Organized by Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia (RES Croatia), the conference Renewable Energy Days 2025 (OIE Days) was officially opened today in Split, bringing together key stakeholders in the energy transition from Croatia and abroad. Over three days, 400 participants from 19 countries, 115 companies, and 30 institutions will discuss the most important topics for the development of a sustainable energy system – from the legislative framework and project financing to the integration of renewables into the grid and environmental protection.

The conference is supported by the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, as well as by the leading European and national institutions and organizations: the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, WindEurope, SolarPower Europe, and the Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar (EIHP). In the opening speeches, the importance of accelerating the green transition in the context of climate challenges and energy supply security was emphasized.

The conference was opened by Maja Pokrovac, Director of Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia. As she pointed out at the very beginning of the event, this is the largest annual gathering of knowledge, experience, and practical solutions in the field of renewable energy.

– This gathering is neither political nor ideological, but professional, focused on the use of energy as one of the key pillars of the economy. Over the upcoming three days, we will talk about megawatts, grid connections, flexibility, network capacity, market predictability, and, perhaps even more importantly, trust. Trust in the system, in institutions, in a country that no longer has an excuse not to use its domestic energy resources. She also emphasized that Croatia’s power grid, which is over 40 years old, is not ready to meet the demands of the green transition.

– We cannot expect the private sector alone to bear the burden of its modernization – this is a matter of strategic and national security. Regulation further slows down the process. For the third year in a row, we have no decision on the grid connection fee, and many energy permits are about to expire. Therefore, we have proposed to the Government to freeze the validity periods of the permits until the conditions for implementation are established.

Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, noted that what is being done in Croatia is truly impressive, as last year wind power plants provided 15 percent of the country’s total energy consumption, and in 2025, that share is expected to increase to as much as 25 percent.

– The European Union recently introduced new regulations; it is now mandatory for the entire permit obtaining process to be 100 percent digitalized. Additionally, renewable energy projects have been formally declared projects of overriding public interest.

– We have plans for new wind and solar projects, but will there be a new grid to support them? Currently, no country has a plan that includes construction of a network at the scale of the planned projects, and this has become a crucial issue for the European Commission. That is why a new European network package is ahead, and EU funds should at least partially ensure that power grids are ready for new renewable energy projects – Dickson said. He added that he could not think of any other country in Europe where investors had to wait three years just to know the cost of the grid connection fee, as is the case in Croatia.

The global significance of renewable energy is demonstrated by the presence of representatives from 19 countries and 115 companies at the Split event, noted Ante Šošić, Deputy Prefect of Split-Dalmatia County.

– In Split-Dalmatia County, we are focused on concrete actions: energy renovation of buildings, encouraging the installation of solar systems, and encouraging citizens to get actively involved in the transition. Thanks to our initiatives, 827 solar power plants have been installed on family homes in the past two years. We have also encouraged municipalities and cities to modernize public lighting systems, and we are seeing a significant increase in the number of heat pumps and solar systems in households. Although counties do not issue permits, they play a very important role in spatial planning, as the locations of energy facilities are determined through their plans. Our current spatial plan includes around 60 locations for solar and wind power plants, which clearly shows that we have recognized the moment and taken this issue seriously – said Šošić.

Tonči Glavinić, Acting Director of the Directorate for Reconstruction Implementation at the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, emphasized that renewable energy sources (RES) have never played a more important and crucial role than today, as the world faces major challenges of energy transition and climate change.

– The Government has clearly outlined its goals, and those are decarbonization of the economy and increasing the share of renewable energy in total energy production. In line with these goals, in 2022 a resolution was passed appointing the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets the coordinator for improving planning and construction procedures for solar power plants. By the summer of 2023, amendments to the Physical Planning Act followed, clearly defining the areas where solar power plants can be built, which was an important step in removing obstacles to solar energy development. At the beginning of 2024, the Ordinance on Simple Buildings was adopted, further accelerating the procedures. It allows the construction of solar power plants of up to 10 MW without the need for location and building permits, given that, of course, it is compliant with the main project – Glavinić explained. He added that the Ministry played a key role in creating a favorable investment climate, but its work is not done. A new Physical Planning Act is expected to be adopted in the last quarter of 2025.

– Our goal remains clear: to further improve and accelerate the construction of solar power plants in Croatia, and thus make a strong contribution to the green transition and energy independence – said Tonči Glavinić.

Hana Huzjak, Senior Economic Advisor at the European Commission, noted that she is frequently asked the following: “Will Europe give up on its green goals”?

– I am glad to say that, and it is important to keep repeating it, the energy transition will not stop. It is clear that renewable energy and further decarbonization are not luxuries or idealistic projects. They are essential tools for protecting the climate, strengthening the economy, and ensuring European sovereignty. Not because Europe follows some “green ideology”, but because continuing the energy transition is simply the only logical course of action – Hana Huzjak said. She noted that in the past three years, the share of renewable energy in Europe’s energy consumption increased from 36% to 46%. As a result, citizens saved around €100 billion on electricity bills, and wind and solar energy exceeded fossil fuel production for the first time.

– In February, the European Commission presented the Action Plan for Affordable Energy. But the goal is not only to lower the prices, but also to accelerate the energy transition. Estimated potential savings by 2040 are €2.5 trillion. That is why efforts are also being made to speed up the permit process. The recent blackout in Spain and Portugal highlighted the vulnerability of existing infrastructure. Therefore, the European Union has announced the so-called Grids Package, that is, measures to strengthen grid infrastructure, resilience, battery system development, and cybersecurity protection – Hana Huzjak said, adding that a huge investment challenge lies ahead, with as much as €900 billion per year just for the grid.

Christophe Lits, Senior Market Analyst at SolarPower Europe, presented for the first time the Global Market Outlook, an annual report published by his organization that provides a detailed analysis of the global solar energy market, including its current status, growth, and future projections.

– Last year was a record-breaking year for the solar sector. A total of 597 gigawatts of new solar capacity was installed globally, representing a 33 percent annual growth. Particularly noteworthy is the rise of rooftop solar systems, which are increasingly taking a leading role in the energy transition – Lits said in his presentation. He added that the predictions for the future are very optimistic, as continuous growth in solar system installations is expected over the next 20 years. However, global growth is not evenly distributed. China convincingly continues to lead with more than double the new installations compared to the next ten largest markets combined. In 2024, China accounts for 68 percent of total global solar growth. It is followed by the United States with around 10 percent of the global share, India with 6 percent, Brazil and Germany at 4 percent, Spain and Turkey with 2 percent, and Italy, Japan and France with 1 percent.

The formal opening of the conference continued with a panel discussion on the synergy between renewables and nuclear energy. Prof. Nikola Čavlina, Ph.D., from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER), also a member of the Ministry of Economy’s working group on nuclear energy, emphasized that the global energy goal involves reducing the share of greenhouse gas-emitting technologies, thereby opening the space for both renewable sources and nuclear energy. Currently, renewables and nuclear energy make up 40% of global production, while fossil fuels still dominate with 60% – Prof. Čavlina noted, adding that the goal is to increase the first percentage. He also emphasized the importance of what he called the “energy triangle”.

– Energy must be accessible, environmentally friendly, and safe.

When asked about the position toward nuclear energy, Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, clearly stated: “We do not accept the thesis that wind energy is against nuclear energy.” He stressed that the energy mix must include both, noting that many European countries, including Ireland, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, and Belgium, have significant shares of both wind and nuclear energy.

– Currently, 23% of electricity in Europe comes from nuclear sources, while wind contributes with 19%, which clearly shows that they are complementary, not competing sources.

Tonči Glavinić, Acting Director of the Directorate for Reconstruction Implementation at the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, spoke about spatial planning frameworks for the construction of nuclear power plants in Croatia. – Environmental impact studies and informing the public are key prerequisites for any reactors. The new Physical Planning Act should also recognize battery storage systems as part of the power system infrastructure, which has not been the case so far. The goal is to avoid situations where, due to their absence in spatial plans, a project is sent back to the beginning of the procedure – Tonči Glavinić announced.

That energy storage has become a key issue for the energy transition, which was clearly demonstrated by recent grid instabilities, was highlighted by Maria De Melo, Principal of the Climate Strategy and Delivery at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

– The stable development of renewables is not possible without an efficient and contextually appropriate storage system. She added that energy storage is still not sufficiently present in Croatia, but the EBRD is already working on a study on energy storage in cooperation with RES Croatia, the Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar, and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing.

The topics of the next two days of the conference will include the alignment of current policies with climate goals, barriers and solutions for a greater integration of renewables into the grid, ensuring financial sustainability of the projects, and technological innovations that can accelerate the path toward a more flexible and resilient energy system. The final day of the conference will focus on topics linking energy and the community: cogeneration facilities, the role of cities and municipalities in renewable energy development, and the environmental issues.