Starting in 2017, SOLID and the public utility of Mürzzuschlag developed a concept for a large-scale solar thermal plant. The new large-scale solar thermal plant on the northern outskirts of Mürzzuschlag will be built over the next 12 months and cover around 10% of the annual heat demand.

The demand for district heating has increased significantly in the Mürzzuschlag area in recent years. A solar system should supplement the already existing biomass plant (50% of the current heat demand). Consequently, the project ‘Solarthermie-Anlage Mayerhoferwiese’ was started. On the 13th of September, the public utility of Mürzzuschlag and SOLID met with the population of Mürzzuschlag in the Stadtsaal to clarify all questions and to present the new project on site. The solar plant will be funded by national Klimafonds and by the region of Styria.

The ‘e5’ municipality of Mürzzuschlag has been using district heating and renewable energies for 35 years. The new solar field is a long-term investment. It is based on the infinite availability of the sun and does not produce any CO2 emissions. Maintenance and operating costs are low, but the highly valuable contribution to a sustainable heat generation is big! The e5 program encourages Austria’s municipalities to modernize their energy and climate protection policies, to save energy and thus to save costs and to use renewable energy sources more intensively. The commitment of each individual municipality is a major contribution to climate protection in Austria, Europe and the world. Municipalities like Mürzzuschlag thus form the foundation for a global energy turnaround.