Private solar power cuts electricity drawn from Styria’s grid

Electricity drawn from the public grid has fallen significantly in recent years in Styria, an Austrian province, as private photovoltaic systems and battery storage become more widespread, ORF reported.

Styria currently has around 85,000 photovoltaic systems, most of them privately owned. Installations increased sharply during the Ukraine crisis, while numerous subsidies also encouraged residents to adopt solar power.

Although households are using more electricity, their withdrawals from the grid have declined. Urs Harnik, a spokesperson for Energie Steiermark, said household electricity consumption across Styria had fallen by about 7% over the past three years. He attributed the decline to private customers using solar power directly for their own needs.

Households are also making greater use of their photovoltaic systems by adding battery storage. About one in three photovoltaic customers combined a system with storage around five years ago. That figure has now risen to eight in ten, Harnik said, allowing solar power to be used at night.

The number of storage systems is expected to increase further next year because the federal government plans new subsidies. Styria is also reviewing rules on the size of storage systems that can be installed without a building permit. The current limit is 20 megawatt-hours, and a possible increase is being considered as part of a planned legislative amendment.