Giving energy with a new meaning

Austria-wide pilot project tests new way of donating and supplies 100 families at risk of poverty with electricity free of charge. More energy donors are needed.

Energy prices have risen massively in recent years due to inflation and the inflation crisis. Households at risk of poverty are particularly affected by this. Energiegemeinschaft Österreich is now launching a pilot project in cooperation with Caritas to support those affected.

In a first step, 100 households and selected charitable institutions will be supplied with donated renewable energy. A hydroelectric power plant and numerous small and several larger photovoltaic systems will distribute at least 400,000 kilowatt hours to households and social institutions affected by poverty this year.

"In our daily Caritas work, we encounter many people who have come under massive pressure due to the price increases and are having great difficulty coping with the rise in energy costs," says Klaus Schwertner, Caritas Director of the Archdiocese of Vienna.

We are very pleased about the cooperation with Energiegemeinschaft Österreich and hope that with the support of many energy donors, as many people affected by poverty as possible can be relieved.

Caritas Carinthia and Caritas Director Ernst Sandriesser were involved in the development right from the start: People save on shopping or leisure, but energy costs are the area where the least savings can be made. The principle of donating surplus energy - from photovoltaic systems, for example - directly to those in need is an ingenious idea from initiator Matthias Nadrag, whom I have known for many years. The cooperation will help many people in Austria.

The innovative project ensures that surplus energy, e.g. from photovoltaic systems, is donated directly to people in need via a community energy association. This creates a great benefit, as the energy reaches families at risk of poverty without intermediaries and with minimal administrative effort.

The project is already in the pilot phase throughout Austria, so that photovoltaic operators everywhere can benefit by donating energy instead of paying low feed-in tariffs. Large power plant operators can also dedicate a small portion of their feed-in to a good cause.

Our goal is to distribute over 1 million kilowatt hours of electricity to those in need this year, says Matthias Nadrag, initiator of Energiegemeinschaft Österreich. "In the long term, we want to make a significant contribution to combating energy poverty in Austria."

As part of the cooperation, more families affected by poverty will gradually be included in the project so that more and more people can benefit from this sustainable initiative. Energiegemeinschaft Österreich and Caritas are thus working together for a fairer energy transition that is accessible to all.