The market town of Altmünster is one of the first local authorities in Upper Austria to have devised a comprehensive municipal climate strategy. A central area of action within this is the transition of heat supply to renewable energy sources. The municipality is currently weighing up the option of a geothermal heating network, which also includes investigating whether it can harness heat from the Traunsee lake.
The current climate balance clearly shows that phasing out fossil fuel heating systems is one of the most important tasks for Altmünster. Many of its homes and public buildings still use gas. As part of the work done on its climate neutrality roadmap, the town council therefore analysed various scenarios for achieving a sustainable heating supply. Whilst a local heating network could prove economically viable in the city centre, individual heat pump systems are regarded as a potential alternative in other parts of the market town.
“We’re keen to sound out the potential for a future local heating network in Altmünster as part of a research and implementation project,” explains Alexander Strobl from the Environmental Department, lead on the “pioneering city” project. “This also includes establishing whether lake heat from the Traunsee can be used to heat buildings.”
Progress in renewable electricity
In recent years, Altmünster has achieved a great deal in terms of clean electricity and has done much to drive forward the expansion of solar power. With an installed capacity of some 459 kWp, the city of 10,000 can cover a significant proportion of its local electricity needs itself. The market town belongs to an energy community together with four of its neighbouring municipalities in Upper Austria. Nearly 300 households are already members of this network and are able to use and share renewable electricity across municipality boundaries.
Focusing on e-mobility and storage systems
At the same time, the municipality is also working on another project for the future, namely developing an integrated energy system. The focus here is on coming up with a smart way to link charging infrastructure for electric vehicles with energy storage systems so that surplus electricity from the PV systems can be stored temporarily and fed into the grid to support it when needed. The long-term objective is to develop a charging and storage infrastructure with intelligent control, a project that would also involve the energy community. Various models, including some with focus on civic participation, are being explored to secure funding.
klimaneutralestadt.at/en/projects/pioneer-cities/altmuenster-2040.php
