Energy Transition in Europe | www.energy-cities.eu

The City of Zagreb has prepared a program to support the installation of solar panels on the roofs of public buildings, privately-owned single-family homes and multi-apartment buildings, and companies in order to increase the installed capacity from the current 700 kilowatts (kW) to 50 megawatts (MW) by 2024. The capital of Croatia will provide grants for the preparation of projects for the installation of solar photovoltaic panels.

We spoke to Melani Furlan, community energy expert from ZEZ, about the company’s pioneering shift from startup to scaleup, as well as the opportunities and challenges they have faced.

Zelena energetska zadruga (ZEZ) is a renewable energy cooperative and social enterprise based in Zagreb, Croatia. Our mission is to empower local communities through the utilisation of local resources. We encourage them to become and feel more in control, produce and consume their own energy, and make a positive impact – in terms of environment, climate change, local economy, resilience.

Mario Rajn, the mayor of Križevci, a medieval city of 20,000 people northeast of Croatia's capital is pushing for his city to become energy independent by 2030. He explains what actions have been taken so far.

State power utility Hrvatska elektroprivreda (HEP) has launched works on Croatia’s biggest solar power plant, with an installed capacity of 6.5 MW. The plant, located on the island of Cres, will cost about EUR 5.43 million to build.

“I want us to imagine how the city of Križevci can be a part of Europe and the world where we aim to keep the temperature rise up to 1.5 degrees C, as opposed to a pre-crises lifestyle scenario which leads us to a world 3-4 degrees warmer, a world where life for people will no longer be possible.” – that is how the Mayor of Križevci invited us to act. And so we did.
We did an experiment, a hybrid between a challenge and a hackathon. Twenty-four hours, four teams, 16 competitors willing to do something for their city and a dozen more supporting them as facilitators and mentors, tech-support wizards and mood-boosters. Most importantly, the teams were followed and supported by the local community actors – the Mayor, a Deputy Mayor, local foundation “I love Križevci”, local NGOs as well as by a newly founded initiative KLIK – Križevci Lab for Innovation for Climate.

Almost 1500 public officials across 129 municipalities in Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia increased their capacity to devise new energy renovation strategies thanks to the work of the EmBuild project. These officers can now analyse their local building stocks, use new templates to draft public-sector building renovation strategies, and improve the investment climate at local level. The EmBuild Navigator gives practical help for local authorities, including a catalogue of low-cost measures, and guidance on assessing the non-energy benefits of renovation.

Croatia’s Geo Power Zagocha intends to build 20 MW geothermal power plant in the Slatina region, according to an application submitted to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy.

The plant will use Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system to produce electricity, which will be delivered to the distribution network of HEP ODS, Croatia’s state power grid operator, reads the application for determining the need for an environmental impact assessment.

Submitted by Francesco Ripa on 01 Apr 2019

Sixty two electric vehicle charging stations will be installed in Slovakia, Czechia and Croatia by June 2020. These will be located to support long-distance travel by electric vehicles. The widespread deployment of cross-border electric vehicle charging infrastructure is a key element of the development of electric mobility.

Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević, a former environmental activist, has announced the introduction of a new bulky waste management system that should save Croatia’s capital EUR 4.4 million annually. The measure was part of the program of his green-left coalition We Can!, which focuses on energy transition, waste and water management, sustainable mobility, and the introduction of circular economy principles.

The Croatian Parliament has adopted the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for the period until 2040 with a view to 2070.
The Climate Change Adaptation Strategy is the first strategic document of the Croatian government to provide an assessment of climate change for Croatia by the end of 2040 and 2070, possible impacts and vulnerability assessments, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy said.
Croatia was one of the three remaining EU countries without a climate change strategy.

The construction of seven solar power plants with a combined installed capacity of 257 MW is planned in Croatia, according to applications submitted to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy. The two power plants with a total capacity of 95 MW planned by Croatian power utility Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (HEP) alone would increase Croatia’s total installed solar capacity almost six times from 61 MW currently.

“We are finally [at the point of a] breakthrough,” said Zoran Kordić, manager of Croatia’s Green Energy Cooperative. “Renewable energy will happen — there is no question about it — and now is finally the right moment to [put] it in the hands of the citizens and not big corporations.”

European funds are used in Rijeka to a substantial degree to finance the energy renovation of buildings. This is true in the case of public buildings where we - as the city administration - apply for funds, but also in the case of private buildings whose energy renovation is co-financed by European funds thanks to entrepreneurial initiatives.

Further on, by using EU funds we procure new buses for public city transportation. We also realize a whole range of smaller projects which, each in its own way, raise the quality of life in the city.

Speaking on the wider municipal system e.g. public utility companies and institutions we have found, they too are active in applying for EU funds. For instance, our public waterworks and sewage company “Vodovod i kanalizacija“ is presently engaged in a project that will provide Rijeka and its surroundings with an extended and safe sewage network, extending the existent waterworks network along with constructing a new wastewater treatment facility. Since the city is located on karst terrain, this entire project will additionally protect the sources of drinkable water and the sea against pollution. At the moment, this project is one of the biggest investments in the whole of Croatia, as it is worth 227 million Euro, with 71% of this sum financed through European funds.

Rijeka is the most successful local government unit in Croatia in regard to using EU funds, which help us to advance the quality of life in the city.

Croatian electricity producer HEP is set to restore its ownership over hydro-power plants prior to a partial privatization.