Award for Josef Steinegger: Raphael Bointner Award for the Best Paper at IEWT 2025
- News
Josef Steinegger (Montanuniversität Leoben, Chair of Energy Network Technology) was honoured with the Raphael Bointner Award for the best paper in the field of "Energy in Buildings/Neighbourhoods" at the 14th International Conference on Energy Economics at TU Wien (IEWT 2025).
This prestigious recognition marks a significant achievement for Josef Steinegger and the entire team at the Chair of Energy Network Technology at Montanuniversität Leoben. The awarded paper, titled "The Role of Supraregional District Heating Network Systems in Ensuring Security of Heat Supply," was authored by Josef Steinegger in collaboration with Aron Lackner and Thomas Kienberger. The research was conducted as part of the NEFI project Heat Highway.
The Raphael Bointner Award
The Raphael Bointner Award is presented at the IEWT for the best paper in the field of "Energy in Buildings/Districts" and commemorates Raphael Bointner.
Raphael Bointner was a passionate scientist and researcher as well as an outstanding educator. His work focused on energy system analysis in the building sector, including the study of social acceptance. This award honours his legacy by recognising outstanding scientific contributions in this field.
Research on Secure and Sustainable Heat Supply
The NEFI project Heat Highway investigates the significance of supraregional district heating network systems for a sustainable and secure heat supply. The focus is on innovative concepts for utilising waste heat sources and their efficient integration into existing supply structures.
The awarded paper analysed the temporal availability of heat for end customers in a local heating network—both with and without a connection to supraregional district heating network systems. Key metrics such as security of supply, self-sufficiency, the share of renewable energy, and diversification were evaluated.
The results demonstrate that a local heating network connected to a supraregional district heating system offers significantly higher security of supply than an isolated network. Additionally, this connection allows for a substantial reduction in redundancies currently required as backup in local heating networks.
A Significant Contribution to the Energy Transition
The recognition with the Raphael Bointner Award at IEWT 2025 highlights the relevance of this research for the energy transition in Austria and Europe. The findings of this paper contribute to the development of future-proof heating supply systems and the advancement of renewable energy integration.
A heartfelt thank you goes to all those involved, especially Thomas Kienberger, the team at the Chair of Energy Network Technology at Montanuniversität Leoben, and Simon Moser, whose support made this project and the awarded contribution possible.
The project is funded by the Climate and Energy Fund as well as the Province of Upper Austria.
The full paper is available here: Paper (in German)
The presentation can be found here: Presentation (in German)
Further information on the project can be found here: Heat Highway
We are proud of this outstanding achievement and warmly congratulate the team on this well-deserved award!