The planned solar power plant would be the largest of its kind in the country – Slovenian company HESS, a part of GEN Group, said that it plans to build a 6 MW solar power plant near its hydropower plant Brezice on the Sava river.
The solar power plant will be located on the right bank of the Sava river, three kilometers upstream from HPP Brezice. It is a sediment dump area, measuring approximately 9 hectares, while the solar panels will cover 6 hectares. Part of the landfill must be preserved for its primary function – for the disposal of sediments from the Sava river. Since the solar power plant will be prefabricated and will be able to be relocated if necessary, this feature will be used to release new sediment disposal surfaces in the event that part of the landfill is filled.
6MW solar power plant will be connected to the existing hydropower plant via a cable line and will be considered as the fourth unit of HPP Brezice. This carefully thought-out hybrid system is a specialty that has never been seen in Slovenia before. It is also the first solar power plant in Slovenia, which will transmit the produced electricity to the 110 kV transmission network. As a rule, power plants built so far are connected to the 20 kV distribution network. This type of connection will not only avoid the burden on the distribution network, but will also further increase the stability of the 110 kV network locally.
In the mentioned hybrid system, flow accumulations will also be used as energy storage devices. They will be charged on a daily basis, and electricity production will take place from both solar and hydropower plants. At night, when production from solar power plants is not possible, the possibility of emptying the reservoirs and thus increasing the production of electricity from water will be used. Such replenishment of renewable energy sources will be reliable and ready for any changes in the network.
As part of the solar power plant construction project, HESS also aims to obtain financial grants to co-finance the purchase and installation of devices for the production of electricity from solar energy. The call for proposals is funded by the European Union through the Cohesion Fund with the specific objective of Increasing the share of renewable energy sources in energy end-use. The value of the entire project is estimated at approximately 4.3 million euros, and up to 20 % of eligible investment costs can be obtained within the aforementioned tender.
