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existence of the legislation that promotes and subsidizes the
use of renewable energy systems as it is the case in other
European countries. Newly established Environmental
Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund of Republic of
Croatia [7] periodically (at the present) announces public
tenders for RES projects, including solar thermal collectors,
but this mechanism is mainly reserved for companies and
units of local self-government while the similar invitation
has not yet been issued for physical persons (households).
TABLE II
ENERGY CAPABILITY OF POTENTIAL FACILITIES (GWH)
Region Hydro Small Wind PV Bio- Geo-
(NUTS II)
hydro power
mass thermal
Central
Croatia
744 3 0 0.008 78 362
Zagreb
region
400 5 0 0.015 24 0
Eastern
Croatia
0 7 0 0.000 202 15
Adriatic
Croatia
735 143 785 0.450 218 0
Total 1879 158 785 0.473 522 377
Use of biomass is favorable in low plains of Pannonian
Basin - Slavonia region in Croatia (agricultural residues [8],
e.g. sunflower, soybean, rapeseed and beans (Table III), but
also fruit and olive residues) and in mountainous forested
regions (and partially in plains) of Primorsko-Goranska,
Ličko-Senjska, Karlovačka and some other counties (forest
residues and wood waste from wood processing industry,
Table III). Such biomass could be used for the purpose of
district heating and, in lower scale, electricity production (in
cogenerations).
Energy potential is considerable (given in Tables I and II
and on the maps in Figs. 5) especially in respect to relatively
low costs comparable to those of wind power production
(Fig. 7). But unlike the wind farms, power production from
the biomass will have higher social benefits in terms of
increased employment of local workforce and additional
activities for farmers producing row material.
Region
(NUTS II)
TABLE III
AGRICULTURAL AND WOODY BIOMASS POTENTIAL
Forest
area
Wood
assortment
production
m 3 /year
Sunflower
Soybean
Rape-
seed
Beans
ha
t t t t
Central
Croatia
464291 2527255 15 1346 2137 2696
Zagreb
region
38669 173077 0 182 321 862
Eastern
Croatia
357400 1803571 11104 8746 4807 1906
Adriatic
Croatia
1131178 1564827 1 14 51 433
Total 1991537 6068730 11120 10288 7316 5897
The review of biomass potential would not be complete
without considering the waste (municipal solid waste, sewer
sludge, landfill gas, solid and liquid manures from livestock
farms and abattoirs) whose energy potential is at the present
time practically unused. The Republic of Croatia is currently
making efforts to establish its waste management system,
which among other things foresees energy usage of that part
of the waste, which could not be recycled or used in other
ways. It can be concluded that importance of this sector will
grow in near future. Total biomass (plus waste) technical
potential is estimated to be between 50 and 80 PJ in 2030.
Fig. 5. Maximum load capacity of potential biomass facilities (MW), given
on NUTS II level.
Hydro potential (big and small 5 power plants, Tables I
and II) is traditionally the most exploited renewable energy
resource (the share of electric hydro power generation
capacity in Croatia is 51% of the total installed capacity [9]-
[10]). The big hydro power plants, although belonging to
centralized power generation, are included in the tables as
the referent renewable technology, for the purpose of cost
comparison. It is not surprising that the cost of electricity
production for the big hydro power plants is the lowest of
all RES, while the same does not stand for the small hydro
power plants which, depending on the specific case, could
exhibit substantial costs.
One part of hydro potential suitable for construction of
big hydro power plants is permanently lost due to urban,
environmental and economic limits. Even small hydro
power plant projects in Croatia are confronted to strong
public resistance due to increased environmental
consciousness. Therefore, the quite significant total
potential of small hydro power plants, given by the maximal
load capacity and energy capability, will have to be revised.
The Republic of Croatia has a geothermal gradient of
0.049 °C/m (in Pannonian Basin), what is more than the
European average (0.03 °C/m) [11]. Potential production of
electricity, although not very likely in near future, would be
profitable at only five (up to now) discovered locations with
the temperature of hot water/steam above 120 °C, shown in
the Fig. 6 and Tables I and II. Heat energy from other wells
(with lower temperatures) could be used for heating
purposes or in horticulture and agriculture industry (heating
of greenhouses, drying and pasteurization of agricultural
products) and for balneological and recreational purposes
(spas and sport centers), for what it is traditionally
5 Small hydro power plants are of size less than 10 MW.
4