In the village of Špičkovina, residents are sharing electricity for the first time in entire Croatia. The energy is produced by the country’s first energy community.
For the first time in Croatia, electricity produced by a photovoltaic plant is being directly shared between citizens – neighbors, as well as the firefighter station and the owner of a small business, according to the North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency (REGEA).
A 64 kW solar power plant was installed on the roof of the volunteer fire brigade facility – Dobrovoljno Vatrogasno Društvo Špičkovina (DVD Špičkovina). Špičkovina is a village in the territory of Zabok, a town near Croatia’s capital Zagreb.
Zabok is the first in Croatia with genuine electricity sharing among citizens, the agency stressed.
The Špičkovina energy community currently has 17 members
The 17 members of the Špičkovina energy community will benefit from real savings on their bills as early as July, according to REGEA.
The project was implemented in cooperation between the local authority in Zabok, REGEA, and the European project SHAREs.
“Špičkovina proves that the energy transition is not a distant European topic, but something that is happening among us, here and now,” REGEA added.
Sharing electricity generated by solar power plants represents democratization of the energy sector because it gives citizens and entrepreneurs the opportunity to independently secure their own supply, without the mediation of energy companies.
Energy sharing is developing slowly in Southeast Europe
In Southeast Europe, energy sharing is developing slowly, even in European Union member countries. Slovenia introduced it on July 1.
The citizen energy community is a relatively new concept within the energy transition, which received official recognition under the Clean Energy for All Europeans package in 2029.
The DVD Špičkovina energy community was established three years ago. It was the first in Croatia. The legal framework was adopted in 2021.
At the time when the community in Špičkovina was founded, REGEA said that the energy sharing concept would also be developed in Karlovac and Samobor.
