Share of renewable energy in final energy consumption

Renewable energy sources are very important in Austria. In the 1960s and 1970s, a number of large hydropower plants were built along the Danube and other rivers, which to date provide a high share of renewable energy in Austria. Since the 2000s, biomass combustion has received increasing interest, with several initiatives and subsidies introduced to increase the share of biomass in district heating and (also due to the Emissions Trading System) in industry. In the 2010s, the new Green Electricity Act boosted the assembly of wind turbines and photovoltaic plants. The share of renewable energy sources in final energy consumption in Austria, which was around 24% in 2005, had already reached more than 40% by 2023 (see graph).

In recent years, the Renewable Energy Expansion Act has set 100% production of renewable power as Austria’s target for 2030; it also set a goal of commissioning at least an additional 27 TWh of renewable power. According to the Austrian National Energy and Climate (NECP) plan, this amount will be increased by 8 TWh to a total of 35 TWh by 2030 .

In addition, courtesy of combined actions to decrease the energy demand and increase the use of renewables, the Austrian renewable energy share target for 2030 has been set to 57% in the NECP . According to the Austrian NECP, both targets will be met in 2030.