Wärmewende in Gefahr: Steiermark stoppt Solarförderungen!

Wärmewende in Gefahr: Steiermark stoppt Solarförderungen!

Steiermark, Österreich - On May 2, 2025, the heat transition in Austria stalled. The government has suspended environmental funding, in particular the solar bonus for the heating exchange and large systems in the trade. This decision has a direct impact on the industry, which has benefited from a wonderful boom in the past two years and is now facing massive challenges. According to Oekonews , the evaluation of the funding has not yet been commissioned, with results to be expected at the earliest for autumn. A restart of the heat turnaround is expected to be a long time until the end of 2025.

A partner report by the Styrian state government refers to a funding stop for environmental and residential buildings on March 31, 2025. This measure has stopped a successful solar campaign in Styria abruptly. Last year the number of new orders in this area doubled, which is now at risk.

claims from the industry

The uncertainty has caused Roger Hackstock, managing director of Austria Solar, to request quick decisions to the new government. Every week of the standstill costs thousands of jobs and millions of investments. The industry concerned, consisting of heating and solar system producers, dealers and installers, is horrified by the current situation. Companies must now dismantle the capacities that they have built up in the boom, which leads to a loss of millions of investments. At the same time, the climate goals are moving far away.

The EU pursues the goal of reducing the effects of climate change and reducing environmental and climate-damaging activities. Environmental Authority reports that the greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union were around 3 million kilotons CO₂-equivalent. The EU's reduction targets provide for a reduction in emissions by 40 % by 2030. In view of these obligations, the standstill in the Austrian heat transition could destroy progress.

long -term effects and strategies of the EU

The EU has launched numerous initiatives to advance the energy transition, including the EU Green Deals and the Repower, EU measures to accelerate the transition to clean energy. The goal of the EU is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In view of the current developments in Austria, however, it is unclear how these ambitious goals should be achieved if an important sector like that of renewable energies remain standing.

The situation in Austria shows the urgency that political decisions are made quickly. The standstill not only has economic, but also long -term climatic consequences. A quick action is imperative to not only keep the desired climate goals, but also to achieve and thus reduce the effects of climate change.