Green Energy & Mobility
Electromobility only contributes to a climate-neutral and sustainable economy if the electricity required is generated from renewable energy sources. “Green mobility” and “green energy” are therefore inextricably linked. The Mechatronics Cluster aims to make electric vehicles an integral part of smart regional energy grids that include all types of renewable energy: photovoltaics, hydrogen, bioenergy, wind and hydropower.
When the Business Agency of Lower Austria, ecoplus, was commissioned to manage the initiative “e-mobil in Niederösterreich” in 2010, electromobility was still in its infancy in the province. Since then, numerous measures have been taken to position the Electromobility Initiative (EMI) as the central point of contact in the province and to support strategic developments.
Various building blocks have already been implemented in recent years:
- Concepts for the complete electrification of commuter traffic have been implemented in selected model regions. Electric vehicles and public transport were connected to form “multimodal travel chains”.
- Together with energy companies, leasing providers and municipal companies, work was carried out on the electrification of entire vehicle fleets.
- As part of the “EMPA-Trac” project, the modular concept for a fully electric-powered vehicle for the municipal and agricultural sectors was developed with regional partners.
- As part of the “e-mobil in Österreich” study, it was determined what opportunities Austrian automotive suppliers see as a result of the trend towards e-mobility.
- In a follow-up project, the value chain related to hydrogen was also examined and the commercial vehicle sector identified as a promising field of application.
- In the “Car2Flex” project, initial experience has already been gained integrating the batteries of electric vehicles into local energy management systems.
Expanding the initiative to include sustainable forms of energy will give the EMI brand a new meaning (“Energy – Mobility – Innovation”). The following further steps are planned:
- Building energy communities that rely entirely on renewable energy sources. A first pilot project has already started at the business park in Wolkersdorf.
- In addition to the commercial vehicle sector, hydrogen should also be used as an energy source in industrial companies.
- In order to be able to optimally use electricity from sources that fluctuate over time, such as photovoltaics or wind power, power storage solutions in the megawatt range are required.
- A training initiative is intended to counteract a shortage of qualified workers in the field of renewable energy.
- On an even larger scale, concepts for the use of renewable energy should be part of a circular economy that also includes material conversion processes in an overall concept and uses them as energy storage.
In all of these projects, EMI wants to establish itself as a point of contact for the complex funding landscape, initiate cooperation and network the domestic players with corresponding initiatives at the EU level.
In all of this, the Mechatronics Cluster can rely on a strong network. In the field of electromobility, this consists of numerous companies in the automotive and automotive supply industry, providers of car-sharing solutions and specialists in green electricity. When it comes to questions about the management of renewable forms of energy, the Mechatronics Cluster is in contact with research institutions such as the Vienna University of Technology, the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien and the AIT as well as energy supply companies.
Examples:
"e-mobil in Niederösterreich" Study