On Tuesday, 16 June 2026, the General Assembly of the European Cooperative Society ZEZ Sunce SCE was held, where the financial results following the first year of operation of the citizen-owned solar power plant were presented.
The power plant is located on the roof of the Križevci City Market. It has been in permanent operation since April 2025, and all electricity it produces is purchased by the Croatian Energy Market Operator at a fixed feed-in tariff. During its first nine months of operation in 2025, the plant generated 171,095 kWh of electricity and recorded its first revenues and profit for the year.
Although the profit is modest, it is of great importance to us that we are now able to complete the full business model of our energy community. In practice, this means transparently presenting revenues, expenses and profit to our members, distributing profit to members in proportion to the number of shares they hold, and allocating part of it to the Community Fund.
A small step for the energy sector, but a leap for citizen energy
This may seem like a small step for the energy sector, but it is a pioneering achievement for citizen energy in Croatia. We have created a precedent in the electricity market in which citizens have become active participants: by joining the ZEZ Sunce energy community, investing in a shared solar power plant, selling electricity to the market operator and distributing the resulting profit.
And the contribution to the Community Fund, which returns part of the value created back to the local community, may be the best part of this story.
That is because the essence of citizen energy lies not only in generating kilowatt-hours of electricity and creating income for energy-community members. It also has an educational role, actively involving members in the governance of the energy they produce. At the same time, it contributes to local development through the sustainable use of local resources, the creation of local value and the reinvestment of part of the profit into projects that matter to the community.
At the ZEZ Sunce Assembly, members decided to donate part of the profit to the “Volim Križevce” Foundation for Local Development and Solidarity. In doing so, ZEZ Sunce is fulfilling its mission as an energy community focused on generating wider social benefits, rather than solely financial returns for its members.
In many EU Member States, projects such as this are no longer unusual. However, in Croatia and neighbouring countries, this is the first completed citizen-energy project and, as such, a historic achievement.
Its value as a social innovation was recognised and rewarded in 2025 by the foundation that annually presents the SocialMarie Award. It was also recognised by the Croatian Green Building Council and the Croatian Association of Thermal Facade System Manufacturers, which present the Annual Award for Green Building and Sustainable Built Environment. ZEZ Sunce received the award in the “Project of the Year” category for 2024.
This is the first project of ZEZ Sunce, but it will not be the last. We invite all local and regional authorities that want to lead an energy transition in which citizens participate as equal partners to get in touch with us.
Because together is safer and more affordable. A local energy community can protect both cities and citizens from energy insecurity, rising prices and inflation, while strengthening local resilience to future crises.
ZEZ Sunce Power Plant Performance in 2025
- 171 MWh of electricity generated
- Value of generated electricity: EUR 11,973
- Producing the same amount of electricity in a thermal power plant would require burning approximately 40,000 m³ of natural gas or 68 tonnes of coal – enough to fill three fully loaded semi-trailer trucks.
- 34 tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided
- The electricity generated is equivalent to the average annual consumption of 50 households
