interviews
Photo: EurogasJesse Scott, Eurogas: Gas Sector Will Need to Undergo a Major Transformation
October 15, 2018 | Tanja Srnovršnik VolaričElectricity | Natural gas | RES and EE | Energy policy
Natural gas will still be present in a mid-century deep decarbonised economy. Gas can continue to play an important role in different forms of CO2-neutral gases, Jesse Scott, Deputy Secretary General at Eurogas, an association representing the European gas wholesale, retail and distribution sectors, told Energetika.NET in an interview. According to Scott, understanding the way forward for the...
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Photo: Urban ŠtebljajFranziska Dolak, Siemens: Smart Technology Will Encourage New Business Models
October 8, 2018 | Andreja ŠalamunElectricity | RES and EE | New technologies | Economy | Heating
During the last couple of decades we were focusing on buildings, but somehow people were forgotten. With smart technology, spaces and workplaces are becoming more oriented toward the needs of users and can make their lives easier, more comfortable and much more productive. “But it is important that people don’t feel a slave to technology,” said Franziska Dolak, Innovation Manager at Siemens...
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Photo: Katja CankarBoštjan Blažič, UL FE: EVs Will Probably be a Bigger Problem Than RES
October 1, 2018 | Tanja Srnovršnik VolaričElectricity | RES and EE | Transport | Energy policy | New technologies
Over a decade ago the main topic in the field of smart grids was the integration of renewable energy sources (RES), but in recent years, electric vehicles (EVs) have been coming to the forefront. The latter (as well as heat pumps) can be a bigger problem than RES: RES network connection can be conditioned if technical terms are not met, but this is not the case with electric vehicles, said...
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Photo: osebni arhivDavid A. Petti, MIT: Building a Second Unit of Slovenian NPP is a Good Choice
September 24, 2018 | Andreja ŠalamunElectricity | CO2 emissions | Economy
“If countries can value the carbon-free nature of nuclear energy, it can be an important part of decarbonising the world. If this does not happen, nuclear will still do well in Asia and other developing regions around the globe where there is need for electricity, but in the West, it will depend on the economics in individual markets and the ability of western vendors to reduce the cost of their...
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Photo: osebni arhivJohn Kelly, U.S. Nuclear Expert: Without People, Nuclear Doesn’t Work Either
September 17, 2018 | Alenka ŽumbarElectricity | RES and EE | Energy policy | New technologies
“I think that the projection that there will be 200 or even more nuclear reactors built in Asia is driving the sector today. There will be a worldwide market, maybe not today, but eventually there will be a market for nuclear. And as long as we continue to promote the use of clean energy, nuclear will remain part of the future of energy. A major question that will remain is how to integrate...
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Photo: Arhiv Elektra GorenjskaIvan Šmon, Elektro Gorenjska: Only a Robust, High-quality Grid Can Enable Timely Development
September 10, 2018 | Alenka ŽumbarElectricity | Energy policy | Economy
Elektro Gorenjska, one of Slovenia's power distribution companies, is a successful business. Despite its good results, due to various external factors its main goal in the period to 2022 is to maximise the synergies within the Elektro Gorenjska Group as a whole, which is why its new business strategy focuses on the group instead of its individual companies, said the new Chairman of the Board of...
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Photo: Alenka ŽumbarDag Kralj, Bisol: We Are Interested in Expanding Production Outside Europe
September 5, 2018 | Alenka Žumbar, Tanja S. VolaričElectricity | RES and EE | Energy policy | Economy
The Bisol Group is currently working on a project to expand the annual production capacity in its existing location in Slovenia by 60%, to 250 MW, by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the group is considering adding further production capacity outside Europe, perhaps in the Middle East, South America, South Africa, or one of the countries of the former Soviet Union, said Dag Kralj, Member of the...
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Photo: David PlasRuby, Eurelectric: Commercially Viable Blockchain-based Use Cases in 3-5 Years
August 20, 2018 | Valerija HozjanElectricity | Energy policy | New technologies
Blockchain could prove to be an attractive tool to ensure interoperability, scale and speed of transactions in a decentralised energy system, Kristian Ruby, Secretary General of the European power lobby group Eurelectric, told Energetika.NET. However, first some of the current limitations of the technology must be addressed. In addition to some of the specific technology related improvements,...
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Photo: Andreja ŠalamunPippa Gallop, Bankwatch: We Need to Stop Building New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure!
August 13, 2018 | Andreja ŠalamunElectricity | Natural gas | RES and EE | Coal | Energy policy
While the major EU states have already set out a clear strategy for the swiftest possible transition to renewable energy sources and found many business opportunities along the way, the countries of South East Europe (SEE), where renewable power plant projects remain rare, are mainly still dawdling, or worse, actually planning to construct new thermal power plants (TPPs). Bosnia and Herzegovina...
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Photo: Barbara ReyaGregor Novak, SunContract: The Future Lies in a Combination of Renewables and Blockchain
July 30, 2018 | Alenka ŽumbarElectricity | RES and EE | Energy policy | New technologies
SONCE energija, the company behind the SunContract platform, now responsible for marketing the services provided by the platform in its new role as a partner for the Slovenian market, has installed more than 200 solar power plants across Slovenia in the last decade. After the idea of an energy trading platform was unveiled publicly last year, USD 2 million was raised fairly quickly to fund its...
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