Students:Day 4

It´s been a very cold and rainy day today. The temperature was/is only 12 degrees Celsius. Yet the programme was really interesting. We went to Gleisdorf - the Solar City - where we listened to a very long yet interesting speech of 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 the electric car being charged.

Students get an explanation of the latest in solar panels

The second part of the excursion was about biomass. We went inside where we had the opportunity to explore the heating system of the company, which operates on biofuel. 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. Two generators are capable of meeting the needs of the enterprise. Moreover, the company also sells biological 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.

More images: Day Four Photos

In the afternoon we were in very beautiful hotel with own brewery. This company called Steirisch Ursprung. The entrepreneur Walter Neuwirth was very kindly man and he was very motivate for his job. He want to support local production and producers of this region. He is using the solar energy for his brewery. Another product is honey. He provides hotel, wellnes, experience.