Croatia – A Land Of Ancient Beauty With A Ramp-Up To Renewable Energy

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The tour guide in the old city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, beamed as he described the ancient solution to waste removal. He pointed to the pavement and the slanted channel at our feet. “These indentations have allowed water and sewage to drain right into the harbor,” he explained. “Brilliant! Why don’t we have a system like this today?”

On my recent trip to the country, it became clear that, while renewable energy goals are bright promises, their implementation will be an elongated process.

Thanks to its location on the Mediterranean coast, tourism is a key source of income for Croatia, but tourism also increases threats from the effects of climate change. Nearly a quarter of the economy is based on sectors potentially vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather, including agriculture and tourism. Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!

Playwright George Bernard Shaw famously said, “Those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik.” It is a visceral experience to meander through the old city, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, set against a promontory jutting into the sea under the bare limestone mass of Mount Srdj. Game of Thrones fans will recognize many locations set beneath the solid walls, in places 18 feet wide, built between the 11th and 13th centuries. With the sparkling Adriatic below, terracotta roofed citadels dominate the cobblestone streets: Minceta Tower, Revelin Fortress, St John’s Fortress, and Bokar Bastion.

Then again, the city is reported to be the most popular tourist destination in Europe — more so than Venice or Barcelona — receiving 36 overnight tourists per resident. Annually, the city welcomes almost 1.5 million overnight tourists against a population of just 41,000 people. All these tourists — me included — appreciate Dubrovnik’s renowned beauty, but exacerbate its enormous energy challenges.

Dubrovnik symbolizes Croatia’s cultural and historical past. What is the larger story behind Croatia’s emissions, transition to renewables, and fossil fuel dependence?

Sectors & Their Emissions

Mobility: In 2021, the transport sector was responsible for 32.92% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Croatia. In transport energy consumption, the largest share, more than 90%, is represented by road transport. While Croatia has subsidized the purchase of EVs since 2014, the overall share of EVs is still low. One of the obstacles to cleaner transport is the average age of passenger vehicles, which is more than 12 years.

Industry: The industry sector is responsible for 31.68% of the total GHG emissions.

Buildings: The building sector is responsible for 13.8% of total emissions. In Croatia, 42.3% of total energy is consumed in buildings. About 62% of this energy is spent on space heating, 15% on lighting and electrical devices, 12% on cooking, and 11% on preparing hot water in households.

Agriculture: The agriculture sector contributed 14.20% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2021. Mineral fertilizers are the main source of nitrous oxide emissions – another potent GHG (29% of sector N2O emissions and 15% of total sector emissions) along with methane emissions from livestock farming (46% of total sector emissions).

Water and waste: To support Croatia’s efforts at the local level, the European Commission, in March 2024, approved financing of almost €39 million for upgrading and improving the process of wastewater collection and treatment in Velika Gorica, a few kilometers south of Zagreb. The project involves the construction of 106 km of gravity sewer — an underground sewerage system — as well as 18 km of pressure sewer and 39 pumping stations. The upgraded system will benefit close to 76,000 inhabitants who are already connected to the system or are ready to connect.

The State of Renewables in Croatia

Croatia is raising the stakes on clean energy with a new round of auctions for solar, wind, and hydropower projects. For four days in December 2023, the country was powered entirely by renewable energy sources. In January 2024, renewable energy sources produced more electricity than thermal power plants and from the Croatian part of the nuclear power plant Krško.

Solar potential: Croatia has one of the highest proportion of solar installations in the EU and has between 2,000 and 2,700 hours of sunshine a year. Although 2023 was marked by the increased construction of solar power plants, on January 1, 2024 Croatia still had only 462.5 MW of installed power of solar power plants in operation. In order to domestically produce the needed quantity of electric energy, the country would need about 2,000 MW of solar power plants or an additional 1,000 MW of new wind farms, the economic and interest association Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia calculated.

Wind power: Many ongoing development projects for wind power exist in Croatia. For example, the EU is funding a preparatory study for a 300MW offshore wind farm in the Northern Adriatic Sea, between Italy and Croatia. Croatia’s offshore wind potential is estimated at 25 GW.

Hydropower: Thanks mainly to its large hydropower plants, Croatia has a significant share of renewable energy in electricity production. Due to persistent rainy weather, in the first five months of 2023 the share stood at 75.9%. In 2022, when rainfall was much lower, the share of hydropower in energy production was 25%.

Geothermal energy: Northern Croatia is abundant with geothermal energy, a potential which has so far been scarcely used. The energy crisis has enticed many local communities to start local projects, however, which are mostly in research phases. For example, Bjelovar plans to heat the whole town with geothermal energy.

Energy storage: Croatia’s first large-scale battery storage system in Šibenik, which is subsidized by EU funds and the biggest of its kind in southeast Europe, has obtained all necessary permits and is now under construction.

Electrification of marine transport: As a former shipbuilding center, Croatia has revisited its past as it begins to build electric marine vehicles. A zero emission passenger sailing ship is being built in Split. iCat company is producing solar electric catamarans. Pearlsea Yachts is producing the country’s first electric speedboat. Jadroplov company has designed one of the largest ferries in the Adriatic, which would be able to transport a thousand passengers and 400 vehicles on electric power if they are able to resolve financing.

Croatia’s 2030 National Energy and Climate Plan aims at a 36.4% share of renewable energy by 2030 and a 45% drop in emissions. The plan is currently being updated with new targets to accentuate renewable energy sources and decarbonize the transport sector. With hopes in the green transition and sustainable development come concerns about its efficiency.

Continued Reliance on Fossil Fuels in Croatia

Croatia imported 55% of the energy it consumed in 2021. Croatia currently imports energy — 100% of its coal, 40% of gas, and 80% of oil needs — and has been particularly vulnerable to the rise in fossil fuel prices. According to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, in 2020, petroleum products represented 32.8% of the country’s imports, followed by crude oil (27.0%), natural gas (24.3%), electricity (8.3%), coal and coke (6.1%), and wood and biomass (1.5%).

The country invests in gas infrastructure, aiming to be a regional hub for US gas imports. An investment totaling €180 million in expanding the capacity of the LNG terminal on the island of Krk is planned, along with the building of a new gas pipeline. The biggest island in Croatia, Krk, has been aiming to become one of the first energy independent and CO2 neutral islands in the Mediterranean.

Plomin, Croatia’s only coal power plant, is to be closed by 2033 the latest.

Thanks to the Clean Energy Wire for stats about Croatia and its embrace of renewable energy.