Radeče set to become first energy self-reliant town in Slovenia

Nearby Zavrate is already the country’s first autonomous village in terms of electricity consumption

Radeče, a small town in eastern Slovenia located on the wide Sava River and flanked by lush green hills, attracts many tourists and fishermen. Currently, the town hosts the World Float Fishing Championship for veterans and the disabled (4-9 October).

But, apart from relying on its tourist allure, Radeče strives to become the first town in Slovenia to achieve complete energy independence. The first step in this ambition is a solar system which was installed last week on the roof of Radeče’s community health centre, writes The Slovenia Times, citing STA newswire.

On track to energy self-sufficiency

The photo-voltaic system rolled out by Sonce company provides 112 kilowatts of power. It will enable residents to use the energy it generates even without contributing to the investment, cutting their electricity bills in the process, Gregor Novak, a co-owner of the Sonce group and director of energy market SunContract said during the inauguration ceremony. He said the new facility continues Sonce’s efforts towards self-sufficient and climate-neutral communities in Slovenia.

Radeče Mayor Tomaž Režun observed that small municipalities were increasingly aware of the importance of sustainable development. Therefore, for the past several years Radeče had been encouraging projects based on renewable sources of energy. The cooperation with Sonce has come with an unexpected bonus - the municipality can now save the money initially set aside for the renovation of the roof of the health centre.  

New business model of green energy use

The energy self-sufficient community Soves Sonce Radeče Town is supported by SunContract, an energy market which links up energy users on the basis of blockchain technology. The new green energy business model enables consumers to directly tap into energy from renewables and re-distribute the rest across the community.

Last August, Sonce company presented the first fully self-reliant village in terms of electricity, Zavrate, which is located near Radeče.