Newsroom
Freelance writer
Energy, mobility and the numbers behind the energy transition
Daniel Aigner is a freelance journalist focused on energy, mobility and technology. Before writing, he worked as a technical editor – and it shows in his explainers: he takes apart subsidy schemes, heat pumps and electricity markets until a comprehensible calculation is left on the table. Where others see a headline, he looks for the number behind it.
Beats
The AI boom meets the power grid: what the IEA forecasts for 2030, why Ireland stands as a warning, and how servers in Vienna already heat a hospital.
· 7 min
Minus €498 per megawatt-hour on 1 May: negative electricity prices are multiplying in Austria. What that means for feed-in tariffs, batteries and flexible rates.
· 7 min
Nightjet summer 2026: where you can go from Vienna, what the new trains offer, what tickets cost — and how much CO2 you save compared with flying.
· 7 min
Four days after its IPO, SpaceX is buying Cursor's parent Anysphere for $60 billion. The numbers behind the deal – and the AI boom's hidden energy bill.
· 10 min
Over 10,000 Starlink satellites, Starship V3's first flight, new ozone and particle studies: what the race for orbit means for the climate — and Austria.
· 11 min
Elon Musk is the world's first trillionaire — but Austria's electric-vehicle transition hinges on price tags, charging points and resale values, not Wall Street.
· 6 min
Austria's 2026 heat pump grants explained: the Sanierungsoffensive, the low-income Sauber Heizen scheme and regional top-ups — amounts, rules, how to apply.
· 6 min
Tap or bottled? A sober fact check on quality, cost, CO2 and plastic in Austria – and the cases where reaching for the bottle actually makes sense.
· 6 min
Is a home battery worth adding to your solar PV system in Austria in 2026? Self-consumption, cost per kWh, payback and EAG subsidies — soberly calculated.
· 6 min
Smart meters in Austria 2026: rollout status, 15-minute readings, opt-out rules, dynamic tariffs and the new solar discount — what the digital meter really delivers.
· 6 min
How big is Austria's carbon footprint really — and which everyday changes save tonnes rather than kilograms? Heating, mobility and diet, ranked by impact.
· 5 min
Hot water, heating and ageing appliances devour far more electricity than standby ever will. Where Austrian households can genuinely save kWh and euros in 2026.
· 6 min
Three years on, Austria's Klimaticket is a sales hit — but has it actually got people out of their cars? A sober look at the numbers, the commuter gap and the cost.
· 6 min
Klimaticket 2026 explained: prices, discounts for young people, seniors and families, rules for kids, bikes and dogs — and when each version actually pays off.
· 5 min
Klimaticket vs owning a car in Austria in 2026: purchase price, depreciation, fuel, insurance and parking against the ticket — the numbers, calmly totted up.
· 6 min
Plug-in balcony solar is open to renters in Austria — but registration, landlord consent and the 800-watt limit decide whether your panels pay off.
· 6 min
What a wallbox really costs in Austria, home vs public charging prices, the 2026 subsidy freeze, solar charging, and your rights as a tenant or flat owner.
· 7 min
Austria's Bildungskarenz sabbatical is being reformed. What WAFF and Chamber of Labour grants still pay, and how to make distance learning work alongside a job.
· 6 min
Austria's energy communities let neighbours share locally generated electricity and cut grid fees. What EEG, BEG and the renewables law actually mean.
· 6 min
Fitting a heat pump in an older Austrian home: why flow temperature matters more than the building's age, and which subsidies ease the switch from oil and gas.
· 6 min
Cycling through an Austrian winter: what matters for visibility, tyres, clothing and gritting — and how high the accident risk in the cold season really is.
· 6 min