Inspired Solar adventurist Bertrand Piccard landed in Graz
In citizen hand An ever increasing number of PV plants with citizen participation
Ideas in biomass Waste biomass is turned into new fuels
Öst
erre
ichi
sche
Pos
t AG
Info
. Pos
tage
pai
d.
www.eco.at Issue price € 5Issue 13, December 2012
2 WORLD MAGAZINE
Table of Contents
Photos: ecowatt, BDI/OMV, Credit: Foto Fischer / City of Graz, ressort-buchmann.steiermark.at, questers, colourbox.com, joanneum research
Focus on resources “Landfill Mining”
Global hub for green innovations
Joanneum Research predicts the effects of climate change
Styrian technology for energy and the environment
Waste biomass: energy source with conscience
Page 15Page 14
Page 13Page 12
Page 10Page 8
Page 6Page 4Citizen’s power plants: solar power in the hands of the citizens
Dear Readers!
History shows that major processes of change are closely related to social changes. The same holds true regarding the change towards clean and sus-tainable energies. For a number of months, a mo-vement that will boost the energy turnaround has been becoming more and more dynamic: within a very short period of time, more than one hundred photovoltaic power plants with citizen participation emerged in Austria – and, according to the experts, the boom has only just begun (page 4).
The commercial economy is also working intensi-vely on the sustainable design for our future energy production. Innovative companies headquartered in the Green Tech Valley are conducting research work in the exciting field of “Waste-Biomass to Energy” since some time and have already been able to achieve pioneering successes (page 6).
The efforts of citizens and economy form the prere-quisite and basis for intelligent, new solutions and innovations. However, the fact that leading figures and pioneers are important for change processes was clearly demonstrated to us by the inspiring visit of the adventurist and solar pioneer Bertrand Pic-card. His exciting visions and projects are both em-boldening and encouraging and show what a cle-an, renewable future can look like (page 10).
In order to achieve tangible success, it is all the more important that all persons involved pull to-gether in the one direction: technology providers, leading figures, and citizens. In the Green Tech Val-ley, this is already the credo being lived by today; and this has also not gone unnoticed internationally (page 15).
In this spirit, I hope you will have an enjoyable and lasting reading experience with this edition of the ECO WORLD MAGAZINE. Kind regards from the Green Tech Valley,
Yours Bernhard Puttinger and the ECO WORLD STYRIA team
Publisher: ECO WORLD STYRIA Umwelttechnik Cluster GmbH, Reininghausstraße 13, 8020 Graz, Austria, Phone: +43 316/40 77 44-0, [email protected], www.eco.at. Production: Dr. A. Schendl GmbH & Co MEDIEN KG, www.schendl.at. Editorial management: Mag. Alexander Kohl. Persons contributing to this edition: Martin Kohlbacher, Mag. Ulrike Putz – in cooperation with the ECO WORLD STYRIA team. Editing: Mag. Ulrike Putz. Cover photos: BDI, Foto Fischer/City of Graz, SEBA Mureck, Layout: Iris Schönauer. Producer: Ueberreuter Druckzentrum GmbH, Industriestrasse 1, 2100 Korneuburg. Edition 13, December 2012, circulation: 15,000 units.
Lifestyle: Fast Forward for Sus-hi from the Austrian Mariazell
Bertrand Piccard landed in the Green Tech Valley
3WORLD MAGAZINE
NEWS
World-News
Photos: UNEP Collaborating Centre, GLOBAL TRENDS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY INVESTMENT 2012, colourbox.com
NEW UN CENTRE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGIESThe office of the initiative called “Renewable energy for everybody” initiated by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will be headquartered in Austria. The United Na-tions is also planning to become increasingly involved with the global topic of re-newable energy and becoming a driving force behind the development of this fu-ture orientated sector in the world. The global market growth of renewable energy is expected to reach up to 10 % per year until 2025 according to Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. The United Nation`s office for renewable energies will also make Austria the centre for global attention in relation to conceptions and techno-logical solutions in this area. un.org
RECORD INVESTMENT IN RENEWABLE ENERGIES In the past year, more money was invested in renewable power than ever before: Both the UN environment programme UNEP and the „REN21“ network report that the investment volume of $ 257 billion (€ 205 billion) constituted an increase of 17 % compared to 2010. The reasons for the boom range from climate protection and energy security through to the electrification in many regions. In 2011, solar energy was achieving an increase of 52 % to reach $ 147 billion. This came with enormous competitive pressures, which drove down the prices in the solar industry (by nearly 50 % for PV), while the prices for onshore wind turbines were also reduced to the tune of 10 %. From a price point of view, the renewable sector as a result became serious competition for coal and gas. unep.org
ENERGY EFFICIENCY OBLIGATION FOR EUROPEThe goal of increasing the energy efficiency in the EU by 20 % by 2020 through the adoption of concrete standards has now been set down with the new EU Energy Effi-ciency Directive. This new directive obliges the member states to implement numerous binding measures. In the future, the energy consumed by the end customers is inten-ded to be reduced by 1.5 % each year in every EU member state. Member states must develop an itinerary in order to make the entire construction industry more energy ef-ficient. Large companies must implement additional measures for energy audits and energy management. Furthermore 3 % of all governmental buildings have to be reno-vated in every year to improve energy efficiency. europa.eu
NEW ELECTRONIC SCRAP REGULATIONElectronic scrap offers an increasing reservoir of secondary resources. However, the systematic redemption and processing of the recycling materials used in scrapped television sets, lap-tops, or mobile telephones constitute the prerequisite for the potential of this resource reservoir to be realised. On 13 August 2012, more stringent provisions came into force on a pan-EU level regarding this. As of 2016, the member states must guarantee that 45 % of the average weight of all waste electrical and electronic devices sold in the country will be redeemed. As of 2018, the directive will be extended further to all waste electrical and electronic devices. As of 2019, a redemption goal of 65 % of the average weight of all waste devices sold or alternati-vely of 85 % of the entire volume of waste devices shall be applicable. europa.eu
Middle East & Africa, 5
AMER (excl. US & Brazil), 7
Brazil, 7
India, 12
ASOC (excl. China & India), 21
Europe 101
USA 51
China 52
Global investment in renewable energies in billions of Dollars
4 WORLD MAGAZINE
ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
Energy on the roof instead of share prices in the basementA second wave of citizen’s power plants is rolling through Austria. In the past, the focus was on wind power, but today an ever increasing number of municipalities and citizens are joining forces in order to develop photovoltaic power (PV) plants. This means that citizens are accelerating the expansion of renewable energy production.
It was a beautiful spring day in the south Styrian village of Mureck. Many visitors came to celebrate the new solar power generation plant. They came because this was no ordinary plant. The so-called “SonnenEnergieBürgerInnenAnlage” (citizens‘ solar power plant) in Mureck was the first PV power plant financed by citizens. Back in April 2011, nobody would have imagined that this plant would result in such a wave of enthusiasm. Over the course of the following months, the number of citizen’s PV modu-les increased, and the boom remains strong up to today. The association PV Austria assumes that the-re are already several hundred plants in existence and with the new green electricity act this hype will only increase. An ever increasing number of mayors
are becoming aware of the solar potential in their municipalities: areas such as the roofs of schools, child-care facilities, town halls, train and bus sta-tions, soccer stands, etc. could be used. The basic principle is very simple indeed: citizens join forces, jointly finance a PV power plant, and share out the profits „generated“ proportionally among themsel-ves. The attractiveness is that citizens with limited financial possibilities can also get involved in the-se projects or those living areas not conducive to generating renewable energy. “The trend is simply towards investing in the region, in projects you can see and feel,” says Ferdinand Köberl from the en-gineering office Riebenbauer in Pinggau. “This new attitude can be felt particularly with these plants.”
Legal certainty must be provided forAfter an initial wave of citizen’s power plants, du-ring which primarily wind turbines were erected, there is now a second wave focusing on solar ener-gy. This type of energy was even more efficient and far more practicable, emphasises Otmar Frühwald, managing director of Ecowatt: “Photovoltaics is predestined for smaller and decentralised power plants with civic participation. The investment fra-mework can be readily assessed and the operating costs are often very low.” Based on the potential of this model in terms of the expansion of rene-wable energy production, the state of Styria com-missioned Frühwald to develop a guideline regar-ding citizen’s PV power plants. In this guideline, the
The citizen’s PV power plant in Mureck generates a total of 2MWp of solar power. This power is partially generated by special photovoltaic modules on the roof of a greenhouse with a sur-face area of 12,400 m² – while organic vegetables, flowers, ornamental bushes, and medicinal herbs are cultivated below. This is made possible by modules developed by the Styrian company PV-Products. The modules were adapted specifically for greenhouses together with the technical office Riebenbauer.
Photos: privat, ecowatt, SEBA Mureck
5WORLD MAGAZINE 5
ENERGY TECHNOLOGYman from Graz shows, amongst other things, that a large number of these plants are currently in legal limbo in Austria.
Experts recommend sale-and-lease-backPossible banana skins can be found primarily in the selected legal form of many of the busi-nesses, explains the Vienna-based lawyer Georg Brandstetter: “Many projects were organised eit-her as “loan” or “participation“ models. However, at this point you are either involved in a depo-sit business and, therefore, in the field of banking licenses, or you are subject to the securities pro-spectus requirements,” says the expert for citizen participations. Currently, different “sale-and-lea-se-back models” have become the favoured mo-del in Austria. Within the framework of this mo-del, a company purchases the areas identified in a project plan, sells individual modules to citizens, and then leases these back from the citizens. In order to ensure legal certainty, municipalities are advised to definitely get the local bank or experi-enced consultants on board. Also in Germany, an increasing number of citizen’s solar power plants can be found. More than 600 plants are up and running in the Federal Republic and feed clean power into the mains grid. Here, the municipali-ties have set up associations specifically charged with the task of generating renewable electricity.
“This way, there is a newly established legal cer-tainty – in the majority of the Federal States - for these plants” says Benjamin Dannemann from the Agentur für Erneuerbare Energien (agency for re-newable energies) in Berlin, Germany.
Opportunities for companiesThere are therefore great opportunities associated with own green electricity that are not only open to municipalities and private citizens, but also to companies. Be it by merely renting of areas of roof or by planning its very own power plant. In ad-dition to that, the aspect of positively reinforcing the corporate image must not be underestimated either. “Companies can quickly find out whether areas available on their company grounds could be used for such plants,” says Ferdinand Köberl. Along with roof areas or parking lots and car spa-ces, vacant green spaces with low levels of shado-wing would also be suitable. All experts agree that the boom of citizen’s power plants will last for a long time. This model is specifically suitable for the decentralised expansion of the PV technolo-gy. The fact that the power grids will come un-der significantly increased strain is also clearly un-derstood. “In the medium term, a “Smart Grid” will definitely become necessary,” says Otmar Frühwald, “particularly if citizen’s power plants continue to increase in such high numbers.”
The PV power plant in Semriach was realised thanks to active and financial civic partici-pation. The costs of the power plant amounted to € 1.7 million, it has an output of 0.9 MWp, and produces approx. one million kWh of electricity per year from a total of 3,860 photovoltaic elements. This way, the solar power plant is capable of providing approx. 25 % of the energy consumption of the households in Semriach. Approx. 530,000 kg CO2 can be saved each year as a result of this photovol-taic power plant.
“Within the framework of the citizen’s power plant guideline, we point out the topic of legal certainty.” Otmar Frühwald, Ecowatt
“The trend is simply towards investment in the region. In projects you can see and feel.” Ferdinand Köberl, technical office for renewable energy - Ing. Leo Riebenbauer
6 WORLD MAGAZINE
ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
Waste biomass: An energy source with a conscienceWith the discussion regarding the sustainability of admixed biofuel, the search for new applicable – and sustainable – resources with which to generate energy intensi-fies. As the pioneers, Styrian companies have already been focusing on “Waste- Biomass to Energy” for the past 20 years and are achieving pioneering innovations for biodiesel and new fuels.
Researchers have been trying to tackle the questi-on of how fossil energy can be replaced by rene-wable resources for many years now. However, the sustainability of many solutions often did not re-sult in the desired effect. And now, the “Tank-ver-sus-Table” discussion prevented an increase of the pan-EU admixture rate for biological fuels. However, a current BDI (BioEnergy Internatio-nal) project demonstrates that biofuel can be made from renewable resour-ces without intervening in the food supply. Based on the development during the production of biodie-sel from waste oils and greases, the focus expan-ded to the utilisation of solid, biogenic resources.
bioCRACK: residual wood to dieselThe innovative BDI me-thod is called bioCRACK. It was now possible to im-plement this method in collaboration with the mineral oil group OMV in a joint pilot plant in Schwechat for the first time. With BDI, the expectations regarding the innova-tion are already high: “The performance of this plant will initially be 1,000 tons of biomass per year,” says BDI chairman Dr. Edgar Ahn (CSO). “Industrial-scale plants will have a magnitude of up to 200,000 tons.” From a technical point of
view, bioCRACK falls within the scope of flash py-rolysis procedures. In these procedures, biomass is gasified or liquefied by means of strong, quick heat delivery and its components are separated, resulting in biogenic diesel. Normally, expensive thermal oils or sand beds are used as the heat
carrier medium. “Within the framework of our ap-plication, intermediates from the diesel generati-on in refineries are used, e.g. vacuum gas oil,” explains Dr. Ahn. “Biomass is mixed with the car-rier medium und subjected to thermal cracking in a co-processing stage.” Resulting from that, a fuel fraction that can be further processed as raw diesel in the refinery is generated, amongst other
things. Biomass and mineral oil are subjected to extremely high heat and blend to become one and the same substance. According to Dr. Ahn, this makes the final product even identical to each diesel sold at petrol stations from a physical point of view: “Pure diesel, corresponding to the EN
590 standard. However, using analysis methods – such as the C14 method for example, where the age of the fuel compo-nents can be determined – I can demonstrate that 5-15 % of the fuel is of biogenic origin.”
Interesting streams of by-productsHowever, pyrolysis does not only result in diesel/fuel. Furthermore pure biogas can be obtained in a gaseous phase. A watery phase could even be utilised in terms of the substance based on the large amount of hy-drocarbons contained in
the material – for example in the chipboard in-dustry. And fourth but not least, biocoal can be obtained from the part of the biomass that cannot be liquefied. “This coal could be purified in such a way that it could be used in the technology sector, for example as an adsorbent,” forecasts Dr. Ahn. Regarding the aforementioned, the first research projects with the Technical University of Graz have
bioCRACK does not only turn residual wood to diesel, but also to biogas, biocoal, and materials that can have many practical uses.
Photos: BDI/OMV, Komptech
7WORLD MAGAZINE 7
ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
already been initiated. Already today, BDI is sear-ching for added values of the streams of by-pro-ducts. Before these are ready for the market, more research work will have to be invested in the application. This also holds true for the used resource material. The objective is to utilise was-te for the production of biofuel: “In the plant in Schwechat, we will start by cracking wood chips for the moment, followed by straw, and finally we will test further lignocellulosic resources – such as annual plants,” says Dr. Ahn, who is already thinking about utilising waste wood: “Within the framework of our laboratory tests, we were sur-prised about the flexibility of the method regar-ding the types of biomass used. We were able to include the most different types of wood, but also waste and residual wood without any problems.” It was already possible to achieve a share of up to 15 % during the laboratory tests. However, the objective is to ultimately achieve a biogenic sha-re of 20 % in the produced diesel by the time market maturity is reached in 2014.
Industrial briquettes made of residual forest woodKomptech has also been conducting research activities regarding innovative waste-biomass to energy technologies for a number of years now. Quite recently, the company from Frohn-leiten made the breakthrough. In cooperation
with an international research partner, Komptech developed a new biomass fuel. Woody materi-als that could not be used up until now can now replace coal in power plants. The developed in-dustrial briquette is characterised by an energy density of 3.6 MWh/ m³. While wood chips only achieve 0.7 MWh/m³ and, as a result, are not suitable for transregional transportation, the new industrial briquette achieves a value five times higher and so is 15 % above the energy den-sity of conventional pellets. Coal-fired power plants requiring renewable fuels for CO firing represent the ideal application site for the new briquettes. Their base material is waste and re-sidual wood: “Up to now, undersized particles from residual forest wood remained in the forest or were allowed to break down to become com-post,” says Komptech’s managing director Josef Heissenberger. “Today, these can be used to de-velop a high-quality industrial briquette and to replace fossil energy.” The production process is very simple: all you need is a very fine star-ty-pe sieve, belt driers, and compression machines. “With this research project we primarily want to demonstrate what can be made even out of the poorest quality biomass material,” emphasises Heissenberger. “In the future, we will have to increasingly use these opportunities in order to achieve the objectives in the field of renewable energies.”
The new BDI method has been implemented in a pilot plant at the Schwechat location.
“We were already able to crack not only the most different types of wood, but also waste and residual wood without any problems.” Dr. Edgar Ahn, BDI AG
“In the future, we will have to increasingly use the opportunities in the field of “Waste-Bio-mass to Energy”.” Ing. Josef Heissenberger, Komptech GesmbH
Biomass Biogas
aqueous phase
Raw dieselSeparation
Separation
Pre-treatment
Conditioning Biocoal
Diesel with biogenic share
Carrier oil
BioCRACK technology & products
Bio
CR
AC
K C
onv
erte
r Li
quid
pha
se p
yrol
ysis
8 WORLD MAGAZINE
ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
ACTIVE BALANCINGWith advancing age, the storage capacity of the individual battery cells will decrease to different extents. An intelligent battery ma-nagement system for controlling battery charging and discharging processes is required in order to increase the service life. Infenion has been successful in increasing the useful battery capacity by 10% with the help of an “Active Cell Balancing” system. Circuits for monitoring the cell and the process of “Active Balancing” – the ideal utilisation of each cell during the charging and discharging processes – allow the efficient range of the battery to be increa-sed. infineon.com
WELL EMBEDDEDICOSOLAR® Encapsulant is the name of an innovative embed-ding material for photovoltaic modules. The production is based on a new material (TPO – thermoplastic polyolefins), whereby one layer of embedding material between the cell and the film on the backside is replaced completely. This results in a simplified and cheaper production process of photovoltaic modules. In combina-tion with ICOSOLAR® films for the backside, the embedding layer demonstrates good adhesion properties with all embedding mate-rials, does not form any ethanoic acid during the damp heat test, and absorbs only low amounts of water. isovoltaic.com
ENERGY CONFIGURATOR PER MAPSThe Styrian solar city of Gleisdorf can enjoy a world first in the field of energy management: on the energy atlas, all energy data and opportunities for savings and for using renewable energies can be seen and configured for each building on an interactive online map of the city. “This is the first time that energy generation, energy consumption, and energy potentials in the areas of heat, electricity, water, waste, and mobility are shown online,” explains Walter Schie-fer, managing director of the Feistritzwerke Steweag. This way, resi-dents can themselves develop an energy concept for their own buil-dings, including the switchover to renewable energies such as solar energy or biomass and energy saving measures. feistritzwerke.at
WIND TURBINE FOR THE ROOFIn cooperation with Fibag, the flow expert qpunkt, which is headquartered near Graz, developed a professional wind turbine with outputs of between 1 and 15 kW to be used on building roofs exposed to wind. As opposed to traditional wind turbines, this low-noise solution with outstanding overall performance can also be used in gale force conditions. “We adapted the principle used for aircraft wings, which is why the wind is so effectively accelerated in the tube, allowing for high levels of efficiency,” said qpunkt’s managing director Robert Breinl, on the occasion of the start of series producti-on. qpunkt.at
Photos: colourbox.com, feistritzwerke.at, isovoltaic.com, qpunkt.at
Simply Styrian.
9WORLD MAGAZINE
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGYINNOVATIVE SIMULATIONSThe planning group Grünbichler GmbH and pgg blueberg cont-rol GmbH developed an innovative building services engineering concept setting new standards when it comes to refurbishing com-plex stocks of old buildings. The concept will be used for the first time by the expansion of the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Adherence to the architectural demands is the primary challenge when it comes to climate and energy design. An innovative si-mulation process allows the implementation and optimisation of regenerative energy systems while taking the requirements of con-struction physics and the energetic objectives of the technical buil-ding services into consideration. pgg.at/blueberg.eu
INNOVATIVE POLYMER PAPERIn cooperation with IM Polymer GmbH, the PCCL research centre developed a synthetic paper on the basis of renewable resources that combines the properties of paper made of cel-lulose and plastic films. Polymer paper is re-usable, replaces conventional composite materials (e.g. paper), and can be recy-cled without any additional effort being required. It is made up of three layers, whereby the two highly filled coating layers were interconnected by means of radiation and their crystallisation is impaired. PCCL received the “Fast Forward Award 2012” for its work. pccl.at
FRESH RAINWATER AT ALL TIMESRainwater is extremely soft and therefore ideal for watering plants and green spaces. However, during the warmer times of the year, rainwater can often only be utilised to a limited extent because algae forms in the rainwater tanks after just a few days. By producing active oxygen (by means of a built-in diamond electrode directly from the rainwater), the Rainfresher suppres-ses such effects and the natural quality of the rainwater is main-tained. The energy which the Rainfresher requires to do this is provided by the sun in an environmentally friendly and cost-free manner. rainfresher.com; proaqua.cc
SEPARATION USING SENSORSSensor-assisted sorting machines optimise the separation of recyclable plastic materials: for the first time, the separation of transparent and white HDPE bottles could be accomplished. This task is challenging, because hardly any differences can be detected in the colour spectrum between transparent and white bottles. With the help of REDWAVE sorting machines, the sen-sor-assisted sorting technology of BT-Wolfgang Binder GmbH, this separation can now be accomplished. This process is alrea-dy performed to the utmost satisfaction of the customers in Eng-land, HPR, Hanbury Plastic Recycling. redwave.at
Photo: tschapeller.com, Frankl 2012, rainfresher.com, redwave.at
Intelligently done.
10 WORLD MAGAZINE
ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
tegies, and think outside of our own box!,” was one of the core messages from Piccard during the course of the discussion round called Club Zukunft by the city of Graz under the motto: “Human.Machine.Future“. For examp-le, it took him three attempts before he found a new stra-tegy for the first successful nonstop circumnavigation of the globe in a balloon. Piccard vividly describes how he managed to do this and what he recommends pioneers should be doing by comparing the behaviour of wasps and bees looking for a way to escape from his conser-
satlantic balloon race. Seven years later, he became the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon. Within the framework of his current project called “Solar Impulse”, the Swiss finds himself in the pioneering role once again: Piccard intends to circumnavigate the globe by air with only solar energy.
The strategy of the wasps“Everybody can be a pioneer in his own field, all we have to do is to leave our comfort zone, try new stra-
Solar aviation pioneer lands in the Green Tech ValleyOne of the greatest adventurists of our time, the Swiss physician, pilot, and visionary Bertrand Piccard, made the case for more courage and pioneering spirit amongst the entrepreneurs during his visit to the Green Tech Valley. With his latest project called “Solar Impulse” he intends to circumnavigate the globe with a solar aircraft and to set an example for the use of renewable energies in doing so.
He was born with the genes of an adventurist and pi-oneer: Bertrand Piccard is the third generation of this pi-oneering family. His grandfather Auguste Piccard (1884-1962) was a friend of Albert Einstein and Marie Curie and in 1931 was the first person to use a balloon to ascend into the stratosphere to an altitude of approx. 16,000 metres. His father Jacques Piccard (1922-2008) was the first person to use a submarine to dive into the Mariana Trench to a depth of 10,916 metres in 1960. In 1992, Bertrand Piccard was the winner of the first tran-
11WORLD MAGAZINE 11
ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
vatory. While the bees repeatedly tried the same way through the glass time and time again and did not have any suc-cess, the wasps kept on trying new vari-ants and possibilities until they finally found their way out.
Renewable energies as the key„Mobility and environmental protection“ is no oxymo-ron – both could be implemented thanks to the currently available solutions offered by renewable energies, says the Swiss emphasising the necessity for corresponding political conditions in this context: “A political impetus is needed in order to launch new and clean technologies onto the market. Because the solutions are there, all we need to do is implement them.” According to Piccard, legal frameworks would force industry to adopt the new technologies, which would mean that the environment was protected and a large-scale impetus for industry and economy was created. “The economy cannot hope for growth if all we are doing is producing what all the people already have.” With his project called “Solar Im-pulse” Piccard does not want to revolutionise the world of aviation, but rather he wants to demonstrate the po-tential of renewable energies: “we want to show what is already possible using today’s technologies. If we ma-nage to circumnavigate the world in an aircraft without any fuel during both the day and at night, nobody will be able to argue afterwards that these clean energies could not be used in day-to-day life. We want to get people excited about clean energies.”
Symbolic solar flightUnlike his circumnavigation of the world in a balloon, with which Piccard fulfilled a “personal dream”, the message is at the core of the “Solar Impulse” project: “it is not our objective to transport passengers, but to transport messages and to demonstrate that pioneering spirit,” says Piccard describing the drive behind his per-sonal involvement in the project. The Swiss has schedu-led his circumnavigation of the globe for 2015. The first 24-hour test flights have already been completed suc-
cessfully. While a smaller prototype of the solar aircraft was used for the test flights, an aircraft with a larger cockpit in which the pilot can also sleep and more power is currently being developed. “With our aircraft, we can collect the energy by means of solar cells du-ring the day in order to drive the motor and feed ener-gy into batteries at the same time,” explains the Swiss. This way, it is also possible to fly during the night. For Piccard, the solar flight has huge symbolic character: “If the technologies are optimised insufficiently, if the pi-lot consumes too much energy, the aircraft will not be able to fly nonstop during the night. There is the same situation on our planet: if we continue to waste ener-gy and if we do not produce renewable energies, the crisis will be unavoidable for the following generations.
So if we want to protect the environment and the human race, we need these new technologies.”
Green Tech Valley as a role modelPioneering spirit was required on part of the companies, especially in order to make the impossible possible and to drive innovation: “Why aren’t there more cities and regions working with and researching the possibilities of clean energies, like here in the Green Tech Valley?” Pic-card asks in this context. “Exemplary things are being done here in this field. On a global scale, we need more pioneers like those here.”
The prototype
Denomination: Solar Impulse HB-SIADrive: 4 electric motors (7.35 kW) with 4 two-blade propellersPV cells: 11,628 monocrystalline backside contact cellsRechargeable batteries: lithium polymer – capacity: 80 kWhWeight: 1.6 tonsWingspread: 63.40 m (comparable to an Airbus A340-600)Max. flight altitude: 8500 mVelocity: 70 km/h (average)Maiden flight: 3 December 2009First night flight: 7 to 8 July 2010Records (category: solar aircraft):Altitude: 9235 m; altitude gain: 8744 m; flight duration: 26 hrs. 10 min. 19 sec.
The successorDenomination: Solar Impulse HB-SIBCompletion: 2013Wingspread (Forecast): 80 m (more than for A380)Flight altitude (forecast): 12,000 mNovelties: installed pressurised cabin, innovative electrolyte for batteries, use of carbon fibre and nanotechnology, etc.Mission: circumnavigation of the globe
DATA OF THE SOLAR AIRCRAFT
The Swiss pioneer Bertrand Piccard landed in the Styrian Green Tech Valley.
Photos: Foto Fischer / Stadt Graz, solarimpulse.com
12 WORLD MAGAZINE
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
Photo: joanneum research
Extreme weather events and rising temperatures – the consequences of climate change – introduce new challenges for society. In addition to agricul-ture, water management and tourism, other sec-tors – as well as the sphere of politics – are also called on to develop strategies for adaptation to changed environmental conditions, but also for intelligent reduction of emissions. Support in this connection comes from the newly established Climate Change Centre Austria (CCCA) Service Centre in Graz. The Service Centre is operated jointly by the University of Graz, Graz University of Technology and the Joanneum Research For-schungsgesellschaft mbH and is currently sus-tained with the support of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research (BMWF).
Concentrated strengthsAll important Austrian research institutions joined forces in 2011 to establish the Climate Change Centre Austria (CCCA). “As a result, climate re-
Making climate research perceptibleJoanneum Research provides forecasts concerning economic consequences of extreme weather events as part of the CCCA Service Centre in Graz.
searchers in Austria have chosen a unique path in the EU context”, emphasises Matthias The-meßl, director of the CCCA Service Centre. The CCCA sees itself as a coordinating point of con-tact for research, politics, media and the general public for all questions concerning climate rese-arch. The term “climate research” encompasses the scientific examination of climate change, in-cluding its physical, political, economic, cultural and social causes, the consequences of climate change for society, economy and environment as well as strategies with regard to climate protec-tion (mitigation) and adaptation to climate ch-ange.
Central interfaceIn addition to the branch office in Vienna, the CCCA Service Centre in Graz was established as a central interface between science and users. “The goal of the Service Centre is to make im-portant information and data about climate
change and its consequences available in a com-prehensibly prepared manner for the concerned decision-makers from the economy, politics and society”, says Themeßl. In addition, the Service Centre will also forward inquiries to the respec-tively most competent experts of the CCCA com-munity, bring research needs from the general public to the attrition of the scientific communi-ty and provide support in joint projects. “Clima-te change is a central catchword in the research work of Joanneum Research,” emphasises JR’s managing director Wolfgang Pribyl. Questions regarding the economic consequences, for ex-ample for tourism, are answered amongst other things. In Graz, researchers analyse and assess the change in the insured losses caused by floods or other natural events. “The innovation factory Joanneum Research is capable of supporting the companies by developing forecasts of the econo-mic consequences, for example,” Pribyl explains. joanneum.at
Extreme weather events caused by the climate change are in the focus of interest of the CCCA service centre in Graz.
13WORLD MAGAZINE
LIFESTYLE
“WE UPCYCLE”Don‘t just throw away, but create something new from something old
and apparently worthless instead; this is the idea behind the suc-cessful blog of two Viennese students on the topic of upcycling. Initially, the idea was to post 30 upcycling products suitable for daily use and made of waste within 30 days. In the meantime, this has developed to a chain of ideas. Creative, new products have already been presented for more than 600 days – often accompanied with an aha effect – and range from jewellery made of coffee capsules and a table made of tyres through to a lamp made of yoghurt bottles … weupcycle.com
Lifestyle in green
SUSTAINABLE SKYSCRAPEREight storeys high and made entirely of wood – a wooden skyscraper in Vorarlberg shows us our residential future. The wooden skyscra-per concept (up to 30 storeys are possib-le) offers a wide range of advantages: resource and energy efficiency, signifi-cant reduction of CO2 emissions, 50 % shorter construction times, and an in-dustrial production of the individual components. Based on this successful concept, this year’s EEP award went to an Austrian company for the first time. Cree GmbH secured the prestigious prize with its Lifecycle Tower – LCTone. The prize is awarded annually by the European Environmental Press Organi-sation (EEP). creebyrhomberg.com
STYRIAN SUSHIConnoisseurs of fresh fish appreciate the particular quality of the produce from Alexander Quester’s Styrian fish farm. The project called “Mariazeller Sushi” (sushi from Mariazell) is ba-sed on the idea of offering more domestic fish. Considering the over-fishing of the saltwater fish stocks, it is absolutely necessary to look for sustainable alternatives now. Therefo-re, Kiang Sushi and Maki made of domestic freshwater fish coming from fresh, cool mountain waters can be found on the menu, as in fish sausages, for example. In September, the fish farm won the audience award of the Fast Forward Award 2012, the business award given by the state of Styria. questers.at
GREEN SKI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPIn February 2013, hundreds of thousands snow sports fans from all over the world will be
engrossed in the competitions for medals and will experience the “green heart of Aus-tria” live. The Alpine Ski World championship in Schladming will be one of the most important major sports event in Europe and the self-imposed sustainability charter and green technologies from the Green Tech Valley will set standards. For example, a climate-friendly infrastructure, environmentally friendly – primarily public – trans-portation offers, and the “Zero Waste” motto relating to waste avoidance are among the highlights of the high environmental standards. As part of this, the popular gou-
lash will also be served in compostable single-use tableware. Furthermore, the heat will come from the local biomass heat supply, electrically-powered busses will be used to trans-
port visitors, and the congress centre will be equipped with a 20 kWpeak PV plant, district hea-ting, grey water utilisation, and a river-water air conditioning system. schladming2013.at
Photos: questers.at, creebyrhomberg.com, weupcycle.com, congress-schladming,
14 WORLD MAGAZINE
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
Photo: by Himmel
On the Recycling trackAltogether, more than 80 % of the waste generated in Styria is recycled. In 2013, the focus will be on the recovery of resources from material already deposited in a landfill.
Austria is the EU leader in the area of waste ma-nagement according to a study recently published by the European Commission. Within the frame-work of this study, total recycling, the costs of was-te management, and violations of EU law by the individual member states were examined on the basis of a total of 18 categories. The current was-te data for Styria is quite impressive, as is confir-med by the annual report regarding the Styrian waste management: approx. 70 % of the waste falls under the separate collection category and, therefore, as recycled; the remaining 30 % of re-sidual waste is not simply sent to the landfill, but is instead re-processed separately once again in order to retrieve any further usable components. “This way, another 10 to 15 % of usable materials can be obtained,” Wilhelm Himmel, sustainability coordinator of the state of Styria explains. “Alto-gether, this amounts to more than 80 % of all was-te being recycled: if you compare this value to the
international goals of approx. 30 to 40 %, Styria is on the right track in this respect,” says Himmel. On the one hand, this can be attributed to the lo-gistic competences and on the other hand, to the strongly pronounced awareness that waste needs to be separated among the population in Styria: “We have done a lot on this topic in particular; we went to child-care facilities and schools. We are now benefitting from that,” Himmel explains.
More potentialRegarding a more efficient utilisation of existing resources, there still is enough potential. In this regard, former landfill sites may in the future play an important role as resource deposits. The con-cept of “Landfill Mining” describes the targeted re-duction of former landfill sites and the recovery of recyclables from already landfilled material, which has two advantages: on the one hand, it would be possible to counteract the looming raw material
bottlenecks facing European industry in the medi-um term. On the other hand, required landfill vo-lume on existing landfill sites could be recovered. Therefore, the partial utilisation of landfilled waste as a resource would increase the free volume on landfill sites – with the simultaneous recovery of resources that can be further processed to gene-rate raw materials and energy.
Pilot region StyriaCurrently, Landfill Mining is a topic that is being much discussed internationally. However, strate-gies including concrete recommendations for ac-tion for a specific region have been sought to no avail up to now. One answer will be found soon in Styria concerning this matter: “The state of Styria will focus on the topic of Landfill Mining in 2013. Competent companies and the required know-how are present in order to take a pioneering role,” Himmel adds. nachhaltigkeit.steiermark.at
32 million tons of waste generated over the past decades will be checked for recycling opportunities within the framework of a pilot project.
15WORLD MAGAZINE
NEWS
eco-revolutionary Michael Braungart emphasises: “The high concentration of companies allows valuable products to be produced”. The winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize in 2011 and the solarthermal entrepreneur, Huang Ming, has already started to cooperate with the Green Tech Val-ley for new innovations.
Cluster excellence as success factorIn June, the ECO cluster was the first Austrian project to receive the “RegioStars Award” for its innovative growth. “This is another confirmation of the fact that Styria is one of the top regions for the further development of pioneering tech-nologies internationally,” says the Styrian state commissioner for economy Christian Buch-mann. The dynamic development and the in-novative energy of ECO WORLD STYRIA in the area of green technologies were named as the decisive factors resulting in receipt of the award. In Styria, this type of cooperation between the economy, research, and administration alrea-dy has a long tradition. It‘s for that reason that ECO WORLD STYRIA consciously pursues to expand the level of cooperation between com-panies and research. In the first six months of
2012, the ECO cluster management team was subjected to a detailed certification process carried out by the Euro-pean Cluster Excellence Initiative. Achieving 98 % of the possible points, the cluster management of ECO WOR-LD STYRIA demonstrates excellence at the highest level and was awarded the Gold Label of the European Cluster Excellence Initiative (ECEI). Simultaneously, ECO is the cle-ar no. 1 among the 12 Gold Labels awarded globally up to this point in time. For companies and organisations, this label provides important orientation when assessing the quality of a cluster. eco.at
300 European regions) provides the basis for further in-novations.
International reputationThese strong growth figures also appeal to the people ab-road: within the framework of the ranking of the interna-tional Cleantech group (USA) produced by Shawn Lesser in 2010, the cluster was chosen as the world’s number 1
in the area of cleantech and holds the same spot in the ranking published in 2012. The highest concentration of cleantech companies in terms of the number, turnover, contribution to the gross domestic product, and annual growth was the decisive factor. Furthermore, the pionee-ring achievement and the innovative energy of the Styrian companies were acknowledged in particular. International forward thinkers and pioneers have meanwhile become convinced ambassadors of the Green Tech Valley. “This re-gion is the hub for renewable energies and environmental technologies,” says the U.S. mastermind Jeremy Rifkin. The
Silicon Valley in the U.S. state of California is considered the heart of the IT and high-tech industries. The Silicon Valley for environmental technologies, which is characte-rised by its vibrant innovation energy, is to be found in Sty-ria, Austria – a fact shown by the international rankings.
Green innovations for 100 years100 years after the invention of the hydroelectric turbine by the Styrian Viktor Kaplan in 1912, the cut-ting-edge technologies from Styria which are conquering the world markets range from the purest wood gasification boilers through to ef-ficient material flow management. The Green Tech Valley surrounding modern-day Graz is home to approx. 180 companies and rese-arch facilities working and researching in the area of green technologies and innovations as part of the ECO WORLD STYRIA cluster. This means that the world’s highest concen-tration of leading green-tech companies can be found within a radius of a 1 hour drive in Styria.
Dynamically to the topThe growth rate of the cluster is impressive: With a rate of more than 18 % per year, the companies of the cluster are growing at nearly twice the rate of the world market. Over the course of the past 5 years, the 180 cluster companies and research facilities were able to double the turnover in the area of environment en-gineering and to increase the number of jobs by 10 % per year. 87 % of the € 3.5 billion turnover of green tech is generated through exports. Four universities and seve-ral research centres for energy and environmental en-gineering are located here. The related top position in terms of the research rate of 4,3 % (no. 2 of all approx.
Global hub for green innovations“The Sound of Music, Felix Baumgartner, Green Tech Valley”, this is how Austria is increasingly being perceived internationally as of late. In the region in and around Graz, a globally leading hub for green innovations is developing: no. 1 environment engineering location in the world, no. 1 in terms of cluster manage-ment, and the no. 2 innovative region in Europe result in this Green Tech Valley.
Gerd Gratzer (state of Styria A14), Sabine Seiler (ECO WORLD STYRIA), Luc Van den Brande (jury president), and EU commissioner Johannes Hahn at the conference of the “RegioStars Award” in Brussels.
Photos: eco.at, ressort-buchmann.steiermark.at
16 WORLD MAGAZINE
NEWS
Did You Know ?
Photos: KOS Wulff Immobilien/on3 Studio GmbH/Otto Wulff Bauunternehmung, Doppelmayr, Hochschule Bochum, realm of design
JILEKS CARTOON: V-E-HICLES VILLA MADE OF BEER BOTTLESIn Las Vegas, the world’s largest building made of recycled beer bottles was opened, the so-called “Morrow Royal Pavilion”. The factory building has approx. 10,000 m² and was built using more than half a million beer bottles – that were recycled to form a composite material called “GreenStone”. According to its builder McCombs, there is no di-scernible visual difference between GreenStone and conventional bricks. The costs for the two ma-terials are also all but identical. realmofdesign.com
AROUND THE WORLDFor the 1st time in history, a self-sufficiently powered solar vehicle, the solar scooter SolarWorld GT con-structed at the University of Bochum, is currently cir-cumnavigating the globe. The trip is intended to end in Australia in December 2012 and with 34,000 km, it would also set a new record for the longest distance covered by a solar vehicle. hochschule-bochum.de
ALGAE IN THE HOUSE WALLSIn Hamburg, the world’s 1st building with integrated bioreactor façade called “BIQ” is currently being built. Glass elements cultivate microalgae in order to generate biomass and provide heating for the interi-or. The algae facade is the 1st of its kind and is a new concept to link residential construction and biomateri-als. biq-wilhelmsburg.de
PV CHAIR LIFTThe chair lift with photovoltaic plant in the Austrian win-tersports region of Golm is the 1st of its kind globally and was realised by Illwerke vkw and Doppelmayr. A third of the required energy comes from solar energy on the roofs of the valley and mountain stations, as well as the Hüttenkopfbahn “chair lift station”. The solar elements are integrated directly into the station buildings. golm.at
