Socio-technical support model - energy vision Murau

Status

ongoing

Background

Murau as a traditional Austrian rural region has started a few years ago with a regional process of development ("Energievision Murau") by the technical accompaniment of the Energieagentur and by the social accompaniment of Wallner & Schauer. The outcome of this process is characterised by a lot of positive results for the regional energy system and is honoured by many awards ("Energy Globe", "Energy regions of tomorrow").

Goals

The Goal of our project is the creation of a support model for a good performance in realizing "energy systems of tomorrow" which is characterised by a simultaneous technical and social accompaniment to manage a broad participation of local and regional actors. We talk about a socio-technical support model that will be based on realised activities in Murau and will be developed for a broader practice in similar regions.

Benefit and results

The results are expected on two levels, internal and external, because this project includes an intensive cooperation with local and regional actors:

• External results addressed to the research program "Energiesysteme der Zukunft": In this project we will create the socio-technical support model for a good performance in realizing sustainable total energy solutions. This support model will be described in a manual addressed to energy agencies and regional managements for development and similar organisations which are responsible for the topic of energy to afford a broader realization in other regions of Austria with similar requirements like Murau.
• Internal results: Murau will be encouraged as a regional model and will get many new accesses to and solutions in using renewable energy by appliance a socio-technical support model. For example we will advance cooperation of the regional actors in arranged energy-meetings with a big group of participants and in working groups. It also will be possible to create new forms of cooperation and to prepare the realization of new power stations and of new offers for the region. Furthermore we will advance the power of self-organization by this special support model.

This socio-technical support model will encourage that economically underdeveloped regions have got the chance to realize a regional model which brings success.

Project leader

DI Josef Bärnthaler
Energieagentur Obersteiermark
Kaserngasse 22, A - 8750 Judenburg
Tel.: +43 (0) 3572/44670-0
E-Mail: josef.baernthaler@ainet.at
Internet: Energieagentur Obersteiermark

Project partners

• Wallner&Schauer Beratung und Forschung für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung GmbH
• AQUILA, Organisationsberatung und Coaching