Slovenia opens its first highway solar power plant

Slovenia’s road management firm Družba za Avtoceste v Republiki Sloveniji has installed a solar power plant on a noise barrier alongside a highway. It is the first such photovoltaic system in the country.

Družba za avtoceste v Republiki Sloveniji (DARS) has officially opened its first photovoltaic plant on a noise barrier at the Šmarje Sap West rest area. It is about ten kilometers from Ljubljana on the motorway connecting the Slovenian capital and Zagreb.

According to DARS, the project is part of a series of activities to achieve the company’s strategic goals in sustainable development, decarbonization, and efficient energy use.

The firm announced the development of such projects in July 2023. A pioneering idea in the region, it was later followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Croatia.

Ribič: An example of thoughtful siting of renewable power plants

The opening ceremony was attended by the Chairman of the Management Board of DARS Andrej Ribič, Minister of the Environment, Climate and Energy Bojan Kumer, representatives of the contractor – Solvera Lynx, and representatives of distribution system operator Elektro Ljubljana.

Andrej Ribič stressed that the project is significant for electricity production but also as an example of thoughtful siting of renewable energy power plants without impacting traffic safety or routine highway maintenance.

The electricity generated by the PV system will be used for DARS’s own consumption, including public lighting and tunnel systems, he explained. This will ensure greater energy independence and more rational management of the energy system, Ribič added.

DARS plans to continue building PV plants

In line with its strategy, DARS aims to gradually reduce energy consumption from the grid and lower CO2 emissions in scopes 1 and 2. By 2030, the goal is to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by 30% from the 2024 levels, according to the firm.

Based on its revised strategy, DARS adopted several energy measures in 2024. They included the establishment of an energy department and the implementation of the first phase of solar installations across its five facilities, with a total capacity of 420 kW.

These plants can cover approximately 2% of the company’s annual electricity consumption.

DARS intends to further expand its solar energy projects. The plan includes building bigger plants in degraded areas and more PV systems on buildings and along highway tunnels.

The electricity produced would primarily power lighting and other road systems to ensure the safe and smooth operation of the motorway network, the company added.

Careful site selection for solar plants is crucial

In July 2023, DARS and state-owned hydropower operator Soške Elektrarne Nova Gorica (SENG) announced plans to build solar power plants along highways.

The first one was planned in the Slovenian Littoral and Coastal-Karst area. However, the new solar power plant is not located there.

The two firms later established similar cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the Municipality of Vipava.

Solar energy use is expanding all over the planet. Experts warn that the optimal siting of PV panels is crucial to avoid occupying large areas of arable land or harming the environment. Therefore, the best solution is to install solar panels in locations that cannot be used for other purposes, such as alongside railways and roads, or on rooftops.