Energy Transition of the Heating Sector in Lower Austria

the aim of this work is to assess the energy transition and decarbonization of the heat demand and supply in the residential and service sector of the Austrian state Lower Austria for urban and rural areas up to 2050 by incorporating the contribution of flexibility options, i.e., sector coupling, demand side management (DSM) and storage technologies. For this purpose, the heat Lower Austria TIMES (HLA-Times) energy model was developed. The results show that decarbonization of the heating sector in Lower Austria is possible in 2040 being the use of fossil fuel already marginal in 2035. The use of biomass and the impact of sector coupling (heat pumps and CHP) will be fundamental.