Country policy profile - Austria. October 2014

Renewable energy policy in Austria exists on three levels: the Federal level, the regional level of the provinces (Bundeslaender) and the local level of municipalities. In Austria, electricity from renewable sources is supported mainly through a feed-in tariff. Since 2002, the Eco Electricity Act (Oekostromgesetz) sets feed-in tariffs for different renewable energy sources. The levels of feed-in tariffs are annually adapted and set in the Eco Electricity Ordinance (Oekostromverordnung). No use is made of any other instruments, such as quotas or certificates. Feed-in tariffs are basically set in annual regulations and may be set for several years. There is a special annual reduction in the feed-in tariff (8 %) for photovoltaic systems. Unless new tariffs are set, the feed-in tariff is reduced by 1 % per annum for all other technologies. Measures in individual provinces (investment funds and support programmes on state level) most notably in the renewable heat sectors are further important support schemes. The most substantial form of supporting small-scale RES heating and cooling is provided by the Environmental Assistance in Austria (UFI) programme. There are special investment incentives for solar thermal installations, heat pumps, geothermal and biomass heating plants. In Austria, the main support scheme for renewable energy sources used in transport is a quota system