Policy Brief: Energy Radically Changed. The "Low" Structures: Emissions, Energy and Grids

"Energy radically changed" is the second Policy Brief that aims at a comprehensive understanding of the Austrian energy system. Based on a new mindset potential future structures of the energy system are outlined. Over the last ten years Austria put a focus on renewables but to a much lesser extent on an improvement in energy productivity. This strategy however will not allow to achieve ambitious goals for 2030 and 2050. The future of the energy system cannot be forecasted for the long run (as is also true for GDP values and energy prices) but can be shaped by innovations for the individual components as well as their integration (like buildings that could become part of the infrastructure of a locally integrated energy system). It seems more likely to assess functionalities as benefit of energy use that is tied to thermal, mechanical, and specific electric energy services and to demonstrate how available application and transformation technologies impact energy demand and energy mix.