Dr Tomislav Tkalec from the Focus Association stressed in his opening address that the Glasgow Climate Change Conference demonstrated that what countries are prepared to do at this moment will not lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions sufficient to prevent a climate crisis. Local communities are the ones that have to address this gap and support a speedy transition to a climate-neutral society.
A stimulative legal framework will play a key role in the energy transition. This has undergone a few changes in Slovenia in recent years, with the latest amendments contained in the Act on the Promotion of the Use of Renewable Energy Sources adopted this year. Hinko Šolinc, Director-General of the Energy Directorate at the Ministry of Infrastructure, held a lecture presenting the new legal framework for establishing community solar power stations in the country. He emphasised that the Ministry now has the huge task of drafting implementing acts that will enable the quick implementation of community solar projects.
One of the first steps towards establishing a community solar power station is also securing sufficient funding. The Director of the Cooperative of Solar Power Stations in Slovenia, Urška Hercog, presented a model of crowdfunding major solar power stations, pointing out that this approach ensures that investments in solar power stations are safe and profitable and that interest among investors has exceeded expectations.
A round table discussing how to include every community in Slovenia in the energy revolution featured the Director of Umanotera, Gaja Brecelj, the Mayor of the Municipality of Ajdovščina, Tadej Beočanin, the Mayor of the Municipality of Hrastnik, Marko Funkl, and Dr Robert Golob from GEN-I. The speakers agreed that a sustainable development path was necessary and that appropriate technologies and sufficient resources for the decarbonisation of our energy system are already available.
More information is available on this link, where you can also find video footage from the conference and community solar power station materials.