Students:Day 4

It was a very cold and rainy day today. The temperature was only 12 degrees Celsius. But the programme was nevertheless really interesting. We went to Gleisdorf - the Solar City - where we listened to a very long yet interesting speech from a man from the energy company Feistritzwerke STEWEAG GmbH, feeding our heads with many numbers which made us totally confused. Then, also outside in the freezing cold he showed us various types of photovoltaic panels, discussing the prices, warranties, lifespans etc. We could also walk through The Solar Street and watch an electric car being charged.

The second part of the visit was about biomass. We went inside the building where we had the opportunity to explore the heating system of the company, which operates on biofuel made primary from rape seed. Different plants and seeds that can be used to produce fuel were also exhibited in this section. The company uses mostly colza oil bought on the stock market in Leipzig. Two generators are capable of meeting the needs of the enterprise. Moreover, the company also sells bio fuel at a pump placed at the side of the building. It provides an opportunity for people to run their cars in a more sustainable way by reducing their CO2 emissions.

In the afternoon we were visited the village of Brodingberg and a beautiful hotel with its own solar-panel-powered brewery and beekeeping operation for producing honey flavoured beer. This company is called Steirisch Ursprung. The entrepreneur Walter Neuwirth was a very nic man and he was clearly very motivated in his work. He wants to support local production and producers of this region. He aims to provide customers with an authentic experience of how life may have been like for guest house clients in the Middle Ages by accommodating them in small but very homely rooms fully decorated in timber and boasting old style beds with straw mattresses. The guest house experience also included a beer spa.

More images: Day Four Photos