Renusol has been active in the Croatian market for several years. How has your presence there evolved?
Marko Balen: The overall impression is positive. Renusol entered the Croatian market four years ago and has established strong partnerships. We work with a wholesaler that distributes our products and provides the technical support needed to ensure our systems are installed correctly. Growth has been steady over the past few years, enabling us to hire local staff who deliver technical support and create added value for our customers. We continue to see positive prospects for the years ahead.
With the end of net metering for residential system owners, what impact do you expect on the market?
We expect that the changes to feed-in tariffs will result in a similar level of sales to last year. Significant growth is unlikely, but we do not anticipate a decline either. This aligns with the impressions I gathered in numerous customer conversations, including at the Green Energy Fair in Zagreb.
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For many years, electricity prices in Croatia were subsidised and relatively low. Has this been an obstacle to the growth of photovoltaics?
That is a key point. Electricity pricing in Croatia differs somewhat from Germany. Here, small consumers pay less for electricity than large industrial users. Because industry pays higher electricity prices than households, investing in their own PV systems has been particularly attractive for businesses. Nevertheless, prices are rising for both groups. Most recently, there was an increase of around 15 to 20 percent. The marked differences compared with the German market and other European markets are slowly vanishing, creating a favourable environment for photovoltaics.
Is the commercial and industrial segment proving more dynamic than the residential market as a result?
Both segments have developed well in recent years. We have implemented larger projects, and demand from homeowners has also been strong. The market is relatively stable across both segments. Of course, it cannot be compared with larger markets such as Germany, France or the UK, but that has never been our goal. Consistent work over many years allows you to build a position from which you can offer genuine added value to your customers.
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Given the prevalence of holiday homes along the Adriatic coast, how significant is tourism in driving demand for small rooftop PV systems?
Tourism in Croatia leads to very high electricity consumption in summer and regularly pushes the grid to its limits. Photovoltaics, especially when combined with battery storage, can help to ensure grid stability. Now that net metering has ended, this combination of solar and battery storage is the logical next step, and we expect this trend to continue in the coming years.
You mentioned working with a distributor. How does this collaboration function in practice?
It works very well. We were fortunate to find partners who speak our technical language and share our ambition for high service standards. As Renusol is a quality provider, we focus on selling our mounting systems based on quality, certification and structural calculation rather than price. This approach allows us to address the right customer groups.
Wages are lower than in the major northern European markets, and investment capital is correspondingly limited. Does this not increase price pressure on your business?
This is an important topic. Business is going well for us, but it could be even better if we did not have to compete with low-cost providers that place questionable products on the market. These products lack structural calculations or proof of load-bearing capacity — a standard we cannot and will not match. We saw this dynamic years ago in Germany, where substructures without structural verification were initially installed. Eventually, the market weeded out those competitors. Here in Croatia, they are still present, but once the first problems occur with the substructure, it quickly becomes clear that structurally sound systems are the smarter long-term investment.
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Are there any specific technical requirements in Croatia, for example regarding wind loads?
Yes, there are local wind loads specified in the national annexes to the Eurocodes. We have incorporated these into our design software, which allows us to carry out structural calculations in line with local requirements. The programme is also available in Croatian. At present, there are no specific standards or local certifications for PV systems in Croatia. My advice to homeowners is to select products that are already certified in other countries.
Do you use the same systems as in other markets?
Essentially, yes. We also address local requirements, such as specific roofing types. The classic monk-and-nun tile roofs, which are common on the coast, are particularly challenging when it comes to fastening to the roof and underlying structure. You need to pay close attention here and keep developing solutions.
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What about the structural load capacity of buildings?
For flat roofs and large industrial buildings, we always recommend checking the load-bearing capacity in advance. In Croatia, this is quite strictly enforced. A structural engineer is typically brought in to oversee the entire project. Our calculations are submitted to them, and they perform the assessment for the roof. For PV systems, there is typically a very long paper documentation covering all details. It can be quite bureaucratic, but in this respect Croatia is already very well organised.
What kind of support do you provide to the installers you work with?
We have organised numerous training sessions and specialist lectures. We have also worked with the local chambers for civil and electrical engineers to highlight the key structural aspects. This has helped us find the right partners to collaborate with.
Interview by Sven Ullrich
