Članek Slovenian Business Report
Actinia Solar program
Actinia d.o.o. is a national distributor of Shell’s lubricants in Slovenia, known within the Shell system as one of the fastestgrowing and best-performing distributors in this part of Europe. We are a trading company with a 16-year presence in the Slovenian market, a staff of 27 full-time employees and 10 part-time collaborators, and operations that have been growing constantly ever since our inception in 1992. Our activities are organized in three programs: Shell lubricants, inLinia, and Actinia Solar.
Actinia Solar Program
The Actinia Solar program deals with environmentally-friendly technologies of the future, with special emphasis on photovoltaics, and offers a wide selection of retail products and services ranging from planning to implementing stand-alone solar systems and solar power plants (SPPs). Introduced in 2005, the program now operates as an independent profit center within the framework of Actinia d.o.o. Actinia Solar’s vision is to become the leading provider of equipment, products and solutions for renewable electricity supply in Slovenia. Its current staff of four full-time members and three external collaborators will soon have to be expanded due to its rapid growth and high potential. We stated to research the domestic market and assess its potential in 2005 and embarked on marketing in 2006. The first steps involved the positioning of the “plug and play” concept, that is, of various photovoltaic products and solutions, also called leisure time products. The aim was to familiarize users with the principle of operation of photovoltaic products and promote alternative energy sources. At first, distribution and promotion were carried out through interested groups and specialized stores where there was an interest in and demand for such solutions. Simultaneously, there was a growing interest in more sophisticated solutions, particularly in power supply systems for structures in remote sites where this source represents the most rational and environmentally-friendly power supply solution.
Solar power plants
The EU is committing substantial financial resources to and introducing numerous incentives for the development of photovoltaics and other renewable energy sources, trying to encourage the adoption of more concrete measures related to electricity use and generation and, consequently, the reduction of CO2 emissions. All EU member states are required to boost the percentage of energy produced from renewable sources in the coming years. Slovenia’s target is a 25-percent share of renewable energy by 2020. To make investments in SPPs profitable and interesting the so-called guaranteed purchase price model has been established, that is, the price which the state pays for every kWh of renewable electricity. In our view, the purchase price of 0.37 euro per kWh of energy generated by an SPP is still a bit too low, compared Germany’s, which revolves around 0.49 euro per kWh (different prices depending on the type of SPP), and considering that the costs of setting up such a plant in Slovenia are no lower than those in Germany. But the fact is that thanks to Slovenia’s more favorable geographical location and conditions we can count on higher yields, which is also confirmed in practice. The repayment period for this kind of investment is between 9 to 14 years, depending on the plant size, energy yield, type of execution, and, finally, the price of financing. We believe that, in time, with all these measures and growing electricity prices, government incentives will no longer be needed and renewable energy will be equal
to or even more competitive than fossil fuel energy. We offer investors a total solution from idea to project implementation, practically providing a turnkey service. In SPP projects, we cooperate with our customers at all stages of a project, developing project solutions based on their needs and technical feasibility, offering assistance in obtaining permits, supplying equipment, assembling, and connecting the plant to the public grid. If additional financing is needed, we help them in obtaining favorable loans from our partner banks and preparing business plans and documentation needed to apply for grants from various sources. In designing and dimensioning systems, we draw on the vast experience of our strategic partner, IBC Solar AG (www.ibc-solar.de), which has completed over 10.000 projects throughout the world in its 25 years of operation in this field. Our goal is to always find the optimal solution for our customers, tailored to their needs and conditions. The first criterion is always maximum yield and optimal operation within the constraints of available finances – that is, a satisfied customer.
Our alliance with IBC Solar AG has given us, besides knowledge and practical experience, also the advantage of offering a wide range of products for SPPs, including photovoltaic modules and components of the world’s leading manufacturers. Before reaching the market, all parts are tested on a test field in Germany (www.ibc-solar.de). In this way we can guarantee our customers top-quality and reliable operation of SPPs for a period of over 25 years.
Head of Actinia Solar Program
Rok Vrhovnik