EnRe 6. International conference in Velenje, Slovenia
On May 21, 2024, two of our colleagues attended the 6th International EnRe Conference held at the Faculty of Energy Technology, University of Maribor, in Velenje. In addition to local experts in the field of energy, representatives from Croatia, Bosnia, and Slovakia also attended the conference. The event was divided into two parts: the morning session featured two round tables, while the afternoon session included six different sections where various research groups presented their work.
The conference was opened with a keynote speech by Prof. Sebastijan Seme, PhD, president of the EnRe 2024 organizing committee. The conference featured an invited lecture by Stane Merše, M.Sc., from the Jožef Stefan Institute gave the opening remarks for the round table “NEPN Update – Impact on larger district heating systems”, which was dynamically moderated by Slavko Bobovnik. Guests Stane Merše, M.Sc., Head of Energy Efficiency Centre, IJS, Ljubo Germič, President of District Heating Section, The Energy Industry Chamber of Slovenia, Prof. Bojan Štumberger, PhD, Vice-Dean for Research Activities, Faculty of Energy Technolohy, University of Maribor and Djordje Žebeljan, M.Sc., HSE together with the moderator, discussed various topics related to the NEPN, including:
– the impact of NEPN changes on small households and farms,
– reasons for unsuccessful past projects in the field of building energy renovation,
– nuclear energy,
– district heating systems,
– future technologies (hydrogen technology, feasibility of national targets).
The starting point for the second round table was given by Gašper Škarja, Director of Utility Company Velenje, with his lecture on Green Transition of the District Heating System of the Šaleška Valley. The round table, hosted by Jerneja Sedlar, discussed Nataša Naumović, Head of System Sector at Green Transition Incentives Office, MOPE, Iztok Mori, Director of Municipality Council Velenje, Branko Debeljak, Director of TEŠ, Gašper Škarja, Director of Utility Company Velenje, Jurij Avsec, Vice-Dean for Educational Affairs, Faculty of Energy Technolohy, University of Maribor.
Participants discussed plans for the modernization and renovation of the existing system, past and future projects within TEŠ, the suitability of current university programs and the number of students enrolled at the Faculty of Energy Technolohy, University of Maribor.
In the afternoon, we attended two sections focused on Renewable Energy, Energy Storage and Management, as well as Hydropower, Thermal, and Nuclear Energy. These sessions featured presentations of various scientific papers and technical solutions, involving both practical applications and theoretical studies.
In both sections, we followed the project partners of the 3DIVERSE project, which addresses various aspects of the transformation of the Šaleška Valley. Gregor Cvet, Utility Company Velenje, gave an important presentation on how the energy renovation of multi-apartment buildings affects temperatures in the district heating system in the municipality of Velenje. Marko Keber, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, presented a project where he and his colleagues used theoretical models to estimate heat losses in individual sections of the Velenje district heating system. Nejc Jurko, the 3DIVERSE project coordinator from KSSENA, provided in-depth results and discussed the challenges that 3DIVERSE is addressing in the transformation of the Šaleška Valley.
