Solar powered Mobility
South Carinthia / Karawanks, Austria
PROJECT TEAM & PARTNERS
- Regional Management Carinthia (RMK - project owner)
- Tourism agency Klopeiner See / South Carinthia
- Alliance Region South Carinthia / Karawanks (co-operation of 7 municipalities to attain the goals of Alpine Convention)
- Ministry of Agriculture
- Archi Noah - Consultant; Eurosolar Kärnten
- Nature Park Logarska dolina (Slo)
- Chamber of Commerce
- Kärntner Linien (public transport ass.);
CONTRACT VALUE - 90.000
FUNDING - National, municipalities, private (Mava-Stiftung Basel (CH) - Dynalp2 Program)
TIMESCALE - 18 months
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
First phase:
- Purchasing an e-car (Citroen Saxo);
- Installing a photovoltaic (pv) -plant;
- Two public e-power stations and
- Public relations to increase public awareness
Second phase:
- Regional and cross border concept of e-mobility (e-bicycles combined with recommended tours to protected areas, change scenarios and calculation for private car owners and co-operation with public transport association;
- Additional PV plant to produce exclusive sustainable electric power for the regional (short term) demand.
Key objectives:
- Own experience in running an e-car (costs, adaptability etc.);
- to increase public awareness, to install first public photovoltaic power plant for the sustainable process and to install public power (filling) stations;
- to inform regional inhabitants, to increase awareness also at political and commercial level;
- Regional traffic concept based on e-mobility and strictly linked with public transport;
- Additional purchasing of e-vehicles (bicycles, scooter and e-car) with use concepts.
Outcomes:
2 e-cars running ; 2 pv-plants installed; 12 e-bicycles are
running; strong co-operation between project partners; public
awareness increases; several installations of e-filling stations;
map of bike-tours connecting protected areas; several publications;
follow-up projects; e-powered car race through the region; several
discussions and presentations; national and international
network;
The project gave a relevant impulse for additional initiatives (done by Chamber of Commerce, Government, and Regional management); until end of the year 2009 each municipality should install a public e-filling station (definition by the government, 2008).
CHALLENGES FACED
- Finding e-cars: co-operation with Eurosolar Kärnten was important because of their contacts and know how.
- Feeding in-tariffs for pv-power - in Austria still not solved
- Discussion on "who was first" with the idea and activities - causes some additional meetings; the solution could be found in co-operation, acting in concert; but still not everyone is willing to co-operate (normal).
- The belief in a practicable and attractive use of e-bicycles - after an public hardness test everyone (municipalities, media and tourism) were inspired.
LESSONS LEARNT & APPLICABILITY IN OTHER SITUATIONS
Lessons learnt:
- Arguments of automotive industry are definitely wrong.
- The needs of customers must be defined in detail (distances, lifetime etc.) it was also discovered that information is still influenced by old and strong lobbies
- No actual e-car market.
- Additional electricity must be generated by renewable energy sources.
- E-mobility forces public transport.
- Success depends upon political willingness (at least on regional level).
- Wind power sources not relevant for Carinthia (on a big scaleseveral presentations and networks were done: Germany, Swiss, Vienna, Lichtenstein, Slovenia, France, Alliance in the Alps;
- Contacts to national and international activities (Better Place, Vlotte).
PRIZES WON
The project won a sustainable Tourism Prize - announced by the
France Environment Ministry (March 2009).
Follow up-project: out of the first experiences a more detailed and
broader (EU-connected) project is started with 15 municipalities
all over Carinthia and companies are integrated.
LEGISLATION
- Traffic regulations (e-cars parking place and access road).
- Construction regulations (pv-plants).
- Vehicle expertise (government).
INNOVATIVE PRACTICE
Innovative practice could be seen in the integrated approach through the:
- use of electrical vehicles running with renewable energies in combination with the public transport system; and
- awareness was trained by an official hardness test of e-bikes and by focusing regional natural advantages (protected areas).
- Network and partnership: all levels were integrated.
CONTACT DETAILS
Peter Plaimer, RMK
peter.plaimer@rmk.co.at; +43
(0)664 5026257