## 4 Discussion and Conclusions
### Overview of the Main Results  
Based on the three developed scenarios _base_, _efficiency_ and _transition_, possible ways of supplying industry with renewable energy sources are shown. The scenarios show a range of final energy consumption from 78 TWh (_efficiency_) to 105 TWh (_transition_) (_status quo_ 2019:87 TWh). With the currently available renewable energy potentials in Austria, the industrial final energy consumption could be covered on an annual balance in all scenarios.  
Figure 8: Coverage of electrical energy and required renewable energy potential in **(a)**_efficiency_ and **(b)**_transition_ scenario.  
Nevertheless, the potential of 231 TWh might not be enough to cover the entire final energy demand of all sectors (including _transport_, etc.). As efficiency gains in other sectors are not yet fully exploited, the resulting gap of 77 TWh to 104 TWh might decrease. A remaining deficit must be covered either by imports or by untapping currently unknown potentials.  
Both energy demand and generation were evaluated and compared on an hourly basis. This granularity allows statements to be made about the minimum and maximum power requirements, as well as on temporal deficits and surpluses and subsequently about possible storage or import requirements. For electrical energy, depending on the scenario, a deficit between 1.7 TWh (_efficiency_) and 6.3 TWh (_transition_) is expected for Austria. The temporal comparison revealed that this demand cannot be met directly with the existing potentials. Furthermore, the simulated peak load of the industrial sector in the _transition_ scenario of 13.8 GW is more than twice as high as in the _status quo_ (6.0 GW). In comparison, the peak load in the entire public power grid in Austria (all sectors) in December 2019 was 10.7 GW and thus smaller than the calculated industrial peak load for the _transition_ scenario. As a result, the calculated peak load for the industrial sector in the _transition_ scenario is 29% higher than the current peak load in the public power grid.  
On a spatial level, the strongest changes in electricity demand occur in the federal states Upper Austria and Styria, due to the conversion of the BF-BOF route to direct reduction with hydrogen in the _iron and steel_ production. This change is particularly noticeable in Upper Austria. In this federal state, the electricity demand of industry increases significantly from 8.6 TWh (_status quo_) to 35.0 TWh (_transition_). The calculated peak load also increases by factor four from 1.8 GW to 7.5 GW. The peak load of electrical energy in Upper Austria, especially in the Linz area, is thus slightly more than half of the calculated total industrial peak load in the _transition_ scenario.  
Overall, supplying the Austrian industry with 100% renewable energies results in a switch of energy carriers towards more biogenic and electrical energy as well as ambient heat. This requires an expansion and optimization of the existing energy infrastructure due to changing requirements. Especially for the _iron and steel_ production sites, upgrading the electricity infrastructure will be necessary. Here, it is essential to develop integrated energy infrastructures in coordination with the European network development plans to ensure the security of supply.