Water flows, turbines turn, and lights come on

History of Hydroelectricity in Slovenia until World War II

This dissertation examines the social and environmental impacts of hydropower infrastructure in the Slovenian Alps. Already at the end of the 19th century, some examples of hydroelectric power plants, initially used by the developing industry, were also used for the electrification of some Slovenian towns. In this context, the public and its reaction to something new, in this case electricity and its generation by hydropower, plays an important role. The first regional hydroelectric power plant, the Završnica hydroelectric power plant, was built in 1914 in the Karavanke mountains. Also during the First World War, two smaller hydroelectric power plants were built in the Slovenian Alps to meet the needs of the army. In the field of hydroelectric power plants, a new area emerged after the War, in which the company "Kranjske deželne elektrarne" (Regional Power Plants of Carniola) and the hydroelectric power plant Fala played an important role. In addition to the historical overview, the dissertation examines four cases of hydroelectric power plants in the Gorenjska region of today Slovenia.