This year Austrian Society for Environment and Technology (ÖGUT) awarded the best projects and role models in the field of sustainability already for the 35th time.
One of these role models is Bernadette Fina, Scientist at AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, who at this year’s ÖGUT Environmental Award was one of the three award winners in the category “Women in environmental engineering”. With the award in this category the jurors from management, administration and environment honor female experts in the area of applied environmental research and technology development in Austria, who show their competences in a challenging setting and pursue a career.
Her choice of an education in an extremely male dominated surrounding (Technical University of Vienna, doctorate course in electrical engineering) and her resolute pursuit of a scientific career in the future-oriented field of energy communities convinced the independent jury of experts. After the conclusion of her doctoral thesis “On the profitability of PV sharing in residential energy communities", at AIT Austrian Institute of Technology she continued to work on the development of simulation and optimization models to assess energy communities and the accompanying energy flows and impacts. Hereby a special focus is set on different settlement structures and participants as well as the combination of renewable energy generation plants with full thermal renovation of buildings to reduce CO2-emissions. Furthermore, she looks in detail at the legal framework for energy communities in Austria and beyond. Besides the regular publication in international journals, it is very important to her, to unite theory and application, which is why she is currently working on the foundation of a citizen energy community in her spare time.
Bernadette Fina recommends women to pursue a career in natural sciences and technology: “No woman should be afraid of committing herself to technology or science and should follow the way chosen. Especially in technical professions women are highly respected. Women and men are equals, an appreciative collaboration and mutual support are commonplace.”
The award ceremony took place at the yearly ÖGUT reception, where also Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology Leonore Gewessler expressed her thankfulness to all nominees for their commitment to environment and climate protection: “A climate- and environmental-friendly future for us and our children – this is what I consider the most important challenge of our generation, which we can meet only joining forces. Thus, the ÖGUT Environmental Award moves many magnificent initiatives to the fore.”
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