Austria’s Potential

Austria is pursuing the goal of meeting its entire electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030. Solar energy plays a central role in this effort. The Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG) sets ambitious targets and aims to increase annual electricity generation from photovoltaics (PV) to 21 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2030 — doubling the original target of 11 TWh.

To achieve this goal, around 2 gigawatts (GW) of new PV capacity must be installed each year. By the end of 2023, Austria had already reached a cumulative PV capacity of approximately 6.4 GW — a significant step toward the target.

The potential for solar energy in Austria is enormous. Studies suggest that buildings, landfills, and transportation areas alone offer a realistic PV potential of around 16 TWh per year. When additional areas such as ground-mounted systems and innovative approaches like agrivoltaics are taken into account, this potential increases even further.

In addition to expanding photovoltaics, Austria is also investing in complementary technologies such as battery storage and heat pump systems. These solutions improve the efficiency and reliability of solar power usage and help ensure a stable, sustainable energy supply.

Thanks to declining system costs, clear political frameworks, and technological innovation, Austria is in an excellent position to harness its solar potential and achieve its energy goals.