Soške Elektrarne Nova Gorica is working with Slovenian highway operator Dars to build several solar power systems along Slovenia’s largest highway.
Seng signed an agreement with the Slovenian electricity company Holding Slovenske elektrarne (HSE) for the construction of power plants located along the highway and several solar power projects in Primorska and Karst regions. All in all, the combined capacity of the groups is about 20 MW.
“Electricity consumption is increasing year by year, while Slovenia’s self-sufficiency is decreasing for the third year in a row,” said Slovenian Environment Minister Bojan Kumer. “Therefore, Slovenia also needs more intensive investments in renewable energy sources. We want to make the deployment of renewable energy facilities in these areas simpler and faster.
Large-scale solar power has so far struggled to achieve major development in Slovenia, with only a few projects announced in recent years due to land use restrictions. The difficulty of identifying suitable surfaces has driven developers to be creative.
Other countries are currently looking to develop solar projects along highways to maximize land use. These include Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, South Korea, Israel and France.
According to new figures from the Slovenian Solar Association (SPA), Slovenia could potentially add 258 MW of new solar capacity in 2022. The country installed 194 MW of solar power in the first three quarters of 2022, according to its distribution system operator SODO. Almost all capacity was added to the housing sector.
SPA estimates that the country will reach a cumulative capacity of 724 MW by the end of this year. Analysts also estimate that demand in the housing sector will continue to grow in 2023.
