Staff members of the Faculty of Environmental Protection made an important contribution to the programme of the 7th International EnRe Conference – Energy & Responsibility, which took place on 19 May 2026 in Velenje at the Faculty of Energy, University of Maribor. Their participation included a round-table discussion, moderation of a professional session, and several expert presentations.
The conference addressed current issues related to the energy transition, responsible energy production and use, the environmental impacts of energy systems, the spatial planning of renewable energy sources, and the links between energy, environmental protection, and sustainable development.
As part of the conference, Senior Lecturer Klemen Kotnik participated in the round-table discussion “70 Years of Electricity Production,” moderated by Slavko Bobovnik. The discussion brought together representatives of the energy sector, academia, and professional institutions, and provided insights into the development of electricity production in the Šalek Valley, its role in the broader energy system, and the challenges of future development.
The Faculty of Environmental Protection was also strongly represented in the professional programme of the conference. Dr. Gašper Gantar, Director of FEP, moderated the session Ecology, LCA, Spatial Planning, and Biodiversity, which featured contributions on life cycle assessment, the environmental impacts of photovoltaic and wind energy systems, and the impacts of energy systems on wildlife.
The following FEP contributors presented expert papers in the session:
- Gašper Gantar with the paper “Life Cycle Assessment of an Average Slovenian Photovoltaic System”;
- Tanja Tajnik with the paper “From Data to Decisions: LCA as a Tool for Identifying Bottlenecks in Energy Systems”;
- Katja Črnec and Borut Vrščaj with the paper “Environmental Impacts of Photovoltaic and Wind Energy Systems: A Comparative Analysis of Advantages and Disadvantages”;
- Katarina Flajšman, Amanda Poplas, Zarja Platovšek, and Boštjan Pokorny with the paper “Impacts of Wind and Photovoltaic Systems on Wildlife.”
In the session Energy Transition, Transport, Statistics, and Communication, Senior Lecturer Klemen Kotnik also delivered the lecture “The Role of EIA and SEA in the Spatial Planning of Renewable Energy Sources.” In his presentation, he highlighted the importance of environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment in the planning and spatial integration of renewable energy sources.
The participation of the Faculty of Environmental Protection at the EnRe conference confirms the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation between environmental knowledge, energy, spatial planning, environmental assessments, and nature conservation. Professional events of this kind are important for transferring research findings into practice and for developing responsible solutions for the energy and environmental future.
