Policies in Croatia

Currently, energy sharing (multiple users in one building sharing a RES system) and energy communities (multiple users from multiple buildings sharing a RES system) are not well-defined by the legislative framework. In fact, energy sharing is not defined at all and it is not currently possible, while there have been enthusiast movements which have managed to build an energy community, despite many administrative hurdles, in the form of a cooperative. It is important to note that a form of energy communities is defined and available for industrial businesses, as outlined in the corresponding section on energy communities. Prosumers, on the other hand, are better-defined and commonly exist in Croatia, but there is still a need for improvement of the regulatory framework and implementation of more supporting measures.

Energy communities are implemented through the form of a cooperative in the Republic of Croatia. This brings with it some setbacks which could discourage some people from joining. However, industrial and commercial entities can conduct energy sharing in a closed distribution system. There are legislative changes currently in process which would define energy communities in the Croatian legislative framework. Amendments to the Act on Renewable Energy Sources and High-Efficiency Cogeneration (the RES Act), which would define energy communities, are currently in the process of public consultations. A prosumer (producing consumer) status is well defined and a net metering system is applied for this status. This is commonly achieved by installing PV panels on top of one’s house or a commercial building. However, a private prosumer cannot be a yearly net producer. In other words, the prosumer cannot supply more energy into the grid than he or she consumed in the period of the calendar year, if he or she wants to keep the status of the prosumer. Business users, on the other hand, can feed any amount of electricity into the grid, which is sold to the electricity supplier at a price determined by a contractual obligation.

HEP ODS d.o.o. (Distribution System Operator) HOPS (Transmission System Operator) Hrvatska energetska regulatorna agencija (HERA) Hrvatski operator tržišta električne energije (HROTE) Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (FZOEU) Hrvatska banka za obnovu i razvitak (HBOR)