04.10.2021.
What is Croatia’s potential in using solar energy, what will the new legislative framework bring, and what are the possibilities for co-financing photovoltaic power plants, are just some of the questions in the focus of a 2-day conference 'Days of the Sun', organised on the island of Hvar by the association Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia (OIEH) and Island Movement. Many participants attended the event – the representatives of the ministries, units of local and regional self-government, different institutions, academic community, equipment producers, and the representatives of the banking and financial sector.“Croatia can export the knowledge and experts, and that is one of the reasons why we organise these types of conferences. We want to empower all this potential we’re talking about, gather all the stakeholders in one place, show the new business models, prompt the competent institutions, and the public, to work on solving the recognised problems. We can and must do more so that the Sun can shine for everyone,” Maja Pokrovac, the director of OIEH, thanking all partners for recognising the importance of the conference on the potentials of the Sun.
The head of the Energy Efficiency Sector at the Fund, Maja Rajčić, participated in the panel entitled In one panel entitled “The role of citizens and units of local self-government in green transition”, and she presented the current Public Call for co-financing the energy renovation of family houses, under which citizens can also be granted funding for the RES systems, including solar energy. The incentives for renewable energy sources can be obtained for the heating systems or electricity generation. Rajčić announced that by the end of the year the Fund was planning to invite a public call solely for the renewable energy sources projects, and it would be aimed at a wide range of applicants. “The islands have been recognised as specific spatial wholes, for example in the Islands Act or by the European Commission establishing the Clean energy for EU islands secretariat, so in the process of financing various energy transition pilot projects, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund will also treat islands as separate”, said Rajčić.
The participants at the conference agreed that Croatia has huge potential in using solar energy for electricity generation, and they pointed out that education of the citizens was important, as well as the changes in the regulatory framework, all with a view to taking concrete steps to the energy transition.
