With the arrival of spring and more sunny days, not only birds and nature awaken, but also the photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the Community Centre and kindergarten in SOS Children’s Village Lekenik.
A 100 kW solar power plant, installed in the first phase of the project implemented by our team, has received a permanent operation permit. Heating, lighting, and all electrical outlets in the Community Centre as well as kindergarten are now powered by solar energy. In the Centre, kids, along with SOS mothers and mentors, spend their time socializing, doing homework, playing, drawing, dancing, and preparing performances that always require an extra chair for the many neighbours, friends, and partners who support the Village.
We are happy to be among them, together with the partners who made this solar power plant possible. In July last year, a donation agreement worth EUR 340,000 was signed in Lekenik between SOS Children’s Village Croatia and Raiffeisen Bank, the Green Energy Cooperative (ZEZ), Biomasa Group, and Kufner Group. We are implementing the project in two phases: after the first 100 kilowatts installed on the roof of the Community Centre, this year we are moving forward with the installation of an additional 250 kilowatts on the roofs of all fifteen houses in SOS Children’s Village Lekenik. This will bring the total capacity of the solar power plant to 350 kilowatts, significantly reducing annual energy costs. For the SOS Village, these amounted to more than EUR 80,000 per year, which was the initial driver behind the transition towards energy independence.
Our motto at ZEZ is that energy should be in the hands of citizens and the local community, and this is a great example of such an initiative, especially because it is the first project to solarise an entire SOS Children’s Village in this part of Europe. At a time of climate crisis and extreme volatility in energy prices, we are sending an important message: energy should be renewable and produced locally. Together with the donor partners, we involved local equipment suppliers and a domestic team of installers in the implementation of the project, so that all the value generated by the project remained within the local community. For every euro invested through this donation, at least three times more value will be created through the savings achieved and the impact on the community. I am also pleased that we have shown that our team is capable of delivering large projects, from the initial idea to implementation.
Zoran Kordić, Director of the Green Energy Cooperative
From Idea to Implementation – Energy is in Safe Hands with ZEZ
The donation agreement was only one of the first steps on the path from idea to implementation, led by ZEZ’s expert team. This was followed by design, equipment procurement, installation, handling administrative requirements and permits, and the trial operation of the power plant.
The second phase lies ahead, which will include installing solar panels on all fifteen houses in the SOS Village, where SOS mothers and children live – SOS families caring for around fifty children. SOS Children’s Village in Lekenik is thus becoming the first solar-powered children’s village in Croatia, and the estimated savings over the lifetime of the system, which is at least 25 years, amount to EUR 1.17 million. The funds saved will be directed straight into childcare and improving the quality of life of the children through additional activities such as education, summer holidays, foreign language learning, and more.
We are truly proud to have shown that, through our expertise and experience, we can turn socially responsible ideas into concrete projects that benefit the local community, the environment, and the partners involved, while also contributing to the ESG goals of socially and environmentally beneficial business action.
The Green Energy Cooperative wants to be, and can be, a driver of change as a reliable partner to large companies, small entrepreneurs, and local communities in creating a sustainable future. We look forward to all new projects that connect renewable and sustainable energy in ways that bring multiple positive effects to the community and make it a better place to live. Or, as we like to say, good energy with a human face, for a more resilient community and a better future for all our children.
Shall we create more good projects like this together? Get in touch!
