The European Union has adopted a strategy for a joint energy transition aimed at reducing the energy footprint, demonstrating that these aspirations are shared among European countries. It is also known that the EU has decided that sources based on coal will no longer be financed. What is the chance for energy 4.0 was the question posed to the panel participants at Lider’s 9th conference on the Energy Future of Croatia.
– We are constantly moving towards greener incentives. The goal is for these incentives to be transformed into subsidies that will contribute to reducing the energy footprint. Our goal is the decarbonization of the EU, and for this purpose, we have launched a series of public calls, some of which have already been published, while others will be in the fall – said Suada Mustajbegović from the Environmental Protection Fund, adding that the Fund is the central place for collecting fees, and in 2020 alone, more than 600 million kuna in subsidies were approved.
– In addition to all this, Mustajbegović emphasizes, a call for the energy renovation of family houses has been launched, and the calls related to e-mobility have also been successful.
– In parallel with this, work is being done on the construction of charging stations that are necessary for both tourists and citizens – said Mustajbegović, adding that last year, 200 new charging stations were built with the Fund’s resources, and this year there should be even more as a larger amount is available for e-mobility.
– This year, for the first time, incentives for electric ships and hydrogen-powered ships, as well as for buses, are being introduced. Hydrogen has been introduced into our calls for the first time this year – said Mustajbegović, adding that there will also be certain calls in the fall for the use of renewable energy sources for the tourism sector and for citizens.
As for digitalization, the Fund has launched a call related to smart concepts in cities, and this year, Mustajbegović says, there will be a similar call for smart traffic.
Maja Pokrovac from OIE Croatia noted that there are resources available, but they just need to be utilized.
– There is 750 billion euros from the Next Generation recovery fund, which consists of 560 billion for recovery, 350 billion in grants, and 190 billion for additional locations. We are entering the next financial phase, 2021 to 2027, and there are resources available, and it is all up to us. We must not think too long, but we must focus on concrete projects, on everything that Croatia needs – said Pokrovac, adding that there are many entrepreneurial zones in Croatia that are determined to be energy independent, meaning that energy is produced where it is consumed.
– Energy must become a commodity that is available to every citizen. There are already models in place, and we need to start utilizing them – said Pokrovac.
Ivica Jakić consultant from the Croatian Association for the Development and Application of Hydrogen Fuel Cells, said that the hydrogen story is ten years behind and that everything we heard today about hydrogen should have been heard a decade ago.
– Today, everything has changed, so we sell electricity using blockchain technology – said Jakić, adding that smart grids are a thing of the past, and the future lies in thinking networks.
Jakić also added that energy must not be an end in itself and that energy from the sun or wind should be the beginning of obtaining new fuels.
Jakić added that energy must not be an end in itself and that energy from the sun or wind should be the beginning of obtaining new energy fuels.
-It is a transition to achieve energy efficiency and to achieve decarbonization – says Jakić.
Jakić says that the future lies in the transport of hydrogen through pipelines because they can transmit more energy than power lines. Closed distribution systems are being developed, and that is the future. All offshore wind farms receive an addition that produces hydrogen on-site, which is then transported through pipelines because it is much cheaper.
– One pipeline transmits much more energy than a power line, Jakić added, stating that closed distribution systems are the future.
– We want energy to come from gas, and production to be on-site – says Jakić.
Jakić says that the Hydrogen Association has also been established in Croatia, which has defined two strategic projects: clean hydrogen for the Blue Danube and Green Slavonia, which has a potential of 250 MW from solar power plants that will produce electricity as well as hydrogen, and there is also a project for clean hydrogen for the Blue Adriatic.
-The center and ports should be Vukovar and Zadar. Hydrogen must be ‘new deal’ for Croatia – concluded Jakić.
Zadar should be promoted as an H2 port, with the support of Tankerska plovidba and other entities. The goal is for ships to refuel with hydrogen in Zadar. For operations to be hydrogen-powered, to export through the port of Zadar, and for ferries to run on hydrogen. This is not a fantasy; work is already underway. Here we see our future positioning Croatia on the map as a hydrogen exporter, said Jakić.
Jakić also reflected on the systems developed in Switzerland, stating that the pace is fully digitalized and that the system defines when to increase production and when to decrease it. The same system also manages the distribution system that buys energy where and when it is cheapest.
-Digitalized systems are a complete step forward that we must strive for – said Jakić.
He stated that the Association already has three projects related to hydrogen pumping stations. The first will be in Doking, which is a member of the association and the only company working on hydrogen for its heavy vehicles.
-Our goal is to produce hydrogen in Croatia, but also to have Croatian production that will be capable of doing something with it – concluded Jakić.
Petar Sprčić from HEP stated that they have defined an energy strategy for 2030 that is in line with the EU strategy and that by 2030, they will have more than 1000 megawatts installed in solar and wind.
-We have 6 construction sites for solar power plants open, one construction site for a wind farm, and by the end of the year, we expect another 80 megawatts from renewable energy sources – said Sprčić.
He added that they are independently developing a set of projects in solar, wind, and hydroelectric power plants. An investment decision has also been made for the Senj 2 hydroelectric power plant.
-We focus on large projects, but we also participate in the market through energy efficiency projects where we collaborate with agriculture and work with producers to reach our customers – concluded Sprčić.
Jure Botica, Siemens Energy said that Siemens Energy was established due to energy 4.0 and the energy transformation of the market and the world.
– The goal of Siemens Energy is to enable green energy for as many people as possible in the future.
Siemens Energy, with its portfolio, is equally energy 4.0 because that is the goal of Siemens Energy: to enable accessible and green energy for as many people as possible in the future. If we want to have green energy in the end, we cannot play around; we must be absolutely on that path and not deviate from it.
-The services and products we offer will enable the EU to go green by the end – said Botica.
Green energy cannot happen tomorrow; there is a transitional period, and gas is a transitional energy source. That is why Siemens Energy has developed gas turbines that can be powered up to 50 percent with hydrogen, which is a significant benefit in terms of CO2 emissions and efficiency.
Significant investments are being made in hydrogen production and storage, and Siemens will also place a lot of emphasis on hydrogen in the future. It can be stored in large quantities; we must think about facilities like gas power plants powered by hydrogen when solar or wind are not available, added Botica.
Siemens, as a technology company, cannot be non-digital. The digitalization that everyone talks about has not really arrived; in our sector, it has existed for a long time. The digitalization in the form we are discussing today has emerged when technology allowed it, and this mostly relates to data collection and processing.
– And we see our opportunity in data. They enable us to provide our customers with more efficient operations – concluded Botica.
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