Project title: Murtaler Reallabor
Testing the energy transition in a selected district and making the process transferable to other regions in Austria – that is the goal of MURREAL.
The selected district is the Murtal district („MUR“) in Styria with its 20 municipalities and over 70,000 inhabitants, which is structurally representative of numerous other districts in Austria and is also a climate and energy model region. A development path is being created for the real laboratory („REAL“), which other regions can then also copy.
Steps planned in the project:
- Survey the energy transition status of the Mur valley
- Develop energy mix and value creation scenarios
- Derive energy transition concept including implementation pathway
- Design a real laboratory for implementation and document the process
- Share the process and findings from the first implementation with other regions on a best-practice knowledge platform.
Innovation elements of the project:
- Digital tools such as the Resys energy transformation calculator are used so that the existing energy system can be investigated on a factual basis and a new one can be developed in an integrative manner („Local Hero“ award of the bmvit 2018).
- Energy transition scenarios are examined in terms of energy and greenhouse gas dimensions, but also in terms of regional value creation and legal framework conditions.
- Among the innovative technologies in the possible new energy mix, special attention will be paid to BTL (Biomass To Liquid), PTL (Power To Liquid), industrial low-temperature waste heat and biogas potentials.
- The real lab is planned with participatory aspects in mind to ensure effectiveness and a long-term perspective – this means that the „who?“ in particular is also questioned, and attention is also paid to the right stakeholder constellations.
- The best-practice platform, on which the process guidelines for the transfer of the approach are presented, is digitally interactive.
The exploratory project is based on the Theory of Change approach.
Project partners:
- Energieagentur Obersteiermark GmbH (Projektleitung)
- Research Unit of Regional Planning and Regional Development (TU Wien)
- Institute of Spatial Planning, Environmental Planning and Land Rearrangement (IRUB), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna
- akaryon GmbH
- Dr. Günter Hans Wind
- Strateco OG
Contact: Hannah Politor
