The head of the Electrical Power Engineering Department at the Osijek University, Damir Sljivac, said in a conference in Osijek on Tuesday that Croatia was among top seven EU countries which generated more than 50 percent of their power from renewables in 2020. 

Sljivac was speaking at a conference on green energy. The event brought together 150 experts and was intended to present publicly some unique examples of application of renewable and alternative sources of energy.

“Since 2007 Croatia has had new regulations on renewable energy sources which have enabled the construction of wind parks and photovoltaic systems, which, in addition to significant production of power by plants in Slavonia which produce energy from biomass and biogas, allows us to produce 20 percent of our energy from renewable sources,” Sljivac said, noting that Croatia is “very successful” in that regard.

The head of the Croatian Association for Hydrogen Development and Application, Ivica Jakic, said that Croatia was among the first EU countries to have adopted a strategy for hydrogen development for the period until 2050.

“The Petrokemija fertilizer manufacturer in Kutina will not be able to operate without hydrogen, and neither will other cement, steel and chemical industries that need hydrogen as an energy source,” Jakic said, noting that hydrogen was “the only energy source that did not have any harmful effects, its byproduct being only water.”

He also said that Croatia advocated producing hydrogen from organic waste gases.