Austrian wind industry body picks renewables veteran as new leader

Austrian wind industry body picks renewables veteran as new leader | Windpower Monthly

The incoming managing director of the Austrian wind energy association called for the country to keep pace with leading markets ahead of taking the organisation’s top job in October.

Florian Maringer is due to take over as managing director of IG Windkraft in October. He will replace Stefan Moidl, who left the organisation in June after 14 years as managing director.

Maringer has had a long career in Austrian renewables, including founding a community wind power group and working as an advisor on energy economics and technology at IG Windkraft between 2011 and 2018.

He then became CEO of the Austrian Renewable Energy Association between 2018 and 2020, and served as a policy advisor to the Austrian energy minister between 2020 and 2023.

Most recently he set up the Austrian climate institute Kontext.

Austria is seeking to further expand its wind power fleet, and earlier this year raised both the maximum prices and the capacity on offer for wind power tenders planned for this year and next.

The country is targeting 100% green electricity production by 2030 under the Renewable Deployment Act, which among other measures promotes community ownership of new renewable energy developments.

Maringer said: "The energy transition has picked up enormous speed worldwide and can no longer be stopped – that is the good news. Austria is now faced with the challenge of not losing touch with the world leaders and of exploiting the pioneering work in wind power to create security and prosperity.”

Austria has 3.9GW of operational wind power capacity, according to Windpower Intelligence, the research and data division of Windpower Monthly. It has the 16th largest wind power fleet in Europe.