Policies for reasonable system integration of renewable energy sources in Austria

The fight against climate change and the high import dependency on fossil fuels has led the European Union (EU) to a reinforced renewable energy strategy. Primary aims till 2020 are to reduce CO₂-emissions about 20%, to increase the share of renewable energies to 20%, to improve the energy efficiency about 20% and to use about 10% of biofuels. In order to fulfil these ambitious targets especially energy efficiency, efficient use of energy resources and avoidance of energy wastings are an imperative prerequisite. This must be demanded also in the field of renewable energy sources - CO₂ neutrality can never be an apology for wastefulness. Especially, the system integration of renewable resources must be carefully selected. Not only electricity generation, also feeding-in of biogas into the gas grid must become eligible for funding. Further aspects like transport, impacts on environment, provision of infrastructure and a stable funding system must be considered.