Friends of Good Energy event in Belgrade concludes Climate Week

The Friends of Good Energy event was held on September 23 at the Belgrade Fortress – Kalemegdan. The aim was to promote the use of sustainable energy sources and their role in environmental protection. It was organized by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in cooperation with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Serbia. The event was one of the many activities and events that took place in Belgrade and Kragujevac during Climate Week.

The event was geared towards educating visitors about the benefits of transitioning to renewable energy sources and how they can contribute to the process. The special focus was on prosumers, who are formally called buyers-producers in Serbia. They are individuals, households and firms that use solar panels to produce electricity for their own needs. Experts provided visitors with information on the advantages and challenges of becoming a prosumer.

We need to familiarize citizens with the concept of prosumer

“It is important for us to familiarize citizens with the concept of prosumer, buyer-producer, and bring them closer to the importance of using solar energy on the way to the energy transition. We will continue to work on educating and raising awareness of citizens in the domain of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures,” said Till Barmeier, director of the project ‘Promotion of sustainable energy sources and energy efficiency in Serbia’, implemented by GIZ.

Info stands

Visitors learned about renewable energy sources at info stands.

The Elektropionir energy cooperative, which aims to empower people to participate in the Serbian energy sector’s transition to renewable energy, presented its work at the event. Its members showed devices for measuring energy production from solar panels, monitoring air quality, and monitoring energy production and consumption. They can all be assembled at home.

Nenad Maričić, one of the first buyer-producers, answered questions on what it’s like to be a prosumer in Serbia. At the Ask the Prosumer stand, he shared his experience in producing electricity for his needs with the audience.

A solar panel was installed at the Energy Net stand, which drew the attention of all visitors. They saw how mobile phones andLED lamps and strips are powered by the device. In the Startup Corner, the award-winning S-Futur student team presented its prototype alarm system for solar panels to its guests. The system informs users about damages and malfunctions through iOS and Android applications.

A children’s play attracted the attention of the youngest visitors, who also participated in workshops organized by the Children’s Innovation Center. They learned about energy efficiency, energy saving, and green energy, while the older children participated in building and programming robots. The event ended with a quiz testing the youngest visitors’ knowledge in the physics and electronics fields.

Climate Week in Belgrade

German Development Cooperation in Serbia marked Climate Week from September 16 to 24 with a series of events aimed at raising awareness about environmental protection and climate action.

Climate Week was opened with a Street Fest on September 16 in Veliki Park in Kragujevac. The German embassy, ​​with the support of GIZ, organized Climate Talks on September 18 in the Grad cultural center in Belgrade. It featured two panels – Air Pollution and Population Health, and Energy Sector and Climate Change, with 11 experts.

For the first time, awards were presented to the female leaders in sustainable energy in Serbia

On Wednesday, September 20, in Dorćol Platz in Belgrade, the Center for the Promotion of Sustainable Development in partnership with the project ‘Promotion of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency in Serbia’ organized the Women of Serbia in Sustainable Energy Conference – Leadership for Energy Transition. In addition to panel discussions and the presentation of the results of a research conducted within the WISE project, the female leaders in sustainable energy in Serbia were awarded for the first time.

This year’s winners are Dubravka Đedović Handanović, Minister of Mining and Energy, Maja Turković, Executive Vice President of CWP Europe, and Ana Džokić, co-founder of Elektropionir, are this year’s award winners.

The conference was officially opened by the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Anke Konrad, who said Serbia has great potential to increase the share of women in energy companies as it is still very small. Networks like WISE have an important role in the effort, in her view.

The day dedicated to prosumers, Friends of Good Energy, was the last in the series and concluded Climate Week.