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Solar farms can spring up on what is otherwise considered non-productive land, Source: Unsplash

Slovenia covers up former coal mine with solar farm

Slovenia covers up former coal mine with solar farm

Degraded land is returned to energy production, but this time through renewable means

The land of a decommissioned brown coal mine in Slovenia’s Zasavje region has now been used as the site for the placement of a solar power plant, which will produce 1700 MWh of electricity annually. According to Rudis, the company behind the project, this will be enough to power up 400 households in the area.

The Trbovlje-Hrastnik mine used to supply 700,000 tonnes of brown coal to the nearby Trbovlje Power Station before it was shut down. In its closure's wake, there is a large surface of degraded land left. The solar farm, called Blate, was built on 6,500 square metres of that land.

The second solar power plant to be placed in that location

The solar plant is equipped with 2,600 monocrystalline panels with a rated power of 600 W and 13 diverters. It is, in fact, the second solar farm to be built on degraded land on the surface coal mine and tailings dump near the towns of Trbovlje and Hrastnik. State Holding Slovenske elektrarne-HSE opened the 3 MW Prapretno solar power plant in April of this year.

We have almost 5 MW of new solar panels in Hrastnik, but we must not neglect the few private houses that have joined. Given the number of inhabitants, I am convinced that Hrastnik did the most in the field of renewable electricity sources in Slovenia,“ explained Hrastnik Mayor Marko Funkl, as quoted by Radio Television of Slovenia.

The degraded land of the former coal mine in the Zasavje region thus got a new purpose. And yet, in a way, its use remains unchanged since it is once again used for energy production. However, this time around, this is done much more directly and sustainably.

The electricity produced will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 835 tonnes per year. All produced energy will be transmitted to Slovenia’s electricity distribution network.

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