Reallabor Weiz^plus - Reallabor climate-neutral region Weiz^plus

In the one-year exploratory project, the establishment of a living lab for the energy transition was discussed with the involvement of the regional innovation ecosystem, with the aim of supplying the region as much as possible with 100% renewable energies by 2030. The most important questions that need to be clarified for a future living lab concern the involvement of the regional actors with clear roles and tasks, the focus of the content, the concrete service portfolio, the set-up and structure as well as the legal form and financing of the living lab.

The content-related technological focus of the activities of the future living lab is on all energy-relevant sectors (heating, electricity, cooling) applied to the focal points of energy efficiency and replacement of fossil energy in buildings, in industry and commerce as well as mobility - viewed integratively with the cross-cutting issues of "sector coupling", "energy planning" and "agricultural and forestry energy production". Research-oriented lighthouse projects, methods and results are prepared and made visible in such a way that they can be optimally transferred and disseminated through many other implementation projects.

The aspect of joint and regional financing of innovation and investment projects is addressed overarchingly and explicitly as a key success factor for faster implementation of the energy transition. Through innovative third-party financing and capital raising models (citizen participation, crowd financing and bonds), (regionally) available resources and funds are to be used for the region and investment flows are to be steered towards regional energy systems, as well as regional jobs created through the energy transition. Additional financing via local CO₂ compensation opportunities is to be developed.

The living lab promotes the opening up of innovation processes and thus better networking of actors at different levels of action, greater involvement of end users and stakeholders as well as co-creative processes for the development, testing and faster implementation of solutions.
As a result of the exploratory work, an overall concept for a future Weiz^plus living lab was developed, which is seen as an important instrument for substantially accelerating the energy transition at all levels. It sees itself as a platform with a clear mandate to advance the energy transition in the region and to set the course for the transformation of the energy system. A new company (e.g. cooperative) is to be founded to support this platform and the real laboratory. Together with its stakeholders in and from the region, the "Reallabor Weiz^plus" will develop the sectors of electricity, heat and mobility with decentralised, regional and networked renewable energy sources towards climate neutrality by 2030+. The "big picture" of all current consumption and potentials as well as a completely decarbonised regional energy system created for the Weiz^plus region forms the basis for the development and prioritisation or selection of concrete measures.

Project management

StadtLABOR Innovationen für urbane Lebensqualität GmbH, Mag. Barbara hammerl

Project or cooperation partners

• AEE Institut für Nachhaltige Technologien
• REENAG Holding GmbH
• Green Tech Cluster
• Energieagentur Steiermark GmbH

StadtLABOR Innovationen für urbane Lebensqualität GmbH
Griesgasse 40
A-8020 Graz
Tel.: +43 (316) 22 89 46
E-mail: office@stadtlaborgraz.at
Web: www.stadtlaborgraz.at