The objectives of the component "Renewable energy and energy efficiency" are to increase the use of renewable energy sources, improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The reforms supporting the investments include regulatory changes to unlock the production potential of renewable energy, stepping up the electricity grid and improve energy efficiency in the economy. The investments are aimed at increasing the share of electricity from renewable energy sources, reducing losses in the electricity grid and promoting energy efficiency measures in industry.

Reform of the promotion of renewable energy sources in Slovenia

The objective of the reform is to accelerate the roll-out of renewable technologies in the electricity sector. The reform will also support the national contribution to the EU renewables target. The reform will be implemented with the entry into force of the Act on the Promotion of the Use of Renewable Energy Sources. The Act will support the acceleration and creation of additional renewable energy projects by removing some of the legal and administrative barriers in the area of spatial planning and by establishing a single point of contact to assist customers in all procedures for the installation and use of renewable energy sources. The reform will also take into account the results of a biodiversity mapping of the potential of renewable energy sources across the entire territory of the Republic of Slovenia.

Reform of electricity supply to promote renewable energy sources

The objective of the reform is to improve the network integration of renewable energy installations and demand response. The reform includes the entry into force of the Electricity Supply Act, which sets out measures to ensure the secure operation of the grid, including the introduction of smart grid services, and measures to connect new capacity, including demand response and energy storage facilities.

Energy efficiency in the economy – reform

The objective of the reform is to increase the energy efficiency potential of industry in Slovenia. The reform will promote industrial energy efficiency investments through the adoption of an action plan setting out the conditions for large undertakings to obtain exemptions from charges levied to finance renewables and combined heat and power charges. These conditions will include, inter alia, the implementation of energy management systems or certain recommendations for energy performance audits. An action plan setting out a new governance model for renewable energy producers will be adopted, with the objective to facilitate market access and exchanges with industrial consumers through a digital platform. At least 20 companies will obtain an e-card for the tracking of energy or resource efficiency.

The reform will also pay particular attention to the energy efficiency potential of the construction sector, with the adoption of a strategy for building information modelling to promote the use of advanced digital technologies to support the information models. These will enable greater energy and material efficiency in the construction sector for buildings in the construction and management phases, through traceability and the re-use of materials.

Energy efficient restructuring of district heating systems with the use of renewable sources – investment

The objective of this investment is to increase the energy efficiency of district heating and cooling systems. An assessment made in 2017 concluded that only around two-thirds of the district heating and cooling systems could be considered energy efficient. The investment will increase the energy efficiency of three district heating and cooling systems. The funds for the investment will be allocated through a public call for proposals. The call will exclude the use of biomass that violates the requirements of Directive (EU) 2018/2001.

Production of electricity from renewable energy sources – investment

The investment aims to create new renewable electricity generation capacity through a technology-neutral public tender between different technologies (geothermal and hydroelectric energy) and solar technology for public buildings.

Strengthening the electricity distribution network – investment

The objective of the investment is to modernise the electricity distribution network in line with the growing consumption of electricity from renewable energy sources and to enable the connection of renewable energy generation facilities, heat pumps and charging points for electric vehicles. The investment includes 980 new substations and a new low-voltage network with a total length of 1,520 kilometres

Investments to increase energy efficiency in the economy

The objective of the investment is to facilitate the exchange between renewable energy producers and industrial consumers and to support the development of innovative energy efficiency solutions. The investment includes the establishment and operationalisation of a digital platform for the renewable electricity market. The platform is expected to increase the level of demand response services and other possible green solutions. The investment will also improve the functioning of the national emissions trading system registry through the implementation of advanced technologies, with the aim of increasing transparency and reducing fraud risks. In addition, a regulatory sandbox will be established and made operational to promote demand response technologies. The regulatory sandbox aims to support three pilot projects for innovative technology services that will contribute to the upgrade of the regulatory framework.