Hydropower plants account for more than 60% of the electricity produced in Austria. Taking wind, biomass and solar into account, renewable power generation rises to more than three-quarters of the country’s total electricity production. Austria’s last coal-fired power plant closed back in 2020.

Without electricity, modern-day life would grind to a halt. To make sure this does not happen, electricity production and consumption need to be precisely balanced – throughout the entire European electricity system.

Nowadays, nearly every country in Europe works together to ensure secure electricity supplies. More than 30 countries form the integrated system, and Austria is one of them. High-voltage lines transmit electricity over large distances, and national transmission system operators (TSOs) work around the clock to ensure that the system remains in equilibrium.

Plans are in place to make the European electricity network smarter in the future. This will also bring changes to the role played by system operators. Besides operating and extending power networks, system operators are responsible for managing data flows between electricity consumers, traders and generators, as well as storage facility operators.

Turning off lights when they aren’t needed, programming a timer for your heating system, turning off devices instead of leaving them in standby mode: there are so many ways that we can save energy. People in every household need to think about what activities make sense and where they are appropriate. By taking the right steps, energy-efficient households not only make a contribution to safeguarding the environment and the climate; they can also reap financial rewards.

Electricity customers have been able to freely choose their supplier since Europe’s electricity markets were liberalised around the turn of the millennium. But this doesn’t mean that consumers can choose to be supplied exclusively with wind power or electricity generated in a particular region.

Of all the factors that will drive the shift towards renewables, transportation is one of the most important. If we can cut energy consumption in this area and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels at the same time, the benefits will be huge. This involves substituting petrol and diesel with electricity – e-mobility is the key.

Although they are harmful for our climate, energy sources derived from natural gas and oil are still the most widely used fuels for heating and transportation. Renewable electricity will have to be put to use in those sectors in order to decarbonise them, making them carbon-free and climate-neutral.