What may seem utopian to many, has become a reality in Güssing. This small city in southern Austria has returned once depressed the path of economic life producing 100% of its energy with solar and biomass.
In the late ’80s was one of the poorest regions in Austria due to outdated economy based on agriculture, population declines close to 30%. To create jobs, it was decided to establish a concept of development based on harnessing renewable energy sources available home in the same municipality in place of fossil fuels.
Including transport, energy requirements per household amounted to 3,500 € / year, representing a whopping 35 million € / year for nearly 10,000 homes in the city and surroundings (Güssing has 4400 inhabitants). But there was an extremely abundant resource in the area and hardly used: the biomass available in over 45,000 hectares.
Then were evaluated energy consumption and savings potential, and it all started in 1991 with the production of rapeseed-based biodiesel and a remote heating network based on biomass. Thus Güssing solved its supply of thermal energy and fuel, but missing the third leg: electricity, so it was decided to establish a biomass power plant.
In 2001 he devised a revolutionary new type of plant with which enable the decentralization of electricity through a gasification process. This process allows not only high energy output, but also can simultaneously generate electricity and heat.
Creating more than 1,000 jobs
The concept of sustainable development established in this region, along with the 35% reduction in energy prices, has attracted over 50 companies, creating 1,000 jobs, of which 140 are directly related to energy. Also, are visited by thousands of people every month, especially experts and students, who go there to see with their own eyes what is happening.
This example is spreading. The Burgenland region, which has 280,000 inhabitants has decided to be 100% renewable in 2013 following the same pattern.
That sets an example
Again, an example of sustainable regional development and self-sufficient. To me automatically comes to my head a country like Spain, where agriculture is becoming less viable and competitive, but the energy is a increasingly expensive and scarce. Güssing is another demonstration of the feasibility of economic progress with the development environment.
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