Abstract
The Austrian National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) refers to spatial planning as an important instrument to achieve 2030 targets because the technical potential of renewable energy sources (RES) are closely related to the types of land use. In Austria, land use is regulated by the spatial planning laws of the nine provinces, whereby the municipalities play an important role. It was the objective of the transFORMAT project to understand the scope for action of the municipalities with regard to promoting renewable energy use, and to understand the practical implications for renewable energy projects. To this end, the consolidated versions of spatial planning laws were analyzed and supported by a software tool (transFORMAT-Analyzer) that was developed to facilitate this process and the resulting follow-up activities. Responsible administrative departments were approached for supplementary information when deemed necessary. As a conclusion, the legal instrument (municipal ordinance), called a municipal development plan or concept, represents a long-term plan for the development of the municipality with the obligation or the option for revision under specific conditions. In theory, these revision intervals could be used to better align municipal plans with the NECP. In practice, however, significant barriers exist and opportunities for improvement have been identified, leading to recommendations on how investments in renewable energy systems can be planned more realistically and, thus, more sustainably.
Highlights
A comparative summary of the spatial planning laws is presented by transFORMAT-A criterion, showing the scope of action for municipalities
The status quo with regard to the legal instrument of municipal development plans is described in detail because this is considered to be the crucial element for ensuring the link with the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) and for providing the basis for investments in renewable energy systems
The proposed approach to improve the link between the federal planning and reporting level and the local implementation level follows the example of the guidelines issued by the Austrian Institute of Construction Engineering (OIB) with the aim of harmonizing the building regulations, which falls under the responsibility of the federal provinces
Summary
The EU Governance Regulation [5]
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