A presentation meeting with Austrian colleagues was held today at the Lviv City Council. The event was organized within the framework of the “Partnership for Ukraine” program, implemented by the Czech organization Nadace Partnerství.
The visit’s goal was to establish cooperation between Ukrainian and Austrian communities and to exchange practices in sustainable local development, energy transformation, and digital innovation.
Fritz Pichler, former Mayor of the municipality of Stanz im Mürztal, and sociologist Rainer Rosegger presented their experience in developing rural areas through the “Smart Village” model and the creation of energy communities. These initiatives allow residents, communities, and businesses to jointly produce, exchange, and use renewable energy. The Austrian “Smart Village” model is based on community participation, energy efficiency, digitalization, and mutual trust among residents, businesses, and authorities.
Fritz Pichler shared the story of the transformation of the Stanz im Mürztal community, which, since 2015, has progressed from a small village to a pilot Smart Village project. The foundation of this process was the active participation of residents who, together with the municipality and local entrepreneurs, developed social, economic, and energy initiatives. One of the key focuses was the energy transition, within which the community established its own Stanzertal Energy Community.
Sociologist Rainer Rosegger explained that this community currently unites over 70 participants, including households, municipal buildings, enterprises, and farmers. They collectively produce energy from renewable sources—solar, biomass, hydro, and wind power—and exchange it within a local energy grid. Participants not only reduce costs but also gain a sense of energy independence and social cohesion.
Special attention was given to digital innovations—the use of technology for real-time energy consumption management, and the implementation of a local “energy currency” (Stanz Token), which stimulates the community’s economy. The Austrian experts emphasized that energy communities are not just about technology but primarily about trust, participation, and partnership.
Representatives of the Lviv agglomeration communities were present at the meeting, for whom this experience became an important example of how even small settlements can achieve a high level of sustainability, energy efficiency, and cohesion. The discussion sparked significant interest, as similar initiatives could become highly relevant for Ukrainian territorial communities in the process of reconstruction and development.
Thanks to such meetings, an international network of partnerships is being formed, which facilitates knowledge exchange, supports local initiatives, and creates conditions for implementing modern solutions in the communities of the Lviv agglomeration.
