The Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia (OIEH) association said in a statement on Monday that global warming can only be limited by faster development and application of green technologies. It pointed out that Croatia is still at the bottom of the European rankings in the use of solar energy. Pročitaj više

OIEH released the statement on the occasion of the eighth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, an international agreement on climate change that aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C, which is crucial for securing food supplies and strengthening countries’ ability to deal with the consequences of climate change.

The OIEH warns that Article 18 of the Paris Agreement, which states that each member of a regional economic integration organisation is responsible for its own emissions, is particularly important for Croatia and the European Union. This means that countries that do not meet their national targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be penalised by the European Commission.

Croatia has half the installed solar capacity of Slovenia

Croatia, a country with great natural potential for the utilisation of renewable energy sources, especially solar energy, is still lagging behind in the European context. It currently has half the installed solar capacity of Slovenia, 10 times less than Hungary and even 130 times less than Germany, even though solar radiation is 30% higher than in these countries.

In view of these challenges, the OIEH has signed a strategic partnership agreement with SolarPower Europe, a leading European organisation for solar energy. This partnership, unique in the region, provides a new impetus for the development of the solar industry in Croatia and for tackling the most important problems.

OIEH Director Maja Pokrovac said that Croatia is dependent on energy imports, while OIEH is in favour of the best possible domestic energy mix that includes all renewable resources, as is the case throughout Europe.

The director of SolarPower Europe, Walburga Hemetsberger, believes that Croatia is approaching the tipping point of 1 GW of installed solar energy.

Our new event, Solar Flex 2025, will be an important platform for the discussion on accelerating the development of solar energy in Croatia and the entire region,” said Hemetsberger, pointing out that Croatia has a huge solar energy potential.

Croatia still imports significant amounts of solar energy

Croatia is expected to join the countries with 1 GW of installed solar energy at the beginning of next year. However, despite this positive development, the country is still importing significant amounts of solar energy, so work to increase the share of solar energy needs to be intensified. 2 GW projects that have been blocked due to high connection costs are a serious obstacle that urgently needs to be removed, regrets OIEH.

In addition, plans to expand the grid to accommodate energy from renewable sources must be more ambitious and incorporate modern forms of energy storage to ultimately lead to lower costs for households, small and medium-sized enterprises and energy-intensive industries.

The OIEH’s partnership with SolarPower Europe will focus on addressing these challenges through examples of good practise in the EU to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and secure a clean and green future for everyone.

SolarPower Europe is a leading European organisation connecting policy makers and the photovoltaic value chain. Its mission is to ensure that solar energy becomes the leading energy source in Europe by 2030 and it brings together more than 320 organisations from the sector.