First citizen energy community in Croatia
About this good practice
After the transposition of the EU directives in the Croatian legislation in 2021, many initiatives appeared trying to establish the first citizen energy community.
In 2022, the two Croatian SMEs, Grid One and Syntio received a grant from the Norwegian Government’s instrument for innovation and development to create software and hardware for solar energy communities that would enable end users to follow real-time power production and consumption, therefore enabling real-time energy sharing and pricing.
To test the platform and show its usefulness, the two SMEs decided to form an association named My Energy Community in order to organize the first energy community in Croatia. After months of tackling legal, administrative, financial, and technical issues, in April 2024 they finally managed to obtain a five-year permit to organize a citizen energy community from the Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency (HERA).
HERA’s Register of Citizen Energy Communities is therefore no longer empty and now includes a small energy community located in the Municipality of Rugvica close to Zagreb that includes 4 households, i.e. 1 prosumer, and 3 consumers, sharing the 3,6 kW PV powerplant.
The whole process benefited immensely from Innovation Norway which funded the initial project and set the two SMEs on the path of organizing the community. The community is already thinking of growth and is open to new members, while the association is willing to help all new initiatives.
Resources needed
The total value of the initial project that developed the energy-sharing platform was 762 thousand euros. The community was established around a preexisting residential PV power plant but needs a full-time employee because that is still a prerequisite for having a citizen energy community in Croatia
Evidence of success
The two SMEs used the Innovation Norway grant to develop the energy-sharing platform that can be used by future energy communities in Croatia, and beyond. Before April 2024 there were no energy communities registered in Croatia, and My Energy Community’s registration was a major milestone that required considerable resources, including time and expertise in multiple areas. The new community is open to helping public authorities and other initiatives in Croatia, and beyond.
Potential for learning or transfer
My Energy Community is a great example of project partners continuing their journey even after the publicly funded project has ended. The two SMEs were awarded an Innovation Norway grant to develop a platform for real-time solar energy communities that will enable end users to use more renewable energy and reduce energy bills. To prove and test the platform the two SMEs decided to form a citizen energy community. On this journey, they had to navigate a complex regulatory environment and encountered administrative and technical barriers to registering and operating an energy community in Croatia. Public authorities (especially the Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency and the national grid operator) benefited from feedback that will help deal with future initiatives. The same knowledge would be useful in countries with similar regulatory environments, and My Energy Community is open to helping similar initiatives in Croatia and beyond.
Further information
Images
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.