On 24 April, the AIT Energy Department celebrated the opening of its new SmartEST Laboratory and invited clients and partners to an Open House at its TechBase headquarters in Vienna. The number of visitors exceeded all expectations: some 200 guests from industry, research, politics and public administration took the opportunity to get an up-close look at the Department’s sophisticated research facilities and attend presentations on international developments in the fields of Smart Grids, Smart Cities, Photovoltaics and Renewable Heating and Cooling.
The Smart Electricity Systems and Technologies (SmartEST) Laboratory, co-sponsored by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund, provides one-of-a-kind testing and R&D infrastructure for complex analyses and performance tests on smart grid components and is set to enhance the internationally recognised Austrian research expertise in this field.
SmartEST Laboratory was officially opened by Ingolf Schädler (Deputy Director General from the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology), Theresia Vogel (Managing Director of the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund) and Brigitte Bach (Head of Energy Department, AIT).The international significance of the new research facility was underlined by the presence of Director András Siegler from the DG Research & Innovation of the European Commission.
Prominent representatives from Austrian component manufacturers and grid operators stressed the importance of state-of-the-art laboratory infrastructure for the development of new smart grid solutions and large-scale integration of renewable energies. This was also confirmed by Brigitte Bach, Head of the AIT Energy Department. “It is our primary aim to make the energy infrastructure fit for the challenges of the future and strengthen the competitiveness of Austrian industry in the future-oriented market of smart grids.”
<link fileadmin mc energy downloads ees_downloads foldersmartest_englisch.pdf download file>SmartEST Folder