Eco-friendly Energy Sources of Austria Spark International Interest

In a tumultuous political climate which has caused considerable strife in countries that rely on oil, gas, and other foreign petroleum products in order to power its citizens, Austria has come out on top with an impressive record in their use of renewable energy sources that are clean and safe for its civilians. Their longtime commitment to ecological energy sources has made Austria a model for clean energy for other countries, small and large.

Austria has shown a vehement interest in remaining a viable country with respect to alternative sources of power, and after briefly using nuclear power before it was subsequently banned unanimously by parliament in 1978. Austria now runs mainly on hydropower, and at this time, it produces more than one half of its electricity using hydropower technology. Austria has combined the use of hydropower with the use of wind, solar, and other renewable power sources, and has managed to green its power supply up to an impressive 80% use of renewable power sources. Only slightly more than 20 percent of Austria's power is produced by oil or gas.

Austria is a charming country, a recent member of the European Union, situated snugly in the Alps. Austria isn't just near the Alps, or partially in the Alps; it is all the way in the Alps. Three different areas of the Alps: Central Eastern Alps, the Northern Limestone Alps and the Southern Limestone Alps have their ranges resting partly in Austria. The highest mountain peak in Austria is called the Grossglockner, which is near the states of Carinthia and East Tyrol. The Grossglockner stands 3,797 meters tall.

According to Austria's Wikipedia page, Austria's government is known as a federal, parliamentarian, democratic republic, established by Federal constitution in the 1920s. The parliament of Austria is located in Vienna, which is Austria's capital and largest city, situated in the state of Vienna. The city of Vienna is home to a rich and famous history in Music and Art celebrities. If the citizens or officials of Austria are not happy with the performance of the government, the government can be removed from office in one of two ways: by a presidential decree, or by a vote of no confidence in the lower chamber of parliament.

Austria has 9 states, also known as administrative divisions, of which the largest is Vienna. Vienna is also known as Wien in German. The other states are Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark (also known as Styria), Tirol, and Vorarlberg.

Austria's rich artistic history, combined with its quickly advancing green culture of ecological energy sources and environmental protection policies makes it a very viable member of the European Union and a charming stop if a traveler finds himself traversing the chilly Alps.

Resources:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria
http://advantageaustria.org/il/news/local/solarenergy.jsp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_Austria
http://energy.sourceguides.com/businesses/byGeo/byC/Austria/byP/solar/solar.shtml