Zagreb operates solar power plants with a total capacity of 2.43 MW on public buildings, and an additional 16 MW is set to be installed on roofs, according to Mayor Tomislav Tomašević.
In 2021, the capital city of Croatia presented the Sunny Roofs program for the installation of photovoltaic plants with a combined capacity of 50 MW. Implementation began three years ago with the Solarization of Institutions of the City of Zagreb (SOLIZAG) project.
It was worth EUR 1,1 million. Within SOLIZAG, power plants were installed on eight city buildings – swimming pools Utrina, Svetice, and Jelkovec, kindergarten Trnsko, psychiatric hospital Sv. Ivan, homes for the elderly Trešnjevka 1 and 2 and waste management utility Čistoća. They have a total capacity of 1.6 MW.
The city currently has 2.43 MW of solar power plants in operation on public buildings
“In total, we currently have 2.43 MW of solar power plants in operation on public buildings owned by the City of Zagreb. It is three times the capacity we found in June 2021, only 0.7 MW,” Tomašević stated.
Currently, a total of 16 MW of solar power plants on city-owned buildings have been contracted or are in the process of being contracted. A firm has been selected for the design and construction of 10 MW of solar panels on approximately 200 city buildings, with implementation set to begin this year.
The mayor describes it as the largest investment in the solarization of public buildings in Zagreb’s history. In his view, it is a key step toward the goal of a more energy self-sufficient city.
Residents of Zagreb have a digital platform for assessing the solar potential of their roofs
In addition to the investments, commercial projects are being developed through the company Zagrebački Sunčani Krovovi. The PVMax project, supported by the North-West Croatia Regional Energy Agency (REGEA), is also underway for 41 MW in total on company buildings. So far, 6 MW has been installed.
Residents of Zagreb can assess the solar potential of their roof on a digital platform. It also calculates the cost-effectiveness.
Croatia’s capital is also participating in the Climate City Contract, which unites 100 cities committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2030. As part of the initiative, Zagreb is preparing a climate neutrality plan, expecting to adopt it this year.
Marking Earth Day, Mayor Tomašević visited one of the PV plants built within the SOLIZAG project, at the Svetice swimming pool complex. He was accompanied by his deputies Danijela Dolenec and Luka Korlaet.
Montenegrin electricity distribution system operator CEDIS plans to invest EUR 30 million this year or EUR 6 million more than in 2024.
The increase in investments demonstrates greater ambitions year after year and that grid works are becoming more intensive and demanding, according to CEDIS.
The country’s distribution system operator (DSO) said it would increase capacity for the integration of new users, improve voltage conditions, strengthen reliability and security of power supply, and reduce losses.
The investments include projects planned to be started this year as well as ones already in motion, such as the modernization of six 35/10 kV substations.
CEDIS is building two substations
CEDIS pointed to several significant endeavors within the primary grid. The most significant ones are the construction of 35/10 kV substations Tivat 3 and Rijeka Crnojevića, and the modernization of the systems Buljarica-Kufin (110/35 kV) and Podgorica 7 (110/10 kV).
Seven 35/10 kV substations are up for reconstruction – Tuzi, Unač, Ptič, Andrijevica, Velika Plaža 1, Velika Plaža 2 and Čanj. The plan includes procuring new equipment for existing 35 kV transmission lines, worth about EUR 1.4 million.
The company is introducing SCADA and ADMS systems
CEDIS will use a EUR 35 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to roll out SCADA and ADMS systems, and to purchase smart meters.
The company highlighted SCADA and ADMS as a key step towards the modernization of the distribution network and the improvement of reliability, efficiency, and security of the power system.
Investments envisaged by the project Decarbonization of the Energy Sector of Montenegro, financed with a loan from the World Bank, are kicking off this year. Its subproject for increasing the operational efficiency of the power distribution grid comprises the reconstruction and modernization of substations, and improvement in the visibility of the distribution network.
EUR 5 million for energy infrastructure on Jaz-Tivat Boulevard
One of the largest investments is the installation of power infrastructure within the construction of the Jaz-Tivat Boulevard. The investment is estimated at EUR 5 million.
Projects within the secondary distribution grid are the construction of 268 substations of 10/0.4 kV, modernization of 10 kV transmission lines, and reconstruction of existing 10/0.4 kV substations. The planned works are valued at more than EUR 6 million.
CEDIS is continuing with the revitalization of the middle- and low-voltage grid. It earmarked EUR 9 million for this year for the purpose. The project is for the renewal of four 10 kV transmission lines and 52 substations of 10/0.4 kV and replacing 1,500 poles.
The installation of new meters and the relocation of measuring points will also be continued. The plan is to start phase 4 of the advanced metering management (AMM) project. The investment is estimated at EUR 12 million.
The Constitutional Court of Bulgaria scrapped a legal provision that enabled investors to build agrivoltaic facilities on high-grade agricultural land without changing its purpose, and one that simplified the procedure of changing the purpose to build renewable energy plants intended for non-agricultural needs.
Authorities can’t simplify procedures for renewable energy plants at the expense of agricultural land, a limited and non-renewable resource, according to the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria. The judges scrapped controversial measures aimed at promoting agrivoltaic and green energy facilities.
President Rumen Radev challenged them a year and a half ago, after the National Assembly changed the Agricultural Land Protection Act. He argued that it increases the risk of uncontrolled land conversion. The amendments have also affected energy legislation.
The court said the country’s constitution obligates the government to protect the environment and biodiversity and ensure the rational use of natural resources. Arable land is only for agricultural purposes and changes are allowed only exceptionally, if there is proven need and in line with the procedure determined by law, it added.
It is unacceptable for basic legal provisions to be introduced in a bylaw to fill gaps in the law, the ruling reads.
The Constitutional Court annulled the exemption for agrivoltaic (agrisolar) projects from the obligation to change the purpose of the land. The definition of the concept in a bylaw, that it allows unhindered use of agricultural land, is insufficient for an exception, judges explained. They said a clear and precise criterion is required.
The other legal provision that the court scrapped was the simplification of the procedure to repurpose agricultural land for investments in renewable energy plants for non-agricultural purposes. Radev has disputed another similar measure, but parliament deleted it from the law in the meantime, so the Constitutional Court rejected his complaint.
Notably, investors now face higher expenses.
Upon Radev’s complaint, lawmakers reinstated rule protecting higher-quality arable land
In 2013, the president also moved to overturn allowing wind, solar, hydropower and geothermal and bioenergy facilities on agricultural land graded 5 to 10.
But lawmakers soon limited the scope to grades 7-10, like before, so the panel rejected his request to determine the constitutionality of the original rule.
New wind turbine installations reached an all-time high 117 GW last year, slightly above the 2023 level, Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) revealed in its annual report. According to its calculations, China’s share in the additions was 68.2%. At the end of December, the country hosted 45.8% of all wind power capacity, which climbed to 1.14 TW.
The Global Wind Energy Council’s flagship Global Wind Report showed that new capacity hit a record in 2024 for the second time in a row, following two years of declines. The additions came in at 117 GW, compared to 116.6 GW in 2023. Global wind power capacity grew to 1.14 TW, GWEC found.
On the other hand, new offshore wind, 8 GW, was down from the previous 10.8 GW. The segment amounted to 8.8 GW in 2022 and the record 21.1 GW was achieved one year earlier.
In the new outlook, this year’s total new capacities are seen at 138.2 GW, climbing each year to hit a whopping 194.1 GW in 2030.
The new capacities in the update for 2024 are slightly different than in the statistics that the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published a month ago. Namely, it deducts decommissioned facilities from the additions, while GWEC doesn’t. Still, IRENA’s total offshore wind capacity is 3.8 GW lower than GWEC’s 83.2 GW. The onshore figure is negligibly higher, by 1.1 GW – GWEC measured 1.05 TW.
Photo: GWEC
GWEC warns of from tariffs risk, ideologically driven attacks on wind and renewables
GWEC warned of increasing policy instability in some markets, and pointed to the need to improve permitting, grid transmission and auctioning mechanisms to keep pace with the global trend for electrification, meet countries’ energy and climate targets and lessen reliance on volatile fossil fuels, while fulfilling globally agreed ambitions to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030.
The council pointed out that the headline numbers mask big disparities, with the lion’s share of installations taking place in a small number of key mature markets, including China and Europe.
Blackwell: Halting projects that are under construction threatens investment certainty
“While wind energy continues to drive investment and jobs, improve energy security and lower consumer costs, we are seeing a more volatile policy environment in some parts of the world, including ideologically driven attacks on wind and renewables and the halting of under construction projects, threatening investment certainty,” said GWEC’s Chief Executive Officer Ben Backwell.
He stressed that the impact of the tariff wars has yet to be calculated, and urged decision makers to ensure a stable market and free and fair trade.
China’s share of global capacity nearing 50%
New installations were registered in 55 countries. China maintained its absolute dominance: it added 79.8 GW, translating to 68.2% of the total. Moreover, at the end of December it hosted 521 GW of wind power or a stunning 45.8% of global capacity. IRENA’s data shows the shares at 70.5% and 46.1%, respectively.
On the global scale, the United States is a distant second in wind power additions, at 4.1 GW, as well as the overall capacity: 154.3 GW. The following three are Germany (4 GW), India (3.4 GW) and Brazil (3.3 GW), which surpassed Spain.
The United States is a distant second in both wind power additions and overall capacity
Europe’s new installations in 2024 were 13.8 GW, after 14.5 GW in the previous year. The overall capacity advanced to 251 GW. The region includes Turkey, which surged by 1.31 GW to 13.7 GW. The country accounted for 1.1% of all new capacity last year, earning it a spot in the top ten in the category.
Excluding China, onshore wind volume awarded in auctions and other procurement mechanisms doubled in 2024 to a record 53.5 GW, GWEC said. In Europe, it jumped 24% to 17 GW. Germany accounted for 11 GW. The offshore segment also hit an all-time high, 56.3 GW. Europe led the way with 23.2 GW, against 17.4 GW in China.
Photo: GWEC
Last year’s auctions may boost dormant floating wind power market
The rise of the floating wind turbine technology is stalling, as only 41.8 MW was installed. The level is similar to the previous year.
However, floaters accounted for 1.9 GW of the awarded capacity, of which 750 MW for three projects in France, 750 MW in South Korea and 400 MW in the United Kingdom, for Green Volt. It is the world’s largest proposed floating wind power investment, at up to 560 MW.
The 25.2 MW Provence Grand Large facility of three SGRE turbines was commissioned offshore France. Mingyang installed its 16.6 MW V-shaped floating turbine OceanX near Guangdong. After that, early this year, China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. (CRRC) installed a 20 MW floating turbine at a testing site offshore Shandong.
One technological breakthrough after another in China
GWEC highlighted other technological breakthroughs in China as well. Some new offshore turbines of 18 MW to 20 MW were first deployed while a batch of 16 MW machines also came online.
Dongfang Electric presented the largest (offshore) wind turbine, of 26 MW, while Goldwind manufactured the first 22 MW unit in December. Onshore, 10 MW models are scaling up, and SANY installed a 15 MW prototype. Of note, the Chinese company is participating at the upcoming Belgrade Energy Forum (BEF) in Serbia, on May 14 and 15, where it will have a stand.
The world’s highest wind farm, at an altitude of 5,200 meters, was commissioned in Tibet.
CRRC started testing a 20 MW floating wind turbine early this year
Mingyang (also known as Ming Yang) introduced wind blades of 143 meters in February 2024. Next, Goldwind and Sinoma Blades passed the static load test with 147-meter pieces.
SANY commissioned the world’s largest wind turbine test bench, for 35 MW. A 40 MW platform is under construction in Shantou, Guangdong.
Eximprod Grup is about to commission a 65 MW photovoltaic facility in Prahova county, north of Bucharest, before adding a battery system, and Simtel obtained financing for the completion of a 52 MW solar power plant in Giurgiu, south of Romania’s capital city. Additionally, the developer of a project of a similar size in Alba county in Transylvania, including energy storage, applied for an environmental permit.
Eximprod Group said it completed a solar park of 49.5 MW in connection capacity in Ciorani, Prahova county, north of Bucharest. Commissioning and grid integration are underway.
According to its documentation, the facility has 65 MW in peak capacity. It consists of five units with 9.9 MW in grid connections each.
The PV plant is coming online through a 20/110 kV power station and a single metering point. Eximprod, controlled by investors Manole Gheorghe and Vasile Domente, thanked Transelectrica, DEER, Ostenweg Sysplan SRL and Alive Capital for cooperation in the project. The company bought 590 W solar panels.
Eximprod has won a EUR 13.4 million grant for the Ciorani project from NRRP
The EUR 56.2 million endeavor includes a grant of EUR 13.4 million from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP or, in Romanian, PNRR). It is part of the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
Eximprod invested in the solar park, which features trackers, through its project firm Solar System Project. The facility was built on an 89-hectare land plot. It is located next to a solar power plant of the same owners, with a 15.5 MW connection and 20 MW in peak capacity.
The company plans to add a 21 MW battery energy storage system to the Ciorani PV park. Eximprod recently completed the first of seven foundations of a 38.4 MW wind park in Galați county in the region of Western Moldavia.
Banca Transilvania approves loans for large solar power project in Giurgiu
The Giurgiu county, west and south of Romania’s capital city, is emerging as one of the country’s solar power and energy storage hubs. Major projects are being materialized in other areas around Bucharest as well. Engineering company Simtelhttps://balkangreenenergynews.com/imports-from-china-dont-exceed-26-of-pv-project-costs-in-romania/ said it has signed financing contracts for a PV plant of 52 MW in peak capacity, which is 80% finished.
Annual output is estimated at 69 GWh.
Banca Transilvania, Romania’s largest, has approved a ten-year investment loan of EUR 16 million and a bridge loan of EUR 12.2 million. The latter is denominated in local currency and matures in March 2026.
Simtel has completed its first three smaller PV plants
“Since 2023, with the completion of our first proprietary photovoltaic park in Pleșoiu, our company has entered a new stage of development, becoming an electricity producer. The Giurgiu project represents an important step in this direction, as it covers more than half of the total capacity we aim to have completed and operational in our portfolio by mid-2026,” said Simtel Team’s Chief Executive Officer Mihai Tudor.
Romania has supported the investment in Giurgiu through NRRP. The bridge loan covers the financing needs before the company collects the grant.
Simtel, which is also a contractor, has completed three of its PV projects – in Pleșoiu, Salonta, and Iacobeni. Four others are in various stages of construction or permitting – in Anina, Ianca, Mangalia, and Movilița. Together with the facility in Giurgiu, their combined peak capacity is above 83 MW. The eight units will generate an estimated 111 GWh per year.
The company is listed on the main market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BSE). Simtel offers consultancy services, authorization, design, engineering, construction, maintenance, operation, measurement, control, and energy supply. It was founded in 2010 by Iulian Nedea, Sergiu Bazarciuc and Radu Vilău.
Solar-BESS hybrid power plant project on monastery land in Alba is worth EUR 53.1 million
As for other relevant news in Romania, Bucharest-based Ponor Energy requested an environmental approval for a solar power project of 56.7 MW in peak capacity, which would include batteries. The site is in Ponor commune in Transylvania’s Alba county, spanning 48.6 hectares. The firm leased monastery land for 25 years.
The facility would consist of 166 Huawei inverters of 49.8 MW in total and Trina Solar’s 85,852 bifacial panels of 660 W. The battery segment would have 81.5 MWh in capacity.
Excluding value-added tax, the investment is worth an estimated EUR 53.1 million.
Construction companies Terna and Aktor are about to start building a solar power plant of 400 MW in northern Greece and another 100 MW near Larissa, for state-owned DEPA Commercial, according to a new report. In its switch toward cleaner sources, the gas holding has also finished the construction of its biomethane plant.
Greek state-controlled gas supplier, importer and trader DEPA Commercial has completed the tenders for photovoltaic parks of 500 MW overall, OT learned. The 400 MW facility in Kozani in the Western Macedonia province would currently be the largest in the country.
However, Lightsource bp, owned by BP, started the construction of a 560 MW solar park last summer in Central Greece and Thessaly. State-controlled Public Power Corp. (PPC or DEI) is about to finish a 550 MW photovoltaic facility in Ptolemaida, near Kozani.
DEPA Commercial is also known as DEPA Emporias (in Greek), DEPA Commerce and DEPA Trading. Both for the giant PV plant in northern Greece and another 100 MW in Farsala, Larissa, it selected the consortium of Terna, part of the GEK Terna conglomerate, and Ellaktor’s Aktor.
The turnkey deals are worth EUR 270 million in total
The turnkey agreements are worth a combined EUR 270 million. The company obtained a EUR 390 million loan in July from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for its photovoltaic projects. The portfolio amounted to 816 MW.
The projects, which are at various stages of maturity, are conducted under subsidiaries North Solar, North Solar 1 and New Spes Concept.
DEPA Commercial’s new move comes after the government bought a 35% stake from Helleniq Energy. The company is now fully owned by the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF or TAIPED). The transaction was completed at the turn of the year, when the vehicle also integrated the so-called Superfund.
DEPA Commercial starts producing biomethane for its fuel stations
Within its energy transition efforts, the gas giant is entering biomethane production as well. DEPA Commercial said early this month that it produced Greece’s first quantities of the fuel.
The new pilot unit, Farma Hitas (Chitas) in Filippiada in the country’s west, makes 97% pure methane and compresses it. The bio-CNG goes to the company’s Fisikon gas stations, where it is mixed with natural (fossil) gas and sold as vehicle fuel.
Ownership stakes in Alexandroupolis gas complex, IGB pipeline
As for its conventional business operations, DEPA Commercial holds a 29% stake in special purpose firm Ilektroparagogi Alexandroupolis (Alexandroupolis Electricity Production). PPC is the majority partner, with 71%.
They are building a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) of 840 MW. In addition, DEPA Commercial owns 20% of the Alexandroupolis LNG Terminal and 25% of ICGB, which operates the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) gas pipeline.
The company is participating in the Fier Thermoelectric project for a 174 MW gas power plant in Albania. DEPA Commercial intends to supply some of the renewable electricity that it generates to its wholly-owned subsidiary Fysiko Aerio – Hellenic Energy Co. The gas and electricity distributor has more than 530,000 customers.
Notably, DEPA Commercial already owns an aggregator license – FOSE, allowing it to trade in the wholesale power market on behalf of a group of producers.
