Grid-connected renewables in Croatia up to 172,981 kW in 2012

The combined installed capacity of grid-connected power generation facilities in Croatia using renewable energy sources (RES) rose to 172,981 kilowatts (kW) at the end of 2012 from 108,320 kW at the beginning of the year, the economy ministry said on Tuesday.

The quota for new photovoltaic capacity was set at 15 megawatts (MW) in 2012 - including 10 MW for building-integrated capacity and 5.0 MW for non-integrated, and the non-integrated quota was maxed out by mid-October, the ministry said in a statement issued after a media briefing held in Zagreb.

The quota for new photovoltaic capacity for this year was set at 25 MW in late October - including 15 MW for building-integrated capacity and 10 MW for non-integrated, and by December 31, based on the filed requests for the purchase of electricity, the integrated quota had already been filled, the statement said.

Croatia expects that it should reach 45 MW of installed solar power capacity by July 1, 2014, much earlier than its 2020 target year.

Grid-connected RES power plants in Croatia, end-December 2012:

Type of eligible power producer	Number of power plants	Installed capacity (kW)
Wind power	9	141,250
Solar power	102	3,793.75
Hydro power	3	1,120
Biomass	3	6,690
Biogas	8	7,135
Cogeneration	3	10,493
Landfill gas	1	2,500
Total	129	172,981

Ongoing RES projects that have signed contracts with the Croatian Energy Market Operator but are not connected to the grid yet, end-December 2012:

Project type	Number of planned power plants	Planned capacity (kW)
Wind power	6	136,000
Solar power	422	11,086
Hydro power	1	220
Biomass	5	36,400
Biogas	4	4,000
Geothermal	1	4,710
Cogeneration	1	1,000
Total	440	193,416