Smart City SuMMit 2024

Stephan is Urban Planner and working since 2013 for the City of Vienna in different research and innovation projects. He was active in Smart City Wien and is working now on Urban Renewal and Retrofitting. The Urban Renewal Program WieNeu+ is dedicated on climate and innovative solutions in districts, dealing with the topics building renovation, energy systems, urban space and social inclusion.

Peter Lichtenwöhrer is currently working at the Municipal Department 20 – Energy Planning of the City of Vienna. As an expert in Spatial Energy Planning, he focuses on strategic solutions for carbon neutrality in the heating sector. His work includes the development of strategic decision support based on geodata and an extensive exchange within the administration and between cities and research partners. Peter Lichtenwoehrer is a graduate of BOKU University and Lincoln University (NZ) and holds a doctorate degree in Spatial Energy Planning.

As a Venture Builder & New Business Developer at Wien Energie, I specialize in crafting innovative digital business models beyond Wien Energie's core operations. My expertise lies in decentralized energy systems, with a particular focus on energy communities and citizen participation models, emphasizing digitalization, strategy, and sales. My educational background lies in energy engineering and environmental technology, at the intersection of management and economics. I am passionate, driven, open-minded, and a devoted nature lover.

Karin is a sustainability expert with many years of extensive international experience. She holds the City of Vienna Endowed Professorship for Circular Economy & Transformation at UAS BFI Vienna, is co-founder and executive director at Circular Economy Forum Austria and chair of the Circular Economy Task Force of Austrian Federal Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, and Ministry of Labour and Economy.

Studied law in Vienna, with stages in Brussels, Munich, New York City and Toronto. Joined the Stadtwerke Group in 2010, initially 7 years in the legal department of Wienstrom/WE Stromnetz/Wiener Netze, then from 2017 in the management office of Wiener Netze. Since February 2023 Managing Director of Aspern Smart City Research (ASCR), a joint venture between Siemens, Wiener Netze, Wiener Stadtwerke, Vienna Business Agency and Wien 3420. ASCR projects work on the development of solutions for the future of energy in urban areas. The areas being worked on in an interdisciplinary manner include the electricity grid (Smart Grid), buildings (Smart Building), information and communication technology (Smart ICT) and users (Smart User).

Peter Schliesselberger studied business engineering in Austria as well as Innovation & Entrepreneurship at HEC Paris. Peter has been working in the en

Patrick has been working at Wiener Stadtwerke for 2 years in the Strategic IT department, where his work focuses on creating the Group-wide digitalisation and IT strategy. Before joining Wiener Stadtwerke, he worked for 3 years in consulting in the financial services sector, where he was involved in various digitalisation and IT projects.

Managing Director

Alexander Kirchner, authorised signatory and head of the "Asset Operation and Service" division Alexander Kirchner (44) is an authorised signatory of Wien Energie GmbH and is responsible for the operation of all Wien Energie's energy generation and waste recycling plants. With a view to the future, the focus is on decarbonisation and the circular economy.

Walter Haslinger studied mechanical engineering at the Vienna University of Technology and completed his doctorate at the Institute of Chemical Engineering. Since 2003, he has played a key role in shaping the COMET K1 center BEST - Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH (formerly BIOENERGY 2020+ GmbH), until 2014 as Area Manager of the Area Small Combustion Systems and head of the Wieselburg site, and since October 2014 as CEO and CSO.

Lukas Hammerer is a graduate of TU Wien where he studied mechanical engineering & management with a focus on organization theory and innovation management. He worked as a scientific advisor for the Austrian Council on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. Currently, he specializes in bridging technical and business teams for strategy and research projects enabling climate neutrality at Wien Energie. His technological focus is on carbon capture @ Wien Energie’s waste-to-energy plants.

Romana Berg, an urban planner, currently a Research Engineer at AIT's Centre for Energy, Digital Resilient Cities Unit specializes in climate-sensitive spatial planning at the interface between climate and energy. Her primary focus is on strategy development for climate change mitigation and adaptation, guiding cities and regions on their way to a sustainable future. She assesses the impacts of nature-based solutions using urban microclimate simulations and actively engages in participatory planning processes such as living labs.

Harald heads the Digi.Lab at WienIT. He has many years of experience in software development and worked for a long time in the development of automated trading systems. Within the Digi.Lab, he has a strong focus on highly innovative developments. His motto is to do rather than talk.

Thomas Künzel studied materials engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Campus Wels. In recent years, he has mainly been involved in the heat treatment of various components. Most recently, his main task was the optimisation of heat treatment processes in an international automotive group. He has been working for voestalpine High Performance Metals since January 2024. Thomas works primarily on improving the energy efficiency of heat treatment, coating and machining processes as well as general energy-saving measures.

Marieluise Pöschko-Reinweber completed her studies at the University of Leoben. During her studies, she worked for national and international energy companies and deepened her knowledge of planning and project management. Before joining Wien Energie in 2021, she worked as a product manager for a well-known metering device manufacturer. She has been part of the "Decarbonised Heat Generation Plants" department since August 2022.

Tobias Birsak is responsible for energy management systems at TTTech. In this role, he deals with the development of digital solutions for the energy transition, particularly in connection with the monitoring and control of decentralised systems, from photovoltaic systems to batteries and e-charging infrastructure. Prior to his current role, Tobias Birsak worked at TTTech as an assistant to the CEO and before that as a consultant at the Federation of Austrian Industries in Vienna for three years.

Julia Wenin graduated from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences and has been working at Wien Energie GmbH in the field of photovoltaics since 2018. She has been Team Leader PV Project Planning and Strategic Projects since April 2024 and focuses on innovative photovoltaic solutions and digitalisation.