A wind farm in the mountains of southern Austria, one of the latest innovative renewable energy projects supported by the EU, began operations, the European Commission (EC) announced on Tuesday.
Windpark Handalm will produce enough electricity for 21,000 homes, saving 46,000 tonnes of CO2 per year – the equivalent of taking 8,000 cars off the road.
Handalm, consisting of 13 windmills at an average altitude of 1,800 meters, will produce around 76 megawatt-hours of electricity a year, while showcasing a range of innovative technologies designed specifically for the high-altitude location, the Commission said.
The project, launched ahead of schedule on Oct. 24, will also demonstrate the applicability of the technologies for larger-scale wind farms in the special wind and site conditions of mountainous areas.
The Handalm investment, totaling €58 million, was aided by an €11.3 million grant from the NER 300 program, which supports the development of innovative low-carbon technologies and is funded entirely through the sale of emissions allowances under the EU's emissions trading scheme (EU ETS).
Supporting the development and implementation of innovative low-carbon technologies is an important part of the EU's strategy, the EC highlighted, to ensure the achievement of its climate change objectives as committed to under the global Paris Agreement.
(Anadolu Agency)
