory board of 

the European Climate Foundation. What 

are your key priorities? 

As the issue of climate change is widely accepted 

as fact today, now comes the really 

difficult part: We need to accelerate the implementation 

of measures. Companies play 

a vital role in this by driving new technologies. 

VW and other car manufacturers, for 

example, have started converting their business 

model to electromobility. They are also 

driven by EU regulations, with the effect that 

there are already voices of serious influence 

talking about the end of the combustion engine 

by 2035. Five years ago, such a suggestion 

would have been laughed at. But today 

it can be clearly shown that the green transformation 

is feasible, without people losing 

their jobs, as long as we train them appropriately. 

The potential for growth in green jobs, 

however, is still viewed with scepticism in 

certain places. Justifiably so? 

I like to make reference to the past. We have 

continuously seen changes in the manner 

in which people go about their work. 

In the same way that digital transformation 

has both eliminated jobs and created new 

ones, the green transformation will also follow. 

Renovating and insulating buildings will 

play a key role in the fight against climate 

change, as will the circular economy with 

the recycling of raw materials. Both of these 

areas are extremely labour-intensive areas, 

in which a multitude of jobs are being created. 

In Europe we can also refer to many 

examples of coal mining regions that have 

successfully transitioned to Green Economies: 

Manchester, Northern France, Spain – 

all of them have succeeded in replacing old 

jobs with new ones. Now we have to become 

better at learning from these examples. 

What can Europe learn from the Green Tech 

Valley? 

Bringing together knowledge and resources 

is key to success, even if it initially contradicts 

business logic. We need a lot more 

of such collaboration at the European level, 

otherwise we risk losing out to global competition. 

Examples such as the Green Tech 

Valley demonstrate to us how we can compete 

with the strong innovators in the USA 

or China by prioritising R&D. 

Which innovations will be critical in the decarbonisation 

of our economic system? 

More powerful batteries are the holy grail 

of the mobility transition. If we manage to 

use sustainable raw materials for this, we will 

also make ourselves less dependent on foreign 

imports. I also believe that the circular 

economy will be decisive, as Europe is a relatively 

low-resource continent. This means 

companies need to work hard to incorporate 

the circular economy into their business 

strategy. That will help the environment and 

society, because it creates green and secure 

jobs.


Climate Neutral: 

Green Tech Radar: Your Technology and Business Opportunities with Zero CO2 

Industry on the Path 

to Zero CO 2 

The Paris climate goals and the EU's Green Deal are intended to curb climate 

change. At the same time, they pose major challenges for indigenous companies. 

However, this change in direction also harbours great business opportunities. 

A total of 45 percent of greenhouse 

emissions in Austria are caused by industry 

and the energy sector. That is around 

40 million tonnes of CO 2 

per annum. This 

is the amount that must be saved by 2040 

in order to achieve the specific climate targets 

of the current government. There is 

great potential for reducing CO 2 

in individual 

sections of a company, giving rise to 

a whole range of new business opportunities. 

This is also indicated by the Green 

Tech Radar. 

The specific measures to reduce emissions 

are partly technical and partly non-technical 

in nature. There are specific improvement 

opportunities in the following areas: 

• Company premises: e.g. switching to 

green electricity, saving office space, lighting 

using LEDs, 

• Production: using process heat from renewable 

sources and more efficient processes, 

• Climate-conscious procurement: e.g. in 

supplier selection and integration in ERP 

systems, and 

• Company mobility: e.g. e-mobility, corporate 

car sharing and increased online 

meetings. 

There are already technologies within these 

areas offered by the companies in the Green 

Tech Valley in order to achieve the goal of 

CO 2 

neutrality. Taking production, for example, 

green mechanical energy and process 

heat can already be generated using stationary 

electric motors and fully electric units. 

Furthermore, many other technologies and 

services are on the horizon, where there is a 

particularly relevant need for R&D. 

While the challenge is great, companies 

in the Green Tech Valley are already working 

full steam ahead to achieve climate targets. 

One of them is Magna International. 

This globally active automotive supplier and 

manufacturer, with over 350 locations worldwide, 

runs its largest facility in Graz and this 

requires over 200 gigawatt hours of electricity, 

natural gas and thermal energy per annum. 

“The most important step on our path 

to CO 2 

neutrality is energy efficiency. We are 

working on reducing our energy consumption 

while at the same time switching our 

energy supply to renewable sources – either 

by purchasing or in-house generation,” 

explains Markus Binder, Sustainability & Energy 

Manager for Magna across Europe. Under 

his umbrella comes the installation of a 

heat pump at the Graz facility, which uses a 

groundwater well to provide heat or cooling 

for the entire painting section of the car factory. 

E-trucks, waste heat recovery and photovoltaic 

systems on top of the large factory 

halls are further climate protection measures 

that Binder has pushed not just in Graz, but 

also at other European Group sites. These extensive 

measures have been preceded by detailed 

studies of the energy consumption. All 

processes and systems have been subjected 

to in-depth energy monitoring: “Transparency 

is the key to success in energy efficiency 

– high-tech solutions can only be used viably 

when you know how much energy you 

are consuming,” explains Binder, noting that 

the Graz site will be CO 2 

neutral as early as 

2022. But one can't do it all alone. This is the 

reason for using an international network of 

partners. It was already possible during the 

first Green Tech Cluster Technology Day to 

make appropriate new contacts. 

Evaluate first, then invest – this is how sustainable 

development works. Johannes Fresner 

Photo credit: Green Tech Cluster 

from STENUM Unternehmensberatung und 

Forschungsgesellschaft, a consulting and research 

company for environmental issues, is 

also networked in the Green Tech Valley. As 

a Climate Alliance enterprise since 2004, the 

company committed itself to climate neutrality 

at an early stage. Lights in the office have 

been converted to LEDs, while paper documents 

and printouts have been reduced to 

virtually zero. Last but not least, the greatest 

CO 2 

factor has been addressed: mobility. “Due 

to our international projects, we had clocked 

up quite a lot of air travel, which of course had 

a negative effect on the CO 2 

balance. But even 

before Corona we started reducing air travel,” 

states Fresner. The pandemic then accelerated 

this process: Suddenly it was no longer a 

problem to get international partners to con-


duct video conferences. In the meantime, the 

STENUM employees make specific selected 

site visits, seminars have been redesigned as 

webinars, and regional appointment schedules 

are being optimised to also reduce the 

number of kilometres travelled by car. However, 

the consulting advice does not suffer as 

a result: “We are still in a position to raise the 

awareness of our customers to potential savings 

and provide an overview of where and at 

what level energy is consumed in the company,” 

says Fresner. His approach: first identify 

the starting points with greatest leverage be- 

Technology Days 

fore making a large investment, and always 

keep an eye on profitability. 

Be willing, be bold and be inquisitive – 

these are the top three factors on the path 

to CO 2 

neutrality for Petra Busswald. As 

Managing Director of the sustainability hothouse 

software company akaryon she deals 

with web tools, sustainability management 

and digital communication. “I don't know of 

any other company that works as decentrally 

as we do – for the last 20 years, from 

home, without commuting,” says Busswald. 

akaryon is also a Climate Alliance enterprise 

and uses public transport for 90 percent 

of its appointments, uses electricity from 

PV systems and only takes flights “if there 

really is no other way”. “All of the digital 

products that we develop are designed for 

sustainability,” says Busswald. She always 

recommends that companies and organisations 

follow through with the next steps 

when developing concepts. Monitoring and 

documentation are key and facilitate control: 

“We know the roof is on fire, so it's time 

to act.” 

Greenhouse gas balance determines direct and indirect emissions 

Engine for Growth 


Southern Austria is an extraordinary 

fertile soil for green tech companies. And despite the crisis, a large 

number of companies are doubling in size this year. 

The Green Tech Valley is growing. The energy 

and green tech sector in Styria and 

Carinthia is flourishing. With revenues of 

€5.6 bn and employing some 24,400 people, 

it has come through the current crisis 

better than the economy in general. Over 

2,000 research workers are currently employed 

in developing fresh, green innovations. 

This was the conclusion of the recent 

economic survey of the Green Tech Cluster. 

On average, the green tech sector expects 

to see double-digit growth this year, while 

every tenth company plans to actually double 

its sales of green tech. 

but found what they were looking for in Austria 

– or more precisely in the Green Tech 

Valley. KWB, the provider of total solutions 

for renewable heating systems, was able to 

land the contract for a number of schools 

without even having to meet the customer 

in person – all made possible through digitalisation. 

“This demonstrates just how well 

Austria is competing as a global technology 

leader in renewable energy. That is something 

we can be proud of,” comments managing 

director Helmut Matschnig. 

Johann Koinegg 

Green Tech Cluster 

Tel.: +43 316/40 77 44-22 

koinegg@greentech.at 

The Green Tech Cluster provides 

support to help you on 

your path towards climate neutrality. 

As part of the Technology 

Days, we networked large international 

companies with total 

solution providers from the 

Green Tech Valley, whose technologies 

are tailored to individual 

requirements. 

A range of measures – one goal. The climate 

balance of industry must be improved. At the 

end of the day, from a physical perspective, 

economic activity should no longer generate 

any net greenhouse gas emissions or unavoidable 

emissions should be “neutralised” by carbon 

sinks (both natural, e.g. forests, and manmade, 

e.g. carbon capture and storage). A subset 

of this is CO 2 

neutral production. 

The path to zero CO 2 

begins with drawing up 

the current GHG balance and determining the 

primary emission sources and areas. Based 

on international standards, Scope 1 includes 

the production facility, Scope 2 covers energy 

generation outside of the company, and 

Scope 3 is for all other upstream and downstream 

processes in the value chain (e.g. raw 

material extraction, recycling, etc.). When the 

largest emitters are identified, short, medium 

and long-term measures to reduce CO 2 

up to 

climate neutrality can be planned. In designing 

the measures, public funding is available, 

together with support from research partners 

and service providers. 

Further information can be found in the Green 

Tech Radar “ZERO CO 2 

business opportunities 

and your path to becoming a climate neutral 

company” at www.greentech.at/print. At our 

Technology Days, we bring you together with 

the right solution providers. 

Photo credit: Stella 

Photo credit: Michaela Nutz, mnutzDesign, Jorj Konstantinov/GEOPHO 

Within this, there is great potential in the 

field of renewable electricity. This is indicated 

by the success stories of technology 

leaders. The Carinthian PV module manufacturer 

KIOTO SOLAR has just put Austria's 

largest solar roof into operation on its own 

company premises. The company intends to 

double its production capacity in just a few 

months. This is not only good for the company 

coffers, but also for the climate. 

The heating sector also holds enormous potential 

in the fight against climate change: 

According to the national energy and climate 

plan for Austria, the building sector must 

save three million tonnes of CO 2 

by 2030. 

Biomass plays an important role in this reduction, 

and the opportunities that currently 

lie dormant for industry are enormous. Due 

to booming global demand, things are going 

well for companies in Southern Austria – including 

the Styrian biomass pioneer KWB. 

The New Zealand government wanted to 

get rid of the large number of oil heaters in 

school buildings and replace them with renewable 

alternatives. The officials responsible 

scanned options from all over the world, 

KWB managing director Helmut Matschnig 

The manufacturing company employs 

some 350 staff and in 2020 it recorded 

sales growth of over 40%. KWB has just 

invested €10 m in the expansion of production 

capacity, adding 5,000 square 

metres of shop floor space, “and even that 

is already too little, so we are now adding 

another 2,000 square metres,” says 

Matschnig. To mitigate the issue of sealing 

off ground surface, a two-story construction 

was executed when building the 

new production hall, which used regionally 

sourced timber. As more and more national 

governments sign up to the end of oil heating, 

as part of the European Green Deal, 

the order book for the East Styrian company 

continues to grow. France and Germany 

in particular are currently the largest 

growth drivers for the company, but 

demand is increasing worldwide. This year 

KWB expects a similarly strong growth to 

2020.


Fresh Green Tech 

Pure compost from the Green Tech Valley 

The biowaste and fertilizer act makes the following provision: Compost 

should also be particularly clean. However, it is often contaminated 

with glass, metals, solid plastic waste and film. A remedy for 

this in compost processing is being offered by the two Styrian technology 

companies Komptech and Binder + Co. A joint reference plant 

will allow more foreign matter to be separated in the future, which 

is a challenge for the technology, as moist organic material is not 

easy to sieve and separate. In addition, the foreign particles are tiny. 

www.komptech.com, www.binder-co.at 

Forbes: Top 30 AI Startups 

The ideal man-machine interface – that is the stated aim of the Graz based 

technology startup LEFTSHIFT ONE. The five-man team has recently received 

the accolade, from the renowned Forbes magazine, of one of the top 

30 AI companies in Europe. AIOS (Artificial Intelligence Operating System) 

is the name of the operating system developed by the Styrian company for 

the application of artificial intelligence and hyper-automation. “The operating 

system is a technical development environment on which a range of 

applications, or Skills, can be run. The smart services embody the symbiosis 

of man and machine, while also ensuring data protection,” explains CEO 

Patrick Ratheiser. www.leftshiftone.at 

CCC - Celestial ceramics from Carinthia 

The Carinthia based Treibacher AG, from the Green Tech Valley, is currently 

undertaking research into a solution for outer space. In collaboration with 

the University of Nottingham the company is applying artificial intelligence 

to make rocket drives for space shuttles even more durable and extend the 

mission capability. It is intended to achieve this through a special ultra-thin 

insulating layer made of ceramic. Such ceramic coating materials have been 

in use in aircraft jet engines for a number of years to improve durability and 

minimise CO 2 

emissions. In a similar manner to aircraft turbine engines, but 

using a modified chemical composition, ceramic thermal insulation layers 

have the potential to increase the heat resistance of rocket engines and 

extend their life-cycle. www.treibacher.com 

More air miles with Graz shark fin 

The Lufthansa cargo fleet is looking to reduce kerosene consumption by 

3,700 tonnes annually in the future. This improvement is achieved by covering 

the fleet aircraft with a surface film modelled on the skin of a shark. The 

Graz-based company Bionic Surface Technologies is behind the development. 

Bionic Surface has taken the so-called riblet effect of shark skin and 

applied it to a reproducible riblet film. The target is to reduce air friction 

by around one percent. This should result in a significant reduction in fuel 

consumption for the airline and save some 11,700 tonnes of CO 2 

emissions 

per annum. www.bionicsurface.com 

Photo credit: Wolfram Scheible, Adobe Stock, Bionic Surface technologies GmbH, Treibacher Industrie AG 

Photo credit: BDI-BioEnergy International GmbH, LINETECHNOLOGY GmbH, SETCON, Andritz, Stella/Green Tech Cluster 

Biodiesel production from 

saturated fats 

BDI-BioEnergy International’s commitment to developing 

innovative technologies goes back decades. 

The RepCAT (Repeatable Catalyst) process, 

for example, is based on a sustainable technology 

that uses a recyclable catalyst to produce biodiesel. 

The company has now clocked up a further milestone: 

The BDI research team has also been able to 

convince the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) 

that the RepCAT process is suitable for the recycling 

of saturated (high-risk) fat materials. This means 

the process can now be used for safe manufacture 

of biodiesel from heavily polluted animal fats, 

which are otherwise hazardous to the environment. 

www.bdi-bioenergy.com 

Recycling in a container 

The international technology group ANDRITZ has signed 

a cooperation agreement for container-based recycling 

systems with the Austrian company LINETECHNOLOGY 

GmbH. Marketed under the BLUELINE brand, these processing 

plants are modular for flexible configuration and facilitate 

decentralised recycling and cost effective processing 

of small amounts of industrial residual waste fractions. The 

shredding technology required for this will be provided by 

ANDRITZ using the ADuro product line for universal and fine 

shredding. www.andritz.com 

32,000 t less CO 2 

through 

energy efficiency 

The Green Tech Valley based SET company 

specialises in innovative drive technology 

for speed control. The technology 

has recently been applied, in a pilot 

project, at the Mittelbüren power station 

in Bremen. The bottom line: The efficiency 

of the entire power station plant 

has been increased by approximately 

one percent. Furthermore, the energy 

company, swb Generation AG & Co. KG, 

was able to significantly reduce its electrical 

energy consumption and greenhouse 

gas emissions by using the variable-speed 

gearbox. Specifically, due to 

the new technology, an energy saving of 

some 12,815 MWh per annum have been 

achieved, equivalent to the energy consumption 

of around 4,250 households 

in Germany. In addition, there are annual 

savings in CO 2 

emissions of 32,000 

tonnes. www.set-solutions.net 

More about the #greentechvalley 

Stories from the 

#greentechvalley 

Where green innovation grows 

Register now for our newsletter at 

www.greentech.at or follow Green 

Tech Cluster on LinkedIn. We are happy 

to answer any questions you may 

have personally. 

Christina Kropf 

Communication 

Project Manager 

kropf@greentech.at

10 

PLASTECO: Round it Goes 

Plastic Circular Economy 

Just short of 26 million tonnes of plastic 

waste. That is how much Europeans produce 

in just one year. According to the 

EU Commission, less than 30% of this is 

currently collected for recycling. The rest 

is sent to landfill, incinerated or ends up 

in the sea. That is harmful for the environment 

and the economy. The solution: Transformation 

towards a circular economy. This 

requires community involvement. The two 

factors are brought together through the 

Interreg Europe Project PLASTECO. 

It is aimed at promoting the exchange of 

knowledge between eight European countries, 

including Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Germany, 

France, Romania and Lithuania, 

which can learn from the Styrian companies. 

The focus is on creating regional action 

plans to anchor a “new plastics recycling 

economy” for the long-term, and to 

develop effective measures for practical 

implementation. 

Reuse – don't throw away 

Avoiding all aspects of plastic waste – that 

is the aim of PLASTECO. This is also supported 

by the European Circular Economy 

Initiative and the European Green Deal. 

However, the EU has set ambitious recy- 

cling rates, especially for plastic packaging. 

To achieve these targets, comprehensive 

separate waste collection and treatment of 

plastic waste in a recycling-oriented manner 

are essential. Many European countries 

are only just at the start of this. The companies 

and research institutions in Southern 

Austria demonstrate how it can be done. 

Green Tech Valley as a role model on the 

international stage 

The Green Tech Valley already has an impressive 

record through its innovative 

strength in the areas of waste collection 

logistics, advanced sorting and processing 

technology and the generation of 

high-quality secondary raw materials, as 

well as the opportunities for recycling. It 

also scores highly through its expertise in 

the fields of digitisation, AI and new technologies 

for waste and resource management. 

The companies in the Valley have the 

necessary tools on the path towards a circular 

economy. Within the context of PLASTE- 

CO, they are demonstrating just what they 

can do. And the State of Styria is a stage for 

these players. The plastics value chain, long 

established here as a role model, is now being 

communicated to an international audience 

in a brand new Competence Atlas. 

PLASTECO Competence Atlas to take away 

The PLASTECO Competence Atlas sets out 

the current technological and structural status 

of the plastics industry in the Green Tech 

Valley and provides a future outlook on various 

technologies and their potential. 

It is available as a free download in German 

and English at www.abfallwirtschaft.steiermark.at 

and www.greentech.at . If you would 

rather have a printed copy, just send us an 

email to: welcome@greentech.at. 

Abfall- und Ressourcenwirtschaft 

Info & contact 

Dr. Ingrid Winter 

Land Steiermark, A14 – Referat 

Abfall- und Ressourcenwirtschaft 

Bürgergasse 5a, 8010 Graz 

E-Mail: abfallwirtschaft@stmk.gv.at 

Tel.: 0316/877-2153 

www.abfallwirtschaft.steiermark.at 

www.interregeurope.eu/plasteco 

Photo credit: Land Steiermark, Shutterstock 

Photo credit: Shutterstock, Stella/Green Tech Cluster 

Three Styrian recycling companies team 

up in single project. Saubermacher, 

Komptech and REDWAVE have combined 

forces to spread their expertise in resource 

conservation throughout the world. And as 

a bonus, they are driving forward digitalisation 

for waste management. They currently 

have a joint presentation of their Smart 

Waste Solutions in the i-Lab at Expo Dubai, 

where international visitors can benefit from 

the expertise of the Valley partners. 

A waste bin that recognises when it is full 

and notifies the waste collection service that 

it is ready to be picked up. Waste management 

stands before a paradigm shift that is 

being driven by data: “Continuous data collection 

enables huge improvements along 

the entire disposal chain, starting out from 

the customer's waste container, through 

to waste collection and processing in recycling 

plants,” comments Peter Schmid. 

Schmid is the coordinator of the EcoSENSE 

project, which is run jointly by three specialist 

companies; in waste management, 

Saubermacher, in processing technology, 

Komptech, and in waste sorting, REDWAVE. 

The companies have joined forces both to 

advance new digital technologies in waste 

management and to pass on their existing 

know-how. 

The Terra Sustainability Pavilion 

at the Dubai Expo 2020 

Expo Premiere for 

Smart Waste Solutions 

Saubermacher, Komptech and REDWAVE in Dubai 

The main focus of EcoSENSE is on providing 

practical data from experience: 

“Saubermacher has been operating hightech 

recycling plants for decades. From inhouse 

application, practical knowledge has 

been built up that companies operating such 

systems for the first time simply cannot have,” 

notes Schmid. Komptech and REDWAVE sell 

their recycling systems all over the world and 

use the lessons learned as part of the value 

added and pass on their experience to customers. 

The result: optimised procedures 

for plant operation, less resources used, and 

a higher quality of recycled raw materials. 

“With EcoSENSE we have been able to take 

waste management to the next level. For example, 

we are already working on potential 

projects in Italy, North Macedonia, Kosovo 

and the Ukraine, where our knowledge makes 

a contribution,” says Schmid. Saubermacher, 

REDWAVE and Komptech are planning to 

launch a joint venture as soon as the concept 

can stand on its own two feet. 

The collaboration between the three companies 

started in the Green Tech Cluster, specifically 

within the Circular Future Solution 

Group. They have been developing it since 

January 2020, culminating in the launch of 

EcoSENSE this year. Schmid estimates it will 

take a further five to seven years before the 

second phase of the project can be implemented: 

By then the intelligent waste bin will 

herald a new age of continuous data flow that 

will subsequently allow a higher recycling 

rate to be achieved. “Some of the modules for 

this are already running, such as waste bins 

that record the fill level and report it centrally. 

We are also in the first phase of running recycling 

scanners, which use image recognition 

and machine learning to detect miss-sorting 

of waste and determine the quality of 

the waste. All of this raw data can be used 

to give feedback to customers and waste 

collection route management,” says Schmid. 

www.ecosense-advisory.com 

Contact 

Birgit Harg 

Circular Solutions Project Manager 

Tel.: +43 316/40 77 44-13 

harg@greentech.at

Green Lifestyle 


From Consumer 

to Power Generator 

Energy communities are an important building block 

in bringing about the energy transition. Businesses also benefit 

as new business opportunities and services arise. 

An additional 27 TWh of green electricity 

are required to achieve the Austrian target 

of 100% electricity from renewable sources 

by 2030. This is a huge amount, but following 

the recently passed renewable energy 

expansion act this is achievable with the 

help of the general public. Locally produced, 

green electricity can soon be passed on in 

a climate-friendly manner and consumed 

locally – under the framework for Energy 

Communities. 

New business opportunities and services 

Businesses will also benefit from participating 

in an Energy Community (EC). They will 

be able to produce excess 

electricity in-house, using 

a large PV plant, and potentially 

even sell it on at 

better conditions than is 

possible with current feedin 

tariffs or credits. Alongside 

this, new business areas 

and services are opening 

up. New green jobs 

are emerging. Technology 

providers in the Green 

Tech Valley are able to support 

establishing an EC using 

their energy solutions. 

Certain providers focus on 

technology, for example, in 

the visualisation of power 

generation, consumption 

analysis and forecasting, 

together with billing services. 

While with others, 

the focus is on the community. 

Energy Communities 

are also an important research 

topic at JOANNEUM 

RESEARCH. LIFE, the Insti- 

Getting you 

on the path to a sustainable 

energy community! 

The experts from LIFE - Institute for 

Climate, Energy and Society will help 

you collaborate together to become 

a self-sufficient power generator and 

retain the resultant value added 

energy output in the region. 

Analysis, consulting advice and 

implementation strategy – all from 

a single source. 

Take your first step now ... 

... and book a no-obligation consultation! 

andreas.tuerk@joanneum.at 

tute for Energy, Climate and Society, offers 

comprehensive advice on setting up Energy 

Communities and monitors their development 

under an EU comparison program. As 

Andreas Türk, Researcher for International 

Climate Policy and Economics at LIFE, points 

out, Austria ranks at the forefront of implementation 

of the EU requirements: “Only a 

few countries have started reforming their 

electricity markets in such a manner to allow 

Energy Communities to develop their full 

potential as new market players. There are 

currently only a handful across Europe that 

meet EU requirements. By 2030, it is estimated 

that market penetration could be 5 to 

10%. This is where Austria is one step ahead,” 

notes Türk. However, there are still practical 

details to resolve, such as access to real-time 

smart meter data for Energy Communities. 

From analysis to implementation 

When it comes to statutory prerequisites 

for Energy Communities, these are often 

very complex. For this reason, LIFE offers a 

comprehensive Energy Community Check, 

including supporting and assisting municipalities 

from initial awareness of this topic 

through to implementation strategy. 

STARTER PACK 

For those new to the topic of 

energy communities, such as for 

municipalities, we provide the 

solid background knowledge on 

which to build a project. 

INITIAL SCOPING 

In a workshop format, we help you 

develop specific proposals for 

solutions and business models 

for a planned energy community. 

This includes opportunities for 

localisation, depicting specific usage 

cases and identifying the strengths 

of the players participating. 

ADVANCED SCOPING 

Following thorough preparation, we 

present detailed case models, which 

include profitability and target group 

analyses, PV output forecasts and 

the decarbonisation potential. 

Photo credit: Shutterstock 

Photo credit: Woodcessories, Papair, Stephen Verstraete, Füllett 

Straw into Gold 

Bio-plastics are finding more and more areas of application. The 

German startup Woodcessories is making use of straw and cereal 

crop residues, left over from harvesting, which previously could 

not be used. The residues are used to produce a plastic based on 

plant starch, which is then used to make smartphone cases that are 

compostable. Tested by TÜV, the Woodcessories Bio-Case is free of 

harmful additives and is currently available for smartphones from 

manufacturers Huawei, Apple and Samsung. The price starts at € 20 

for a biodegradable Airpod cover, smartphone covers are available 

from € 25. www.woodcessories.com/bio-produkte 

Cockroach Basking in the Sun 

A robot that looks like an oversized cockroach could soon become 

a saviour for neglected houseplants: The inspiration of the 

Belgian sculptor Stephen Verstraete, this is a novel application 

to make life easier for plant lovers who don’t have green fingers. 

The robot cockroach is programmed to manoeuvre plants placed 

in it to sunny positions. The cockroach is not yet able to water 

the plants independently, however, it is available for free – as 

an online instruction manual for DIY enthusiasts with a floral 

inclination. 

www.instructables.com/id/Plant-Host-Drone 

Sustainable Bubble Wrap 

They do exist: environmental aficionados, people who meticulously 

separate paper and plastic from the bubble wrap envelopes 

they receive their goods in. But with Papair this task becomes 

superfluous: This bubble wrap is made from recycled paper, so 

the environmental balance for shipping fragile goods can be 

greener. The company promises a 75 percent reduction in CO 2 

compared to the use of conventional plastic bubble wrap – that is, 

so long as its crowdfunding goals can be achieved, as the young 

entrepreneurs are still seeking investors. 

www.papair.de 

Tasty Dishes 

Mix wheat or rye flour with rapeseed oil and salt – and, hey presto, 

an edible dish for serving all types of food is ready. The German 

company Füllett specialises in bakeware that is intended to curb 

plastic waste in the catering sector. The edible containers are available 

in three sizes and are suitable for holding every imaginable dish, 

from salad and snacks to finger food and soups. The light bread 

flavoured dishes can either be eaten or composted. According to 

the company, the dishes taste so good that 80 percent of them 

end up in the stomach instead of in the waste bin. 

www.fuellett.de


H 2 

Research: 


is The Hydrogen Hotspot 

The Hydrogen Research Map Austria sets out the national 

technological advantage in hydrogen research. 

H 2 

is considered to be one of the energy sources of the future. 

However, there are still a number of unresolved questions. Companies in the 

Green Tech Valley are working on the answers and some innovative solutions. 

19 institutes and 313 research workers 

are concentrated in one location: When it 

comes to researching hydrogen as an energy 

source, Austria is clearly in the top European 

league. The hotspots for national hydrogen 

research are located in Graz with the 

Technical University, the Hydrogen Center 

Austria, the Large Engine Competence Center, 

the Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies 

Competence Centre and the Austrian Institute 

of Technology. Further national centres 

are located at the Montanuniversität Leoben 

and TU Wien. Together, these research beacons, 

which provide an umbrella for other university/non-university 

R&D hothouses, form 

the cornerstones of the Hydrogen Research 

Map Austria. 

HyCentA and Infineon develop green hydrogen for industrial use 

Currently, within the scope the WIVA P&G showcase region, HyCentA 

is participating in the construction of a demonstration plant for 

high-purity hydrogen production using renewable electricity. The 

specific site is the company premises of semiconductor manufacturer 

Infineon Technologies Austria. As demand for microelectronic 

The map indicates, at a glance, the level 

and concentration of expertise in the country. 

The main areas of research centre on 

the issues of production, storage and distribution 

of green hydrogen, as well as its 

use in industry and commerce, mobility 

and the energy sector. “Our aim was to 

very clearly set out the research competence 

in Austria. It is noticeable that most 

of the human resources are concentrated 

in Styria, around the TU Graz campus,” 

says Bernhard Puttinger, Managing Director 

of the Green Tech Cluster. 

The Green Tech Cluster has also evaluated 

the specific market opportunities 

that are likely to be open to solution providers 

in the sector in the future: “The research 

today will become the industry of 

tomorrow. The market is developing exponentially: 

now is the time to be part of it,” 

notes Puttinger. There is huge potential in 

respect of green hydrogen as an electricity 

storage medium. With the aid of this 

energy source, excess electricity can be 

stored long-term and used at peak times. 

Hydrogen is therefore able to stabilise the 

power grid without polluting the environment. 

Because grey hydrogen needs to be 

replaced soon, in the future there will also 

be increased demand for green hydrogen 

from industry and commerce, for example 

for the production of ammonia and in the 

petrochemical sector. Demand also comes 

from the semiconductor industry, as hy- 

solutions has increased, so too has the need for the gases and chemicals 

used in manufacture, which includes high-purity hydrogen as a 

process gas. Previously this has been delivered by truck from Germany, 

but will soon be produced at the manufacturing facility in Villach. 

In addition, it should also be possible to recycle the H 2 

. 

Photo credit: Green Tech Cluster 

Photo credit: Andrea Gruber 

drogen plays a central role here as a key 

element in the process chain. 

However, there is still a lot to do. At 

present, 95 percent of the hydrogen used 

worldwide still comes from fossil energy 

sources, primarily natural gas. It is increasingly 

important to replace this grey hydrogen 

with green hydrogen from renewable 

sources such as solar power or biomass. 

H 2 

as a climate-friendly energy carrier can 

be generated electrolytically, for example. 

This is possible, free from emissions, at efficiency 

levels of some 60 to 80 %. 

At the moment, the production of green 

hydrogen is still very expensive. It currently 

costs two to three times as much as the 

production of grey hydrogen. The storage 

of the colourless and odourless gas also 

has its pitfalls. Hydrogen compressed in 

gaseous form must be stored under high 

pressure in resilient containers; liquid cryogenic 

hydrogen requires temperatures below 

−252.85 °C for transport. 

In order to be able to master these challenges 

in the best possible way, the companies 

and research institutions in the 

Green Tech Valley are already working flat 

out researching advanced solutions. The 

Graz startup Rouge H 2 

Engineering, for example, 

is working on containers for mobile 

hydrogen production. The plant developer 

VTU Engineering is focusing on hydrogen 

as an energy storage device. And the Hydrogen 

Center Austria is the only non-university 

research facility in Austria that specialises 

in hydrogen technologies such as 

electrolysis, hydrogen storage, fuel cells, 

refuelling, measurement and safety systems. 

One thing is clear: The use of green hydrogen 

is a building block on the path towards 

the energy transition. 

Further information can also be found at: 

www.greentech.at/print

16 

Did you know? 

Electricity from Body Sweat 

The use of human muscle power to generate electricity is already well understood. 

But producing electricity from a by-product of physical exertion, sweat, is something 

new: Researchers at the University of California in San Diego demonstrated 

this by gluing micro biofuel cells to the fingertips of test subjects. The cells absorb 

sweat and convert it into electricity, even when the wearer does not move – in 

fact even while sleeping. This allows, for example, fitness bands to be run with a 

minimal amount of electricity. www.ucsd.edu 

E-Charging: Largest Demonstrator in the Valley 

The Graz based, high-tech company Easelink is providing support to the world's 

largest electric taxi project in Austria using its conductive charging technology. 

Within the scope of eTaxi Austria, 66 e-vehicles will be charged at ten wireless and 

fully automatic taxi stands, in Graz and Vienna, using conductive charging plates 

that connect to a connector on the underbody of the vehicle at the touch of a button. 

www.easelink.com 

Rock out the Watts 

The SWG3 Complex in Glasgow is the first arts and event venue in the world where 

energy is harnessed through a body heat system: In the pilot project, the thermal 

energy given off by visitors rocking out on the dance floor is transferred through 

heat pumps, either to storage systems for heating or to air AC systems for cooling 

the club rooms. The nightspot wants to save up to 70 tonnes of CO 2 

annually. 

The initiative is under the auspices of the United Nations COP26 Climate Change 

Conference, which took place in Glasgow on October 31 st . www.ukcop26.org 

CO 2 

Extractor 

The first Climeworks facility is extracting 900 tonnes of CO 2 

from the atmosphere 

every year. The Swiss company uses large-scale systems to filter 

out this harmful greenhouse gas and store it underground. In order to filter 

one percent of global CO 2 

emissions by 2025, around 250,000 such systems 

would have to go into operation. To this end, the company founders are now 

gearing up for series production: With an injection of funds totalling €43 m 

from development grants and private investment, the Swiss intend to put their 

ambitious goal into practice. www.climeworks.com 

Photo credit: Lu Yin, Climeworks, swg3glasgow, easelink

Green Tech Magazine

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?