To avoid the rising costs and negative social impacts of fossil fuels, and to ensure a more secure and resilient future for us all, faster uptake of RES is essential. Renewable energy meets the need for more affordable energy while creating new job opportunities, boosting the economy and contributing to the well-being of citizens.

Slovenia did not reach its 2020 renewable energy target (25%) through its own measures, but through the statistical transfer mechanism. It will be crucial for Slovenia to catch up in the field of renewable energy, especially solar and wind energy, by 2030, as we are at the tail end of EU countries in terms of newly installed solar and wind capacity. This is all the more important as we need to replace all coal (representing about ⅓ of the current electricity production) with renewables by 2030, and gas by 2035.

In this context, the establishment of the Renewable Energy Contact Point presents an example of a good measure to address the problem of slow deployment of renewable energy and its bottlenecks in Slovenia.

Its main objective is to guide potential investors through and facilitate the entire administrative permit application and granting process. The contact point will guide potential investors (public or private) through the procedures for obtaining permits and other necessary steps for the construction, reconstruction, renovation or operation of production facilities and their connection to the grid. It will thus support the deployment of renewable energy, making it more efficient and transparent. At the same time, the contact point will be a source of information and promotion for the use of renewable energy sources in general.

While this is a step in the right direction, the NECP revision offers a timely occasion to uptake more initiatives and address issues such as lack of staff capacity, which are currently hindering the possible impact of the newly established contact point on renewable energy development.