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Where sunshine creates community

Proposal code: CONSUL-2025-10-19

Marius recognises the untapped solar energy in his home village and, together with a friend, develops the idea of a village community that shares the surplus.

Marius lives in Linz, but his roots lie in a small village in the Mühlviertel region. Whenever he visits at the weekend, he is struck by how much sunshine goes unused there. His parents already operate a small photovoltaic system that regularly supplies more electricity than they need. One evening at the village festival, Marius has an idea: why should this surplus electricity simply be fed into the grid instead of being used collectively in the village? Together with an electrician friend, he begins to plan the concept of an energy community. Word of the idea soon spreads – at the baker's, at the fire station, on the football pitch. More and more neighbours join in. This not only creates clean energy from the region, but also a new sense of community. And Marius knows that when he returns one day, not only will his family be waiting for him, but also a strong community that shares energy together.

• Austrian pilot