Energy

Today, energy makes up the foundation of almost all human activities. In times of climate change, substituting fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy is paramount. The energy crisis of the last years only accentuates this need. The Alps have traditionally been a major producer of hydroelectricity, but they also benefit from strong solar radiation and forests as a source of biomass. However, available land in the Alps is scarce, and energy production, including renewable energies, can have negative impacts on nature and landscape as well as on other human activities such as mountain agriculture. Therefore, a balanced and cautious approach needs to be adopted for developing or upgrading energy production sites in the Alps. Additional renewable energy production has to go hand in hand with energy savings and efficiency, especially for the transport and building sectors.

Under their general obligations, the Contracting Parties have committed to taking energy-related measures with the objective “to introduce methods for the production, distribution and use of energy which preserve the countryside and are environmentally compatible, and to promote energy-saving measures” (Article 2, 2k of the Framework Convention).

Protocols and Declarations

• Energy Protocol

Thematic Working Bodies

• Alpine Climate Board (ACB)
• Energy Platform (2013-2014)
• Mountain Agriculture Platform (2011-2019)
• Water management in the Alps Platform (2009-2019)

Selected documents and publications

• Cross-sectoral energy governance. How cross-sectoral and integrated governance approaches can accelerate the transition towards climate-neutral and climate-resilient Alps (2024)
• Application of the Common Guidelines for the use of Small Hydropower in the Alpine region (2019)
• Mountain Agriculture and Energy (2019) - available in French, German, Italian, and Slovenian
• Towards Renewable Alps (2017)
• Best practice examples for land use and nature conservation-compatible renewable energy projects in the Alps (2016) - available in French, German, Italian, and Slovenian
• 6^th Report on the State of the Alps: Greening the economy in the Alpine region - summary and long version (2016)
• Alpine Signals FOCUS 1: Common guidelines for the use of small hydropower in the Alpine region (2011)

Projects

• Recording of the ACB webinar: Accelerating the transition to climate-neutral and climate-resilient Alps through cross-sectoral energy governance and follow-up (May 2025)
• Minutes of the exchanges of the Energy Expert Forum (18 January 2023, 9 May 2023, 7 May 2024) - available in French, German, Italian, and Slovenian
• ACB Workshop “The energy transition and the ‘not in my backyard’ phenomenon” - follow-up (April 2024)
• ClimaHost - climate protection award for Alpine hosts (2022 & 2018) 
• ConstructiveAlps - international contest for sustainable renovation and building in the Alpine area (since 2010)
• Energy management in Alpine hotels - platform for solutions for climate protection and energy efficiency in Alpine hotels (since 2016)
• Alpen-Forum-Innsbruck on climate change and energy (2015) - available in German
• recharge.green (Alpine Space Programme) - balancing Alpine energy and nature (2012-2015)