Austria
PV technology status and prospects
H. Wilk, OKA
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Introduction

Photo 1: 75 kWp PV rooftop installation of Hartlauer company/Steyr [Electronic and photo stores] In Austria the renewable fraction of the primary energy consumption is approximately 25%. This is the second highest figure of all EU member states. Austria has therefore reached twice the 12% goal stated in the White Paper on Renewables of the European Commission. About 70% of the electricity used in Austria is produced by hydro power.

The new Austrian law to control the liberalized electricity market "ElWOG" specifies that distribution utilities have to produce or purchase 4% of their electricity demand using renewable sources like: biomass, wind power, landfill gas, biogas, PV and the renewable fraction of waste processed in incineration plants. Distribution utilities also have to produce or purchase 8% of their electricity demand using small hydro-power plants (less than 10 MW). This regulation will come into power in 2001.

At the Kyoto conference the EU promised to reduce relevant emissions by 8% until the year 2010. After the Kyoto conference EU member states negotiated the burden sharing on 17th June 1998. Austria has to reduce its emissions by 13%. Today Austria emits CO2 at a rate of 7,6 tons per capita and year (compared to USA: 21 tons/capita). Transportation and industry are the most critical sectors with the highest growth rates. To reach the national Kyoto goal of -13% by 2010 we have to organize major changes. Studies indicated that we need the help of all sectors to come somewhat near our EU reduction goal.
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National Overview of PV

In the Austrian public PV stands for innovation, ecology, renewable, energy efficiency, long term thinking and smart technology. All this attributes attract a wide range of enthusiasts from different sectors of science, industry, utilities and trade. As in most countries of the world PV applications started with stand alone systems to power small loads in places without electric grid. More then a decade ago Austria's first grid-connected PV unit started operation at Energie AG.

Figure 1: Development of PV market in Austria [Data Source: G. Faninger)] Today approximately 660 grid-connected PV systems are operated by private house owners (2 MW in total, by end of 2000). Almost all of them are supported by one or another public funding programme. The mean system size of the residential applications is about 3 kWp. The largest installation has a rated power of 75 kWp. The major activities in Austria are system design and application of grid-connected and stand-alone PV systems. Up to now we still have no production facility for solar cells and modules.
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Development of PV market

Between 1996 and 2000 the market growth rate was approximately 23% per year. This was higher than the growth of the world module market. The reason for this positive development can be seen in various funding instruments.

By the end of 2000 approximately 3 900 kWp of solar modules were installed in our country. In Upper Austria 0,1% of the population already uses grid-connected PV. Calculating the PV penetration for Austria gives a figure of 0,6 Watt peak per capita.

The PV penetration in Upper Austria now reached 1 Watt peak per capita.
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Development of System Cost

Photo 2: 20 kWp PV facade, office building of SBL, Linz [Colt] System cost could be reduced at a rate of 10% per year within the last decade. Module costs dropped only slightly in the last three years. With the US dollar rising against the German Mark and the Austrian Schilling some imported modules even became more expensive. System costs could be reduced because training of the installers and craftsmen was efficient. Furthermore an increasing number of PV market players started competition on each PV project. Almost no cost reduction could be reached in 1998 and 1999. In the last three years specific system costs were stable at a level of 90 000 ATS excl. VAT. In the year 2000 system cost did rise to almost 100 000 ATS/kWp excl. VAT again.

The specific cost data are the result of evaluating the PV rooftop projects funded by the federal government of Upper Austria. The cost figures include all real expenses and are the average of more than 250 residential PV installations of typically 2 to 3 kWp per system. Expenses for mounting and installation are still in the order of 30% of total cost. For solar modules 55 ATS/Watt peak had to be paid in 1999 (excl. VAT).
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National Programme

In the strategy plan PV systems are included next to other new renewable energy sources like wind and biomass. There are still discussions what incentives, taxes and funding instruments have to be applied to give the right push/pull into the desired direction. We already have high taxes on car-gasoline and other fossil fuels. 1996 an energy tax was issued for natural gas and electricity. With the liberalized electricity market that started on 19th February 1999 utilities are reluctant to take new funding burdens.

In 1992-1995 Austrian utilities paid most of the investment subsidies for the "200 kW Rooftop Program". On a local basis PV funding went on in Upper Austria (up to 50% of the investment, since 1991, then reduced to 37% in 1998 and at 50 000 ATS/kWp since 1 January 2000). PV funding started also in Vorarlberg in 1998 and caused a massive increase in grid-connected PV systems there. There are now discussions to establish a centralized Austrian funding system to support investments in new renewable energy systems (PV, wind, biomass, biogas). The intention is to pay subsidies for the investment only. Projects with the best ratio of produced energy / invested money will come first in the ranking queue. Doing this only the most efficient projects will get money.
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Research and Development

Photo 3: 4 kW PV shading system, Technogiezentrum St. Florian/Linz The PV activities at different universities are supported. Within the framework of PVPS Task 7 architects at the Technical University of Vienna help to improve PV building integration. The Association of Austrian Utilities (VEÖ/EFG) funded inverter tests at Vienna´s Arsenal test centre. One major point was to analyze the islanding behaviour and the harmonics of the power conditioners. The results are available as a VEÖ/EFG report now and were presented at the 2nd PV World Conference in Vienna in July 1998.

With the help of the Upper Austrian Research Fund the Technical University of Vienna and Fronius KG, an innovative private company, are developing new inverter concepts. In cooperation with the German company Steca an innovative stand-alone inverter unit was produced by Fronius KG.

Austrian PV experts are contributing to the work of our national standards committee OENORM / OEVE E2750 and IEC TC 82. With the participation in PVPS we want to exchange experiences on an international level.
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Utility Demonstration Projects

Energie AG, the electric power utility of the federal state of Upper Austria, is engaged in many demonstration projects. Innovation in the building sector, heat pumps, biomass projects and photovoltaic systems are heavily supported by Energie AG.
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Industry Status

ISOVOLTA is producing back sheet foils for almost all module manufactures in the world. FRONIUS KG developed a series of well-known inverters for grid-connected PV systems. More than 5000 units have been produced until now. 90% of them were exported into other countries. Fronius is now Europe´s second largest producer of PV inverters. In 2000 the company KW-SOLAR started operation of a plant for laminating modules in Graz.
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Summary

We are optimistic that the PV market will steadily continue to grow in Austria at a rate of 30% per year. About 50% of the increase of grid-connected systems can be found in Upper Austria. Starting on 1 January 1998 the federal government of Vorarlberg and the local utility VKW started a similar funding system. If subsidies stop or a certain level of penetration will be reached PV market will grow approximately by +15% per year.

Yield increased to almost 850 kWh/kWp.a with new installations. The overall system performance can be further improved by optimizing several factors. Better inverters (e.g. without transformer) and modules with correct name plate rating will help to improve the yield of grid-connected PV systems in the future.
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References

Photo 4: PV and art: PV tree in Gleisdorf/Styria [Feistritzwerke, municipal utility] For more information visit our internet homepage: http://www.energieag.at
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Further reading about Austria

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