Policy Challenges – insights from Åland

One of the biggest barriers for our Ollerdorf pilot is that the Austrian legal framework is full of overlapping policy, which while not directly related, intersect with the energy sector without meaning to – labor, household, traffic laws. There is always unforeseen friction which will not be smoothed over without commitment from lawmakers.

In their estimation, there should be consequences if transition KPIs are not reached – without sanctions for those who drag their feet, they will never be reached. Participation needs to be much higher and the burden needs to be shared – 20% cannot provide for a hundred percent of the grid.

Ispaster has had a hard time manoeuvring around the local utility company – their energy sharing is limited and they can only have one focus point.

The project has undergone a number of changes and maintaining support has been challenging. However, the municipality has stepped in to help with the legal side of the operation, planning, and keeping citizens engaged.

People want to know how long a project will take and how much it will cost. It is hard to gather support for a plan that keeps changing.

Their takeaway for other communities looking to set up their own energy community is : to get the municipality on board and try to get started on one small project to get their foot on the door – then take it from there.