Climate-Neutral Alliance Rossau
Working Together on the Neighborhood's Energy Future
At the end of September, the KLARA project—the Climate-Neutral Rossau Alliance—was submitted for funding. The project focuses on data, collaboration, and technical solutions.
Project Partners
Participants in the project include the City of Innsbruck, through its Climate-Neutral City Office (project lead); Innsbrucker Kommunalbetriebe AG; the Rossau Neighborhood Management Office of the “ Innsbruck Marketing GmbH ”; the Tyrol Energy Agency; the Management Center Innsbruck; and the University of Innsbruck. The INNERGY real-world laboratory is participating as an associate partner at no cost.
Project Status and Duration
KLARA was submitted as a pilot project for funding. A funding decision is expected to be made in December 2026. If funding is approved, the project is scheduled to run for 18 months. The project is set to run from April 1, 2027, to September 30, 2028.
The Role of the Rossau Neighborhood Management Program
The Rossau Neighborhood Management team plays a coordinating, communicative, and facilitating role in the project. It engages businesses and neighboring communities and fosters dialogue and collaboration.
Why do we need KLARA?
With approximately 160 hectares, more than 1,000 businesses, and about 13,000 employees, Rossau is the largest industrial park in western Austria. Currently, renewable energy infrastructure is limited, so companies inevitably think and act in terms of isolated solutions; there is a lack of networked concepts for heat generation and waste heat recovery, cooling supply, and cooperative energy systems.
The Rossau Inventory. Topic: Energy.
Graphic: © Raumposition OG
What is KLARA all about?
KLARA is pursuing an integrated approach toward an integrated neighborhood energy concept. Existing data on energy consumption, energy generation, buildings, the urban climate, and renewable energy potential are being analyzed. At the same time, the project is examining how data can be consolidated in a legally compliant manner and how existing gaps can be closed.
Another focus is on collaboration within the neighborhood. Companies, energy providers, city administration, research institutions, and other stakeholders are to develop appropriate cooperation and decision-making models. These are intended to facilitate the planning and subsequent implementation of joint measures.
At the technical level, potential neighborhood solutions are being evaluated. These include passive energy networks, the use of waste heat, shared electricity storage systems, new forms of energy communities, and cross-sector energy and load management systems. The technical, organizational, and economic feasibility of these solutions is being assessed.
The participation of stakeholders in the Rossau business district is a central component of the project. Through the “KLARA Speaks” dialogue format, the perspectives and needs of businesses, employees, and residents of neighboring neighborhoods will be gathered. The results will be incorporated into the evaluation of technical solutions and the development of a joint transformation model.
Findings from the three areas will be continuously consolidated to identify interactions, interfaces, and conflicting objectives. The resulting transformation model will serve as the foundation for a future neighborhood energy plan as well as for further research, development, and implementation projects.