Slovenia's Largest Solar Power Plant Comes Online

• Slovenia's largest solar power plant is now in trial production and is integrated with the Brežice hydroelectric plant. This hybrid system is the biggest of its kind in the country and will provide 6.8 GWh of electricity annually.

What happened? 

Hidroelektrarne na Spodnji Savi (HESS) recently completed a 6 MW photovoltaic system at the Brežice hydropower plant in Slovenia, which is located on the border with Croatia. This is the biggest solar power plant of its kind in the country, and it is connected to the 110 kV network. The facility is now in trial production, and it is estimated to produce 6.8 GWh of electricity annually. HESS is a state-owned utility controlled by HSE and GEN. (Energetika.net) 

Why does it matter? 

The new solar power plant is an important step towards a more sustainable energy system in Slovenia. With the addition of the photovoltaic system, the Brežice hydropower plant now has a total capacity of 47.4 MW. This hybrid system is more flexible than a traditional hydroelectric plant, and it is expected to provide a greater amount of electricity than the hydroelectric plant alone. 

What's next? 

The hybrid system is not just limited to Slovenia. In Albania, KESH is developing a project for a complex hybrid power plant centered on its Vau i Dejës hydroelectric facility, which includes a solar power plant and a floating solar power plant. In Turkey, the Lower Kaleköy hybrid system consists of a hydroelectric unit of 510 MW and an 80 MW photovoltaic plant, and Cengiz Holding is looking to add a wind power plant to the system. These projects show that hybrid systems are becoming more popular in the region, and they are a great way to increase the efficiency of renewable energy sources.