Austrian company launched a solar energy sharing app

Energie AG has made it easier for people producing solar power to feed it back into the grid and set their own price

The Austrian company Energie AG rolled out a new technology, helping to create clean energy sharing communities across Upper Austria, where the company is based. They announced the launch of Renewable Energy Communities (EEGs) on Friday, 9 July, basing the idea around sharing excess electricity produced by solar installations through an app called ‘E-Fairteiler’.

Energie AG Oberösterreich is not new to the game and they are not a startup. Instead, they are a very old company, making use of new tech to provide a better service, with an emphasis on sustainability. Founded at the end of the 19th century, the company is a provider of electricity, gas, heat, water as well as waste disposal and ICT services. Currently, they operate in Upper Austria and the Czech Republic.

A simple concept, giving a lot of freedom to consumers

EEGs implement a relatively simple concept: people who have photovoltaic systems installed on their property sometimes produce excess electricity. Now, via the ‘E-Fairteiler’ app developed by Energy AG, they will be able to sell that energy to other interested parties.

What the company will provide is the transfer of the energy on the grid and the app, essentially becoming an intermediary between net consumers and net producers. At the same time, the people producing the energy will be able to set their own prices.

Energy State Councilor Markus Achleitner
and General Director of Energie AG Werner Steinecker,
Source: © Energie AG / Wakolbinger

Furthermore, the app will allow solar power producers to set up sort of ‘communities’ where they invite others to join and set the price for their excess electricity. Customers who join the group can then purchase electricity at the stated price. Energie AG takes over the billing.

If the sun does not shine and no electricity is available in the group, Energie AG steps in and charges the standard price. The only requirement for buying and selling is a “smart meter” that digitally records electricity consumption.

Increasing the availability of renewable energy tenfold

Provincial Councilor Achleitner stated in a press release for Energie AG that Upper Austria is the number one producer of solar power in the whole country. Last year alone, photovoltaic systems capable of producing 93 megawatts/hours of electricity were installed in the state. This accounts for 25% of the growth in renewable sources in all of Austria.

He continued: “This corresponds to a new photovoltaic system every 65 minutes on every working day (around the clock) of the year. There are currently around 35,000 PV systems in Upper Austria that produce the electricity consumption of over 100,000 households each year. ”

The company and the state government hope that this renewable energy sharing app will help grow the sector tenfold by the year 2030.