From April 2024, it will be possible to participate in up to 5 energy communities in Austria – regardless of whether it is a community generation plant (GEA), a local or regional energy community (EEG) or citizen energy communities (BEG).
The so-called participation factor is particularly important here. This determines the respective percentage share of consumption or generation of the plants participating in the individual communities. The individual breakdowns can be chosen as desired, the only important thing is that the total must not exceed 100%.
The advantages of multiple participation vary:
For producers, it means supplying several energy communities with their generation plant, which can lead to increased sales.
It could be possible for consumers to have access to a greater variety of generation technologies. For example, a lot of PV energy could be available in the regional energy community and this could be supplemented by wind or hydropower through simultaneous participation in a citizens’ energy community, which could increase the overall supply level.
Further information on this topic can be found on the website of the Coordination Office for Energy Communities:
