Petrol puts people at the centre of the green economic recovery
There have been increasingly louder calls by the Slovenian economy for the state to treat the corona crisis as an opportunity for the sustainable transformation of the economy and the society as a whole. Businesses want quick, accessible, and most of all simple measures. One such initiative is the National Alliance for Green Recovery, which Petrol also decided to support. Petrol recognised the importance of investing in a low-carbon economy years ago. Its sustainable products primarily focus on the inhabitants of cities and local communities, for whom its smart and efficient solutions are actually intended.
The needs of society have changed in the wake of the epidemic, putting at the forefront advanced solutions that help the economy, and life in general, to keep at least a minimal pulse during the epidemic. With digital solutions for infrastructure system management, Petrol helped partners to ensure a safe and uninterrupted supply of drinking water and heating, optimise investment and operating costs, achieve savings, and reduce their carbon footprint, while maintaining the standard of living of the population. In this period, Petrol’s digital solutions have proved to be a valuable support for the reliable performance of services, not only for its partners, but above all for its end users.
Collaboration between different actors is key in this new reality that is being established. Jože Bajuk, Member of the Management Board of Petrol, responsible for Energy and Environmental Systems, noted: “At Petrol, we’re aware of the global challenge presented by climate change, and we follow all commitments and requirements related to reducing the carbon footprint, climate agreements, as well as European and national legislation and guidelines. We contribute through joint partnership projects related to the energy sector and the environment, because we understand that future development comes from multi-stakeholder cooperation and related actions. At the same time, we’re rapidly developing Tango, our unique platform with which we are co-creating smart and user-friendly cities and communities in the markets of Southeast Europe. With new technologies, we can achieve individual objectives differently and with greater efficiency in terms of emissions and added value per employee, and they also help us to participate in the new reality that is being established. This is why we remain highly active, and in the coming years plan to further intensify our efforts in the energy renovation of buildings.”
Petrol can collaborate in the recovery of the European Economic Community with its expertise, technical support, and investments in individual technologies and sustainable projects. Systemic integration of different business areas, specifically of new business and digital solutions development and technology integration, as well as the supply of energy products and energy management on the market, play a key role in this. With its new package of post-epidemic recovery measures, the EU has paved the way for further projects aimed at improving energy efficiency, which is very encouraging. It provides impetus for projects involving the energy renovation of buildings and the promotion of renewable energy sources.
Petrol began performing energy renovations of buildings 20 years ago, and carried out its first such project in partnership with the City Municipality of Kranj. Since then, energy renovations have proved to be an important building block of a more sustainable low-carbon society. The energy contracting model is vital, as it helps municipalities and the public sector to renovate a large part of their building stock without any borrowing.
Some years ago, Petrol embedded in its strategy a commitment to the transition to a low-carbon society, which will allow for the preservation of our planet for future generations. This is why the company pays particular attention to energy renovation projects, and forms partnerships even in the most difficult times, all in the name of continued development. As such, May 2020 saw the launch of two new projects for the energy renovation of buildings. The first project concerns a public-private partnership with the University of Maribor, where the company will be part of a consortium formed for the energy renovation of four important educational establishments in Kranj. With this, the University of Maribor will save €230,000, and reduce CO2 emissions by over 400 tonnes annually, the quantity absorbed by almost 20,000 trees per year. The second project deals with a public-private partnership with the Brežice Municipality, where the company will also be part of a consortium formed for the energy renovation of 15 public buildings. Through energy contracting, the Brežice Municipality will save €308,267 annually, and also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 485 tonnes of CO2 a year, corresponding to the quantity absorbed by 25,000 trees per year.
Smart technology solutions are able to solve many challenges and deliver savings to cities, but the only thing that can really address the fundamental challenges of our time and the future is a cognitive city that puts city dwellers and their needs first. This is why Petrol will in the future develop comprehensive solutions for smart cities and communities tailored to the needs of end users, and solutions for increased energy efficiency. Petrol sees the potential for a green recovery in a combination of comprehensive services for the management of energy and of infrastructure systems, ranging from the management of water supply systems and treatment plants to district heating and the generation of electricity from renewable sources. There is great potential in self-sufficient, “smart” community projects (e.g. Compile), and the generation of electricity from renewables. The guiding principle of Petrol’s development, therefore, continues to be a comprehensive energy supply, with an emphasis on improving the quality of life, the efficient and sustainable use of energy and water, and the digitalisation of infrastructure systems in cities.