RE-Source Croatia Hub conference 2024 - Bloomberg Adria interview

Описание: On March 15, 2024, the second RE-Source Croatia conference was held in Zagreb. The conference was organised by the Renewable Energy Sources Association of Croatia (OIEH) to promote power purchase agreements (PPAs).

The conference, attended by over 350 participants, emphasised the slow but steady maturation of the Croatian market, anticipating a rise in PPA contracts with the development of new renewable energy projects.

Producers highlighted challenges such as low prices demanded by energy buyers, insufficient energy volume on the market, and a lack of management expertise in negotiating PPA contracts.

Annie Scanlan, director of the European RE-Source platform, which promotes collaboration and communication between consumers and producers of electricity from renewable sources, highlighted a 40% increase in the number of signed PPA contracts in Europe last year compared to the previous year, indicating growing demand for renewable energy sources among European companies.

"The sectors of the largest corporate buyers of renewable energy in Europe in 2023 were led by heavy industry, followed by the ICT sector, retail, telecommunications, engineering, and technology," she added.

According to Dries Acke, director of public policy at SolarPower Europe, PPA contracts are a path to stable energy sources that can be shared in the future, citing the example of installing solar panels at a football stadium in Portugal, from which electricity is shared with the surrounding population.

The details of how PPA contracts can be developed were explained by Guy Brindley, director of market analytics at WindEurope. He emphasised that a company doesn't have to be on the same grid as the electricity producer to enter into a PPA contract, which is an excellent basis for cross-border agreements.

"For example, solar power from sunny parts of Europe can be used in cloudy northern England. This is a standard model for America, but it is not yet common in Europe," Brindley said.
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Credits: video interview by Marko Perožić, Deputy Editor in Chief TV at Bloomberg Adria