Austria publishes map of locations with available grid capacity for PV

The Austrian government introduced the Electricity Industry and Organization Act (ElWOG) two years ago, leading to the creation of a map of locations with available grid capacity for solar. The ElWOG require grid operators to be transparent about grid-connection capacity.

Image: Screenshot, https://www.ebutilities.at/verfuegbare-netzanschlusskapazitaeten

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From pv magazine Germany

Austria's Oesterreich Energie association has developed a map of network capacity to serve as a guide for system operators.

“A critical point in the construction of renewable generation plants is the sufficient availability of network capacities on site,” explained Franz Strempfl, a spokesman from the electricity industry association, noting that the map will help to facilitate the planning and deployment of PV systems. “In this way, we create transparency throughout Austria with regard to the current utilization of substations and thus facilitate the planning of the systems. We are currently experiencing enormous dynamism in the photovoltaic sector.”

The Austrian government introduced the ElWOG two years ago, leading to the creation of the map. These provisions prompted the country's grid operators to provide clarity about their available grid-connection capacities, among other requirements.

Oesterreich Energie will update the map on a quarterly basis, by using reports from Austrian system operators. The association said that the map offers an advance overview for grid connection requests, but does not replace them. Binding grid connection commitments must still be obtained from the grid operator for PV systems.

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