24/04/2024

Mainly mayors and representatives of small Hungarian villages joined the three-day study tour, which gave participants an insight into the work of Austrian energy communities.

The study tour organised by Reflex Environmental Association between 22-24 April 2024 was part of the international SHAREs project. The participants of the study tour, including several mayors and members of the Climate Alliance Hungary, joined the trip from various small villages in Hungary and the city of Győr.

As part of the programme, the Hungarian participants held a meeting in Strem with representatives of the Heiligenbrunn Energy Community, OurPower SCE and local and regional authorities. The participants engaged in a discussion on the SHAREs project, the objectives of the Hungarian partners, the situation of energy communities in Hungary, and also attended a presentation on the experiences of the Heiligenbrunn Energy Community and the energy data display system for energy communities. To identify potential opportunities, the parties examined a range of tendering and cross-border collaboration options.

The second day included two meetings in Vienna. The Hungarian team held a meeting with a representative of a small energy community in the suburbs of Vienna. The meeting provided a valuable insight into the potential for energy sharing between approximately 10 residential units, demonstrating how such a concept could be implemented in a private organisation. The discussion was followed by a brief tour of the renewable energy residential systems in the area.

In the afternoon, the team was hosted at the headquarters of CANCOM Austria AG, where an exciting presentation was delivered on the status of energy communities in Austria, the regional renewable energy community "Green Energy Pottendorf", and also included valuable insights and experiences on fair tariffs and the billing system.

The Hungarian delegation found the study trip to be highly beneficial, and the experience and new knowledge gained will provide an excellent foundation for launching local community initiatives.