Petrol attends first GreenTech Innovation breakfast
In 2018, the Centre of Energy Efficient Solutions designed a series of activities entitled GreenTech Innovation, with the aim of strengthening measures for promoting the green economy, which is a response to sustainable development and climate/energy challenges. The first event of this type took place on Friday, 8 March 2019, at the Hotel Union in Ljubljana. The event was also attended by Petrol, whose representatives described the company’s solutions to promote the green economy.
On Friday, 8 March, the Centre of Energy Efficient Solutions (CER) hosted the first GreenTech Innovation Breakfast in partnership with the City of Ljubljana. The event brought together key stakeholders that will be responsible for achieving the EU climate goals in the future. The participants’ morning networking session was followed by a welcome speech by Rok Vodnik, member of Petrol’s management board and chairman of the CER Board: “Today the question is no longer whether we must strive to use renewable sources of energy because the awareness is already there. The question is how, and how quickly, we will achieve these goals. Success can only be achieved through bringing together all the stakeholders, from the state and cities to the society in general. Slovenia must become known as a reference country, a country that other countries will look to as an example when it comes to the development of green technologies, green investment and the green economy.” Vodnik also highlighted the fact that the CER was founded by four companies and that now it already includes nearly thirty. “The CER functions as a connecting link in promoting energy-efficient solutions and green technology. Through the active involvement of our members in sustainable mobility, sustainable construction and real estate and innovative energy solutions, we will prepare a presentation of our proposals for concrete solutions in relation to taxes, incentives and legislative solutions by June 2019,” added Vodnik.
Participants were also greeted by CER CEO Ana Struna Bregar, who highlighted the CER’s mission of increasing energy efficiency to promote the green economy: “People, quality of life and environmental protection need to be placed at the forefront. It is here that we have to find the right measures to achieve this. What we need is measurable steps that will encourage the key actors, decisionmakers, companies, organisations and individuals to work together.”
The importance of cooperation between various stakeholders was also emphasised by Blaž Pongračič, member of the cabinet of European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc. He stated that decarbonisation and green technologies that promote cooperation between different departments and sectors are the future because this is the only way to attain a carbon-neutral society.
Slovenia already has many good practices in place that have an impact on the economy and local communities through their green innovations. These include the Urban-E project, which was presented by Miha Valentinčič, director of innovative business models at Petrol d.d. The project provides comprehensive urban energy supply and mobility solutions, and it has already contributed significantly to the development of a low-carbon society.
Miha Valentinčič also took part in the roundtable where participants presented their views on what would help accelerate the development of the green economy. Other roundtable participants included Tanja Bolte, director general of the Environment Directorate at the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Hinko Šolinc, acting director general of the Energy Directorate at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ana Stanič, a UK-based lawyer for EU and international law at E&A Law, Igor Verstovšek, co-owner and procurator of Cosylab, and Blaž Pongračič, member of the cabinet of European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc.
Award-winning EOL1 project presented to green breakfast participants
To conclude the event, the award-winning green projects were presented to the more than one hundred leading businesspeople in attendance. One of these projects was the Energy Refurbishment of Ljubljana, or EOL1, which recently received the 2019 Best Energy Service Award in the category of public buildings at the Invest Forum in Brussels. The City of Ljubljana and a consortium including Petrol and Resalta were involved in the refurbishment of forty-eight buildings. At the GreenTech Innovation breakfast, the project was presented by Alenka Loose, City of Ljubljana energy manager, and Jože Torkar, Petrol d.d. energy and environmental solutions director.
