Stanz+ An innovative, energy-flexible plus-energy quarter – the centre of the village Stanz

Starting point / motivation
One of the central tasks of a municipality such as Stanz / Mürztal is to increase the future viability and quality of life of the municipality through innovations in different municipal action areas and thereby stop the migration and shrinking process. The team of the e5 community of Stanz, together with committed citizens, has succeeded in creating a new village culture that is carried by the majority of the population. By including the relevant interest groups, measures are taken that make Stanz more livable and at the same time increase local value creation through sustainable energy supply and local economic management. Both are prerequisites for long-term attractiveness as a living space.

Contents and goals
The main goal is to create a “best practice” for an innovative plus energy district in the centre of a smaller community, which offers multiplicable solutions for communities with similar challenges at national and international level.

The first main goal is to increase the supply of renewable energy sources, which is currently around 30%, to 100% if possible. This is combined with multiplicable, innovative business models for the financing and flexible use of these energy sources, and a “Rural Pioneers Community” is implemented on a pilot basis. At the same time, the optimization and expansion of the local energy networks (heat and electricity) in the village centre as well as solutions for their intelligent use.
The second main goal is to revitalize the centre of the village. Through new approaches for saving space and densification, central areas for living and business are increasingly used. The reduction in energy consumption focuses on the renovation of some existing buildings and specifically the new building of the Musikverein house as part of the Stanz + demonstration project.

Methods
After an energy and building inventory and collection of the production potential of renewable energy sources in the municipal area and the neighborhood, together with the expansion and optimization of the energy networks in the center, innovative energy solutions are developed together with the integration of large storage systems, using flexibility potential. In this structurally weak community, business models and the increase in energy flexibility in the hybrid energy network are to be developed together with citizens in the “Rural Pioneers Community”. By densification via solar-oriented expansion and thermal-energetic renovation of buildings in the centre of the village, the implementation of an energy spatial plan, that is already being worked on, should be turned into practice. Measurements in the energy networks and buildings are intended to confirm the efficiency and effectiveness of the measures.

Expected results

• Establishment of a new biomass district heating and electricity network in the centre of Stanz also for the use of more energy flexibility. Integration of water and wind power and their excess electricity in the energy supply, targeted installation of photovoltaics on roof areas to increase the share of solar energy
• Planing a new Musikverein house and renovation of buildings in the centre like RAIKA-building; providing new space on a sunny slope centrally next to the village square, contrary to the trend to seal good agricultural soils in valley locations, targeted re-densification and renovation in the center of the community
• Development and implementation of new tariff structures for energy use and financing concepts for existing and new buildings as well as infrastructure in the central area of the municipality of Stanz, with the aim of a 50% reduction in CO2-emissions of the building stock
• Implementation of new models for energy generation, distribution and use as innovative examples for structurally weak communities: Participation and financing models (local energy community, citizen participation) for new products and services – “Rural Pioneers Community”