Beyond Carbon Energy

Beyond Carbon Energy’s story began with Herbert Hetzel, a seasoned veteran with over 35 years of experience in the real estate sector. Throughout his extensive career, Herbert was deeply immersed in various aspects of real estate, from design and construction to development. Energy, or anything related to it, wasn’t even on his radar.

However, about 15 years ago, a significant turning point occurred. The escalating urgency of the climate crisis acted as a wake-up call, prompting Herbert Hetzel to re-evaluate the energy supply aspect of real estate used.

“I realized that if our world was to move toward a truly decarbonized future and champion equitable climate action, reducing the carbon footprint of buildings is a key imperative to mitigating impacts of climate change,” says Herbert Hetzel.

Recognizing the critical need for change, he embarked on a new path and laid the foundation for Beyond Carbon Energy, a company paving the way for zero-carbon buildings. It offers not just the possibility but the tangible reality of carbon free heating and cooling for both new and existing buildings at marketcost, making the vision of a sustainable, low-carbon future more accessible.

Beyond Carbon Energy’s approach utilizes deep probes to exchange heat with the surrounding ground, which serves as a natural thermal reservoir, maintaining a consistent temperature year-round. During summer, excess heat generated by processes like air cooling is absorbed by a heat transfer fluid circulating through the probes, storing it in the Earth’s subsurface.

In winter, the heat pump system extracts heat from the ground via the probes to warm the building. The system effectively taps into stored thermal energy, reducing reliance on carbon intensive methods. This approach is a versatile and efficient thermal battery with long-lasting heat probes, ensuring sustainability and reliability.

Supplementary systems like photovoltaics (PV), solar, or groundwater drilling are also integrated into projects when viable.

Moreover, the company actively engages with local authorities in Vienna, advocating for regulations permitting deep probe placement in unconventional areas like walkways or roads. This flexibility ensures seasonal energy storage solution remains accessible, even in spatially constrained settings.

The strategic approach to the upfront costs of implementing carbon-free technologies addresses the hesitation surrounding expenditure. The holistic energy-as-a-service solution the company offers can meet a broad range of clients’ energy requirements. It covers all facets of energy provision and management, including end-to-end implementation, efficient system operation, simplified billing, sustainability focus, scalability, and long-term partnerships. This makes it an attractive option for clients seeking efficient, carbon-free energy solutions while avoiding the complexities of traditional energy systems.

Transitioning to carbon-free technologies is about upgrading the energy supply system rather than altering energy demand. For instance, a building relying on gas heating and lacking proper insulation may consume a significant amount of energy for heating and cooling. The challenge lies in switching to carbon-free energy sources without imposing a higher financial burden on building owners or occupants, making carbon-free energy affordable, even for existing structures.

This is precisely what Beyond Carbon Energy does. Its team of experts collaborates with real estate developers right from the project’s inception, offering solutions that ensure an economical and carbon-free energy supply.

Beyond Carbon Energy is aware of the lack of understanding concerning energy dynamics. Recognizing this knowledge gap as a critical barrier to advancing decarbonization, its team provides decision-makers with a professional document that offers comprehensive insights into various options for meeting their energy supply requirements, ultimately facilitating the seamless transition to sustainable, carbon-free energy solutions.

Austria has set its sights high, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2040—a full decade ahead of the goal set by the European Union. However, like many countries within the International Energy Agency (IEA), the decarbonization of the heating, cooling and transport sectors remains a challenge due to increased energy consumption in buildings.

To meet this ambitious deadline, a collaborative effort is essential to standardize sustainable energy solutions. Beyond Carbon Energy understands that it cannot single-handedly save the world but plays a pivotal role in leading the way. Through collective strides, the sector can significantly reduce capital expenditures on heating and cooling, bringing us closer to a carbon free reality.