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How CO₂ can be used as a raw material in future industrial processes was the central topic of the NEFI Technology Talk “CO₂ as a Resource – Technologies and Opportunities”, held on October 16^th, 2025, at the Technical University of Leoben. Researchers, industry representatives, and funding institutions discussed current developments, challenges, and future perspectives. The Climate and Energy Fund also presented new funding programmes and provided valuable impulses for the development of innovative projects.

With the current RTI initiative “Transformation of Industry”, the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund – endowed with resources from the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI) – is providing 60 million euros to support Austrian companies in the development and implementation of climate-neutral solutions and cutting-edge technologies.

On 11 September 2025, the NEFI Technology Talk with a plant tour, titled “Hydrogen in Industry in Practice”, took place at Innio Jenbacher in Tyrol. In Jenbach, hydrogen-powered combined heat and power plants are being implemented as a showcase project for a CO₂-neutral energy supply in an industrial facility.

The ADC Pilot Factory project explores a new paradigm for industrial energy supply by introducing flexible and scalable direct current (DC) grids in manufacturing. At the core of this innovation is the use of electric vehicle (EV) fleets as modular, bi-directional storage systems, transforming them into active components of industrial energy management.

On June 11^th, 2025, the consortium of the NEFI project envIoTcast invited participants to Braunau am Inn for a demonstration of the project’s results. Attendees were given fascinating insights on site into the progress towards the Green Foundry 4.0.
Following the opening session at LKR Ranshofen, the programme continued at the Demo Factory, where a live casting show vividly illustrated how modern foundry technologies – from an AR simulator and preheating furnace to an automated die-casting system – are working together to enhance energy efficiency and sustainability.

We need more energy in the future but less CO₂. Direct current aims to make both possible.

By 2030, global energy demand will increase by 30%. The challenge lies in meeting this growing demand without burning fossil fuels, says Hartwig Stemmberger, Manager at Eaton Technologies, during the NEFI (New Energy for Industry) conference in Vienna. However, existing energy grids are already reaching their limits, and expansion projects in Europe often take decades. For him, a viable approach is the expansion of DC in industry.