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September 9, 2025
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Eco bride Milica Lukić celebrates love with sustainable wedding

Weddings are often associated with celebration, luxury, and significant resource consumption. However, the example of Milica Lukić, a researcher and environmental activist, shows that a celebration of love can be just as festive and emotional while remaining sustainable — without wastefulness or harm to the environment.

For many people, a wedding is one of the most important days of their lives. Choosing a dress, a suit, a venue, food, decorations, and music are just some of the elements that require detailed planning and organization. However, bringing a large number of people together in one place, along with traditional customs, often comes with a darker side: high carbon emissions, food waste, and excessive resource use. Still, there is another way.

Milica Lukić, a researcher at the Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, and a member of the WISE Serbia network, has demonstrated that a wedding can be organised with sustainability and care for the planet in mind. In addition to her academic career, Milica is also known as a dedicated environmental activist and an advocate for a healthier environment.

“When we talk about adopting more eco-friendly practices in everyday life, most people start with reusable shopping bags, refillable water bottles, or separating packaging for recycling. The next step is rethinking. Rethinking whether we can do something differently, which might take a little more time and planning but ultimately brings numerous benefits — for us as individuals, for society, and for nature,” Milica emphasizes.

It was precisely this mindset that inspired Milica to make her special day sustainable while also supporting the local community.

“The thought ‘less is more’ guided me throughout the entire process. That’s why I want to inspire others with my story so that, in the future, we have more examples like this,” she says.

The dress can wait for the right moment.

Choosing the right dress, the centerpiece of the celebration and likely the most eye-catching detail, can be a challenging task. It’s common for people to spend several hundred euros on this special garment, but Milica opted for a second-hand dress instead.

“The dress is always the biggest challenge, but luckily, there’s @retro.to.the.rescue, where I’ve been buying second-hand clothes for years. I bought the dress earlier and waited for the right moment,” Milica explains.

Retro to the Rescue is a charity-driven initiative, with all proceeds from sales donated to animal welfare organizations.

Love without a golden wedding ring

A wedding outfit is often paired with carefully selected jewelry made of precious metals and gemstones. However, behind the sparkling pieces lies a darker side. The jewelry industry is linked to numerous ethical and environmental issues: child labor, human rights violations, conflict financing, pollution, and environmental destruction.

That’s why Milica decided to use what she already had. “I’m most proud that I managed to resist the pressure when it came to wedding rings because gold reminds me of exploitation, mining, pollution — everything we are fighting against. Love doesn’t need a golden ring,” says Lukić, sending her support to activists in Eastern Serbia who have long been battling the consequences of mining and the influence of mining companies.

Responsible choices in beauty products protect the environment

The eco-conscious approach to Milica’s wedding was also reflected in her choice of makeup. The cosmetics industry produces around 120 billion units of packaging every year, most of which is non-recyclable plastic. It also relies on animal-derived ingredients and toxic chemicals such as parabens and phthalates.

Sustainable makeup involves products that are not tested on animals, contain no animal-derived ingredients, use natural pigments, and come in recyclable packaging. There are even zero-waste makeup options, such as refillable lipsticks packaged in metal or glass containers.

Milica chose a minimalist, sustainable approach — using vegan mascara and lipstick — and had her hair styled at a small local salon, explaining that she enjoys supporting small businesses, especially those owned by women.

She also bought her bouquet at a local market from an elderly woman selling flowers. “The night before, I tried making my own bouquet from flowers I picked in the neighborhood, but by morning, it had wilted. Even water didn’t help. Still, it won’t go to waste — it’ll continue its life in compost,” Milica says.

Sustainability reflects respect for nature, people, and the community

Instead of hosting a big wedding celebration, Milica chose a small family lunch at a local restaurant, with a vegan and vegetarian menu.

Through her example, Milica has shown that love doesn’t have to be celebrated according to traditional norms. What matters most is making the day authentic and aligned with the values we live by. Her wedding is a reminder that sustainability isn’t about giving things up — it’s about celebrating in a way that reflects respect for nature, people, and the community.

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September 9, 2025
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Airport in Cluj-Napoca secures grant for battery-backed solar park

International Airport Avram Iancu Cluj will cover more than half of the costs for a 5 MW solar power plant, with a battery energy storage system of 12 MW, from European funds. It expects the facility to cover more than 60% of its electricity needs.

Civilian airports throughout Southeastern Europe are building dozens of solar parks and rooftop photovoltaic systems to increase their energy autonomy and achieve cost savings. Some of the capacity is backed up by battery energy storage systems (BESS). International Airport Avram Iancu Cluj in Romania is set to join the group with a project worth EUR 10.7 million including value-added tax.

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure declared it eligible for EUR 6 million grant from the European Union’s Modernisation Fund. The operator is controlled by the Cluj County Council.

Cluj International Airport to save EUR 1 million per year

International Airport Avram Iancu Cluj in Transylvania serves Cluj-Napoca, Romania’s second-largest city. With the green light for EU funding, it can proceed with the PV project of 5 MW with an energy storage unit of 12 MW in operating power. The airport expects the facility to cover more than 60% of its electricity consumption.

The airport in northwestern Romania serves Cluj-Napoca, the country’s second-largest city

The system would span eight hectares and include more than 7,500 solar panels. It is intended only for self-consumption. Cost savings amount to an estimated EUR 1 million per year. The initially planned capacity of the solar park was 2 MW.

“In the context of rising energy prices and budgetary constraints, energy independence is one of the major objectives we are focusing on. The investment in a photovoltaic park at Cluj Airport, from non-reimbursable funds, is a notable achievement and creates the premises for financial stability and achieving energy independence,” said Cluj County Council President Alin Tișe.

Gearing up for rising emissions costs

The airport’s General Manager David Ciceo stressed that heat pumps are also part of the plan to decarbonize and increase energy autonomy. President of the Board of Directors Viorel Federiga noted it is an important step toward meeting new international requirements.

For instance, the EU plans to extend the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to all flights from the European Economic Area (EEA). Currently it only covers the flights within the region and toward the United Kingdom and Switzerland. A scheme called EU ETS 2, to be launched in 2027, will include buildings and road transportation.

Within its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, Cluj International Airport added another electric bus to its vehicle fleet, to take passengers to and from aircraft. It can carry 110 people. The bus, which cost EUR 830,000, features a battery that allows for an autonomy of over 300 kilometers.

The airport projected the number of its passengers this year at 3.4 million.

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September 9, 2025
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Bajramović: Investments of BAM 1.4 billion needed for distribution grids in BiH

Necessary investments in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s electricity distribution grids by 2030 amount to BAM 1.4 billion (EUR 716 million), according to Zijad Bajramović, chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina committee of the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE).

The growing installation of power plants utilizing renewable energy sources is creating congestion in transmission and distribution networks, so the limited available capacity for their connection is an issue across the entire region, Zijad Bajramović told state news agency Fena. Nezavisne Novine republished the report.

An additional burden on the distribution network is expected from the electrification of transportation and increased electricity use for heating and cooling.

Energy storage is a solution for the problems emerging in the grid

Bajramović explained that new 110 kV substations are necessary, as is the completion of the ongoing transition to the 20 kV voltage level. Attention should also be paid to integrating prosumers, especially the households that both produce electricity, with solar panels on their roofs, and consume it.

He highlighted balancing as well as maintaining voltage conditions and supply quality as the main challenges from the rise in renewable electricity capacity on the grid. Energy storage is a solution for the issues.

Batteries can prevent renewables generation curtailments

Bajramović expects battery energy storage systems to play an increasingly significant role in relieving network congestion.

BESS, in his words, are a flexibility tool for absorbing excess generation locally, and temporarily easing the pressure on the transmission grid. They can prevent curtailments of power generation from variable renewable sources, he added.

Bajramović recalled that calculations have showed batteries of 225 MW / 450 MWh in total would be necessary to connect 1,500 MW of solar power capacity and 1,000 MW of wind power to the transmission network.

An increase in distribution network tariffs would provide funds for investment in strengthening and modernizing the distribution network, in his view.

Batteries are being installed at a rapid rate around the world as well as in the region. Not only private companies, but also state-owned utilities such as Romania’s Hidroelectrica and Montenegro’s Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) are investing in such projects.

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September 9, 2025
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Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala buys into renewables developer Rezolv Energy

Mubadala Investment Company, a sovereign investment fund from Abu Dhabi, is acquiring a stake in Rezolv Energy, a major renewable energy investor in Romania, which is developing the largest solar park in Europe.

Mubadala is setting up a joint venture with Rezolv Energy’s owner, sustainable infrastructure investment fund Actis, for joint control of the firm, whose ongoing projects in the country exceed 2 GW, according to a report by Profit.ro.

The Mubadala-Actis joint venture, which has received the green light from the European Commission, will be created through the purchase of shares and securities.

Mubadala, with assets under management of USD 300 billion as of the end of 2024, is wholly owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The transaction has been cleared by the European Commission

Rezolv Energy’s ongoing projects in Romania include the construction of a photovoltaic park with an installed capacity of 1,044 MW in Arad County, called Dama Solar. Once in operation, it is expected to be the largest solar park in Europe. The investment envisages a battery energy storage system (BESS) with 500 MW of operating power.

Rezolv Energy is developing the 1,044 MW Dama Solar project and over 1 GW of wind farms in Romania

Its portfolio in Romania also includes a 600 MW wind project in Constanța county and a 461 MW wind park in Buzău county. The company has already signed a grid connection agreement for the facility in Constanța.

The company won four contracts for difference (CfD), for a total capacity of 951.2 MW, in the first two auctions organized by the Romanian Ministry of Energy, according to Profit.ro.

Rezolv Energy was launched by Actis in 2022, with an initial investment of EUR 500 million. It is now active in Romania, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, and Slovakia, with a total portfolio of 2.5 GW of solar and wind projects.

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September 9, 2025
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Serbia’s EPS plans to build 500 MW of wind farms with strategic partner

State-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) and the Government of Serbia plan to develop a 500 MW wind farm project with a strategic partner, according to Aleksandar Latinović, Head of Ancillary Services at EPS. He also noted that a 1,000 MW solar power project is expected to be online by 2029.

The Energy Infrastructure Development Plan and Energy Efficiency Measures for the period through 2028 envisage the construction of wind farms with a capacity of up to 500 MW.

The project could be similar to the 1,000 MW solar power project with 200 MW battery energy storage systems (BESS) that Serbia is implementing with strategic partners Hyundai Engineering and UGT Renewables (UGTR).

During the presentation of EPS’s development projects at the Korea-Serbia Strategic Energy Development Forum, held in Belgrade, Aleksandar Latinović recalled that the recently built Kostolac B3 power plant, as well as the pumped storage hydropower plant Bistrica, will provide energy to balance the system.

Tenders for two solar power plants are expected next year

Increasing the balancing reserve, in his words, is crucial for integrating new renewable energy sources into the power system. He particularly highlighted the Bistrica project, noting that it will have the same energy storage capacity as all currently existing BESSs in Europe. According to Latinović, the plant is expected to be operational by 2031 or 2032.

Latinović also recalled that EPS recently inaugurated Petka, its first solar power plant on a coal tailings dump. Though a small project, it is significant because EPS owns several thousand hectares of similar tailings and ash dumps.

The solar power plants Kolubara A (78 MW) and Morava (42 MW) are in the development phase, with tenders expected to be announced next year. Meanwhile, the Klenovnik project (110 MW) is undergoing a review of its preliminary feasibility study.

The 1 GW solar project is expected to be connected to the grid by 2029

Regarding wind energy, the 66 MW Kostolac wind farm is scheduled to begin trial operations next month.

For other wind farm projects, EPS and the Serbian government plan a 500 MW project with a strategic partner, he noted, stressing that EPS is willing to acquire already developed, construction-ready projects.

Latinović recalled that the preparation of a spatial plan for the 1 GW solar power project is underway. Strategic partners have already begun preparing investment and technical documentation, and a grid connection agreement with transmission system operator Elektromreža Srbije (EMS) has been signed.

A shortage of balancing energy could be an issue

According to the project timeline, this project will be operational and connected to the grid within four years, Latinović noted.

He stressed that integrating new renewable energy sources into the power system could lead to a shortage of balancing reserves. It is also possible, in his words, that there will be an excess of electricity when a significant amount of renewable energy is produced.

For this reason, EPS has initiated a study to analyze the use of hydrogen and heat storage.

The main focus of this study will be optimizing surplus electricity from intermittent renewable energy sources, increasing the system’s balancing reserve, replacing fuel oil in coal power plants with hydrogen-based fuel, and substituting gas and coal in heat production, Latinović explained.

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September 9, 2025
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Europe’s wind installations in H1 2025 insufficient to meet EU’s 2030 targets – WindEurope

Europe installed 6.8 GW of new wind farms in the first six months of the year. According to WindEurope, it isn’t nearly enough to deliver the EU’s 2030 energy security and climate targets.

WindEurope has also reduced the 2025 outlook for wind investments. In its latest wind energy data for Europe, the organization highlighted the increase in turbine orders and investments as positive signals.

Out of 6.8 GW of new wind, 5.3 GW was in the European Union, and 89% was onshore wind. Europe now has a total of 291 GW of wind capacity – 254 GW on land and 37 GW at sea, according to the data.

In the first half of 2024, Europe installed 6.4 GW. To achieve the 2030 targets, the EU needs to install about 30 GW of wind power every year.

Germany is by far the most successful country in Europe. It is set to install 5 GW of onshore wind this year, nearly three times as much as it has been building over the last five years. WindEurope attributed the success to the fact that the country was the first to rigorously implement the EU’s excellent new permitting rules.

Germany permitted a record 15 GW of new onshore wind farms in 2024 and is on track to beat that in 2025, with 8 GW of onshore wind permits granted in the first half of 2025, the report revealed.

While on average German authorities grant permits within 18 months, none of the other 26 EU countries permits new wind farms within the REDIII deadline of 24 months. WindEurope highlighted slow expansion of electricity grids, stagnating efforts to electrify Europe’s economy, and suboptimal auction design as key obstacles for faster wind deployment.

Dickson: Governments must get their act together on wind energy

WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson said that governments must get their act together on wind energy.

“Wind is competitive – it brings down electricity costs for citizens and businesses. Wind is secure – home-grown wind turbines reduce costly and dangerous dependencies on fossil fuel imports. And wind is good for the economy – it creates jobs and tax income. Around 400,000 people in Europe work in wind already, and each new wind turbine contributes €16m to Europe’s GDP. But Governments are still failing to get wind permitted and built fast enough,” Dickson noted.

The organization stressed that Europe will build less new wind capacity in 2025 than it previously expected. At the start of the year, WindEurope estimated new wind installations at 22.5 GW, and now at 19 GW. The forecast for the EU is lowered from 17 GW to 14.5 GW.

It expects the EU to have 344 GW of wind energy capacity by 2030, compared to the 2030 target of 425 GW.

Two bright spots

Two bright spots are wind turbine orders and investments in new wind farms. Europe took EUR 34 billion worth of final investment decisions (FIDs) in new wind farms with a total capacity of 14 GW in the first half of 2025. It represented more than the total FIDs in 2024.

The majority of investments are for offshore wind, with six new projects, three of which in Poland, including the country’s largest-ever private investment, according to WindEurope.

Wind turbine orders have increased 19% and reached 11.3 GW.

According to Dickson, less new wind is bad news for Europe’s wider competitiveness. Industry in Europe is craving cheap electricity to compete with China and the US, he stressed.

“But too many governments remain half-hearted in their expansion of wind. This is not only threatening the wind sector. It’s also jeopardizing jobs and growth more widely – in steel, chemicals, and ICT. Doing business in Europe is so much harder for them if the EU can’t deliver on its energy targets”, Dickson underlined.

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