Wien Energie has reviewed its performance for the year 2024 and reports an accelerated pace of expansion for alternative energies in the Austrian capital. While hundreds of thousands of households are still reliant on gas for heating and cooking, Wien Energie is Austria’s largest operator of photovoltaic systems, with 480 installations. The company also achieved record growth in wind power and launched a new hydropower plant. The portfolio will continue to expand.
“To make our city climate-neutral by 2040, we are continuously increasing the pace of renewable energy expansion,” said responsible city councilor Peter Hanke (SPÖ). Through the city’s solar power initiative, every suitable building owned by the City of Vienna will “gradually receive a solar power plant – such as the roofs of Vienna’s municipal housing or the façade of the new office tower at AKH.”
“In 2024, we expanded our renewable energy portfolio more than ever before,” emphasized Hanke in a statement. Currently, Wien Energie’s facilities generate green electricity for around 770,000 households in Vienna.
“With a record expansion of photovoltaic energy and a 50% increase in wind power by 2026, we have taken significant steps in the last 12 months,” said Wien Energie CEO Michael Strebl. “In total, we are investing one billion euros in the expansion of renewable energy by 2029,” added Strebl, who is also the chairman of Wien Energie’s management. The renewable energy portfolio will continue to grow in all sub-sectors.
55 Photovoltaic Systems Implemented Last Year
Last year alone, Wien Energie implemented 55 photovoltaic systems, 39 of which were located in Vienna, with a total capacity of over 41 megawatts. This was 20% more than the previous record year, 2023. With additional systems going online in the first half of 2025, the company will have a total capacity of about 200 megawatts. About half of the total capacity has been achieved in the last three years.
Among the new installations are several showcase projects. In Leopoldstadt, one such project combines green electricity with tradition: a photovoltaic system and its own storage system make the Karmelitermarkt the first energy-autonomous market in Europe. In the event of a power outage, the market office building is also supplied autonomously with electricity for several hours.
The photovoltaic system of the new office building at the AKH Wien (Vienna General Hospital) shows that not only rooftops but also the facades of skyscrapers can be modern power producers. A total of 12,000-kilogram heavy modules were mounted vertically on a special base structure. The electricity directly powers the office tower, saving around 15,000 kg of CO2 annually.
Hydropower and Wind Energy
Together with the city, Wien Energie is also focusing on hydropower. The portfolio includes 25 hydropower plants in Austria and 50 more in neighboring countries. The company also holds stakes in major Danube hydropower plants.
In Ebreichsdorf, Lower Austria, Wien Energie is currently building one of its most powerful wind farms. A total of nine wind turbines with a combined output of 31 megawatts will supply electricity to around 20,000 households.
In addition to its own developments, Wien Energie is also expanding its portfolio through the acquisition of plants. With the purchase of two wind farms and a solar park from the ImWind group in Lower Austria and Burgenland, Austria’s largest energy supplier will increase its wind power capacity by another 50% by 2026, bringing the total to 126 wind farms.
