KRIŽEVCI SOLAR ROOFS

First Community Energy Projects in Croatia

Križevci Solar Roofs are the first examples of community energy projects and crowdinvesting in the field of renewable energy in Croatia. Projects were fully financed by citizens through microloans.

Created as a collaboration between the Green Energy Cooperative and the City of Križevci, the projects were implemented in 2018 and 2019 to collect investments for the installation of solar power plants on two public buildings in Križevci. These projects made a significant contribution to positioning the City of Križevci as a city-leader of energy independence, and a pioneer of community energy in Croatia and neighboring countries. The projects also resulted in establishing KLIK, a community energy initiative in Križevci that nowadays manages the City of Križevci’s Energy and Climate Office, the first of its kind in Croatia.

Thanks to the citizens’ support, the electricity needs of the Križevci Development Center and Technology Park and the Franjo Marković City Library are now fully covered with the help of solar energy.

Solar Power Plant of the Križevci Development Center and Technology Park

With the aim of financing and installing a 30 kW solar power plant on the roof of the Križevci Development Center and Technology Park, the Križevci Solar Roofs project enabled citizens to invest in a local renewable energy project for the first time. 51 citizen-investors ensured 30,000 EUR in just 10 days after the launch of the crowdinvesting campaign.

The minimum amount of investment was 130 EUR, and the maximum amount was limited to 1,300 EUR (later to 1,000 EUR) to enable as many citizens as possible to invest. 20% of the required amount was limited to the investors from Križevci, to ensure local ownership over the new renewable energy capacities. As the owner of this solar power plant, the Green Energy Cooperative receives compensation from the savings obtained by its operation. That compensation is used to repay the loan to all investors over 10 years with an interest rate of 4,5%. After the loan is repaid, the power plant will remain the property of the Križevci Development Center and Technology Park.

Solar Power Plant of the Franjo Marković City Library in Križevci

After the success of the first Križevački Solar Roofs project, a new crowdinvesting campaign was launched in 2019 using the same investment model for a 30 kW solar power plant on the roof of the Franjo Marković City Library in Križevci. Through the campaign, citizens invested in the project, whereby, by giving a loan to ZEZ, they secured all funds required for the installation that will be repaid to them over 10 years with an interest rate of 3%.

Today both power plants are successfully operating and annuities are regularly paid to the investors.

Križevci solar roofs were carried out with the support of local and international organizations, such as: Regional Energy Agency North, Program for supporting entrepreneurial projects in Croatia Pokreni nešto svoje, Greenpeace Croatia, Terra Hub, REScoop.eu and Energy Cities.

Križevci Solar Roofs in Media

VIDEO:

The story of Križevci solar roofs

Crowdfunding Community Energy Projects – Experience of ZEZ

AlJazeera Balkans – Križevci:Citizen investors finance solar panels

ARTICLES:

Balkan Green Energy News – Funds raised for Croatia’s first renewable energy crowdfunding project

Total Croatia News – First Solar Power Plant Financed by Micro Loans Installed in Križevci

Energetski Portal – The First Solar Plant Owned by the Citizens in Croatia

Socijalne Inovacije – Power plant in Križevci Development Centre and Technology Park

Energy Cities – Crowd investing for solar roofs in Križevci

EURACTIV – Mayor: Cities are the atoms in the organism of the EU