Technology hotspot
Off to Green Tech Valley
December 1, 2023, 12:01 a.m
Do you know the Green Tech Valley in southern Austria? The “Green Deal” is already an economic reality in Carinthia – with numerous advantages for companies.
Over a hundred years ago, Viktor Kaplan, an inventor from the South Austrian Green Tech Valley, invented the modern hydropower turbine. Today, every fifth kilowatt hour of green electricity generated globally is generated using technologies from southern Austria.
Measured against Carinthia’s economic power, there is a strong concentration in the green tech sector, which offers the business location an excellent starting position in the green transformation – and which is also highly interesting for German companies. “Green pioneering work is being done in Carinthia,” says Bernhard Puttinger, managing director of the Green Tech Valley Cluster.
Green business network
The Green Tech Valley brings together the expertise of around 300 green tech entrepreneurs in one place. 20 global technology leaders and more than 120 green start-ups work closely alongside and, above all, with each other. In doing so, they draw on the know-how of their direct neighbors, who have been reducing emissions for decades or who have used funding to make buildings and fleets fit for the future. “The density of green technology leaders and the strong culture of cooperation have probably also contributed to the fact that the cluster companies have grown significantly faster in the last ten years compared to the global markets,” says Puttinger.
Among the innovative Carinthian players are industry leaders such as Treibacher Industrie, Lindner Recyclingtech, the PV specialist Sonnenkraft and go-e, the whiz kid for electric vehicle charging stations from Feldkirchen. Thanks to their innovative strength, these companies strengthen the international profile of the Green Tech Valley. “Austria and the Green Tech Valley are currently among the top three in the EU Eco-Innovation Index. International rankings even list this ecosystem as number one,” reports Bernhard Puttinger. On the Green Tech Valley website – greentech.at – anyone interested can find over 600 green tech solutions and innovations for a green future at a glance.
Online tool for the path to Mission Zero CO₂
Non-resident companies also benefit from the innovative spirit of the Green Tech Valley: Anyone who wants to start the green transition in their own company is supported by the “Green Transformation Cards” from the Green Tech Valley. In a playful way as a set of cards and as an online tool, the toolbox provides answers to questions such as “How do I create a greenhouse gas balance?”, “How do I integrate suppliers into a ‘green’ supply chain?” or “How can I make operational mobility climate-neutral?” The Green Tech Valley is thus hitting a nerve, as Puttinger explains: “More than 5,000 card sets are already being used in companies and by consultants in over 20 countries to develop coordinated solutions in companies. Due to the great international demand, the maps and the online tool are now also available in English.”
And the success of the Valley is set to continue: with the opening of an office in Klagenfurt in the summer, another cross-border Styrian-Carinthian platform was created for the exchange of knowledge and ideas as well as for collaboration between companies, start-ups, research institutions and other players in the field Green tech sector. “The Carinthian location will contribute to strengthening the regional innovative strength and help to further expand the position of the Green Tech Valley as a leading technology hotspot,” says Bernhard Puttinger, looking confidently into the future.
Further information can be found at the following links:
Location marketing Carinthia: carinthia.com/de
Information on the green pole position for Carinthia’s economy: carinthia.com/de/wirtschaft-technologie/karnten-as-green-economy-forerunners-of-europe/