Under the R-SOL-E project, local authorities from Belišće and Gorjani in Croatia, and Novi Sad in Serbia joined forces to boost energy efficiency and cut energy consumption costs in public buildings and infrastructure by promoting renewable sources. They installed six solar power plants in Belišće and Gorjani, an electric vehicle charging station in Belišće and 100 solar-powered streetlights in Novi Sad. Gorjani and Novi Sad drew up sustainable energy action plans (SEAP), Belišće updated its plan and Gorjani performed an energy survey of its public lighting.
- 10 September 2019
The aim of the R-SOL-E project, short for Renewable Solar Energy, is to increase the energy efficiency of public buildings in the Croatian and Serbian cross-border area. We accomplished this by using renewable energy sources in the City of Belišće and the Municipality of Gorjani, where we built solar power plants at six locations, and by installing 100 solar streetlamps in suburban and less accessible areas of Novi Sad. In addition, we jointly developed sustainable energy action plans with our project partners, the Municipality of Gorjani and the City of Novi Sad, which will increase energy efficiency and help these regions combat climate change.
Five of the solar power plants are on public buildings in Belišće: the town hall, the kindergarten, the swimming pool, the football club facility and an administrative building used by the police and a radio station. The other is on the Gorjani cultural centre. In all, they produce over 200 000 kilowatt hours of renewable energy a year.
Located near places such as playgrounds and bus stops, Novi Sad’s new streetlights, along with its other 30 000 public lights, are managed by a system created under the project to flag up potential problems and the need to replace lamps.
The fast vehicle-charging station is the first in the region using both solar and grid energy, while Gorjani’s energy survey will support an application for funding to renew its street lighting.
Shared vision
R-SOL-E’s partners are very different: Novi Sad is a city of 350 000 inhabitants, Belišće a town of around 10 000, and Gorjani a village of some 1 500. What brought them together was a shared vision of transferring knowledge to ensure better and more energy-efficient public services.
Belišće had gained experience from developing its SEAP and is a signatory to the Covenant of Mayors, under which local governments commit to reaching EU climate and energy goals. It used this to help the other partners factor energy consumption into every aspect of their work and plan sustainability measures more systematically – a key goal of the SEAPs. Moreover, adoption of these plans allows Novi Sad and Gorjani to sign up to the covenant and thus undertake further sustainability actions.
The idea of setting up solar power plants in Belišće came from the local association of energy experts, who also contributed to the organisation of events to sensitise people of all ages to the need to cut CO2 emissions.
One such event was ‘Public Power’, at which children and young people produced electricity by pedalling an e-bike created by a local association, thereby showing how much physical energy is needed to generate electricity. Another was a renewable energy conference, where students from a local technical school learned about future solutions from experts based at the University of Osijek. In addition, as one of the solar power plants provides energy for Belišće’s football club, the team wore T-shirts to promote R-SOL-E.
Big savings
R-SOL-E has shown how solar power plants can be integrated into the distribution grid and paved the way for deeper cooperation with public energy suppliers. It has given private companies a chance to develop new ways of making solar power and public lighting more efficient.
Energy savings of up to 60 % have been recorded in buildings served by the solar power plants, generating annual financial savings of up to EUR 30 000. Public lighting costs have dropped by 80 %. Energy efficiency and green energy professionals have disseminated the results to parties including other local authorities and energy providers.
Beneficiaries
“If we want to preserve nature for our children, we need to lead by example and in that way raise their awareness of sustainable living. The R-SOL-E project demonstrates just that: it shows our kids that energy can be produced and used in a way that doesn’t harm our planet.”
Zdenko Glasovac, head of the nursery in Belišće
“Solar power plants installed on our sports facilities – our football club and swimming pool – will significantly reduce our electricity expenses and allow us to redirect funds to new sports programmes and equipment. Our citizens, especially children, will be very pleased with that.”
Milan Zamaklar, president of the Belišće sports association
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “R-SOL-E” is EUR 1 010 154, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund and Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance II contributing EUR 858 631 through the “Interreg IPA CBC Croatia - Serbia” Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Low-carbon economy”.