On Friday, May 6, the conference ‘CroEnergo’ was held in Plitvice Lakes, where the main topics were energy development in Croatia and the vision of Croatian smart cities, especially in the context of the European green continent. The conference was organized by SixSigma, co-organized by the Croatian Academic Community and Lika-Senj County, and held under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, and the Croatian Hydrogen Association.
The present were greeted by the Lika-Senj County Prefect Ernest Petry . He pointed out that Lika-Senj County has above-average resources for the accelerated energy transition. With the already existing use of hydro potential with the additional benefit of wind, solar and biomass energy, preconditions for energy sustainability can be created. State Secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds Šime Erlić pointed out that more than 30 percent of cohesion policy funds will strongly support the green transition of the economy and society as a whole, in which cities will play an important role. He also pointed out that smart governance and investments can contribute most to the transition.
Renewable energy, especially electricity, is Croatia's main path and strategy, believes State Secretary at the Ministry of the Economy and Sustainable Development Ivo Milatić. He is convinced that this goal is achievable, that Croatia must produce and export electricity, and said that the Ministry is ready to support any good quality and innovative idea in the direction of renewable energy sources.
At the conference, decision-makers and industry exchanged their experiences and presented innovative energy solutions of successful Croatian companies. Filip Koprčina founded his company Energy Swift Europe, a platform based on blockchain technology for owning solar farms. Through this platform, citizens can jointly invest and/or co-own solar farms, so the company democratizes the ownership of renewable energy. The company is on track to make a $ 10 million investment in solar farms by the end of 2022. Koprčina is listed on the Forbes list of '30 under 30 'of the best entrepreneurs in Europe under the age of 30.
The second company was presented by Tomislav Uroda, director and owner of iCAT. The company develops innovative, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly projects in the maritime sector, applying technologically advanced and cost-effective solutions. Electric propulsion and solar power plant are key words when speaking in catamarans developed by iCAT, which have been sailing on the island of Mljet for years.
The last company to present its innovation was IndeLoop (until recently Dok-Ing Energo), with a presentation by the director Danica Maljković. IndeLoop is a company that focuses on the circular economy and creates new valuable energy sources from waste, such as hydrogen. In this way, they dispose of large amounts of waste in an environmentally friendly way, reduce pollution and landfill needs, reduce the dangers arising from waste disposal, and create new valuable forms of energy for direct use.
The plenary presentation was held by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development Ivo Milatić, while prof. emer. dr. sc. Frano Barbir, President of the Croatian Hydrogen Association, gave a lecture on the energy system of the future based on renewable energy sources and the role of hydrogen in this system.
In the final part of the conference, a panel discussion on Croatian energy development projects and a laboratory of ideas on Croatian smart cities was held, moderated by dr. sc. Marko Periša with the participation of Ivo Čović, President of the Association of Renewable Energy Sources, Croatian Chamber of Commerce; Dražen Jakšić, director of the EIHP; Maja Pokrovac, Director of Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia; Mladen Ilijević, Head of the Service for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources, Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency; Šime Erlić, State Secretary at MRRFEU and Božo Cicvarić, Sustainable Technology Consultant at Dyvolve.
