The expansion of renewable energy in Croatia is gaining pace. One of the main bottlenecks remains grid connections for new installations. Storage solutions can help address this, providing the flexibility needed to integrate electricity from smaller plants, particularly solar parks, into the grid.
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The focus is on managing when green electricity is fed into the grid. Solar generation, for example, often produces sharp output peaks that storage systems can shift to other times. A recent study examines how different storage technologies could support Croatia’s energy transition. Its findings will be presented at this year’s SolarFlex Croatia conference, organised by the Renewable Energy Sources Croatia association (OIEH) together with SolarPower Europe, taking place on 17 March in Zagreb.
Storage a component of grid development
According to OIEH, the study provides an important analytical basis for strategic grid development planning and for guiding investment in energy storage systems in Croatia. “This study will highlight the importance of further integrating renewable energy sources, which can be achieved through a combination of grid investment and the integration of flexible assets, primarily energy storage,” emphasises Ninoslav Holjevac.
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Evaluating the potential of storage
Holjevac is a professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing at the University of Zagreb and one of the study’s authors. “Energy storage complements grid development and helps maintain grid capacity during the planning and implementation of long-term grid expansion. It is therefore important to assess the potential and significance of storage solutions for the Croatian power system in greater detail,” he explains.
Clever use of technologies
Speakers will also examine the storage technologies expected to play a role in Croatia’s future energy transition. Alongside battery systems, large pumped-storage plants remain important. Hydrogen and heat will also be needed as storage media.
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How these technologies can be integrated into the system, and how energy suppliers, companies and other investors can approach concrete projects, will be discussed at SolarFlex Croatia. The conference will take place on 17 March 2026 at the Sheraton Zagreb Hotel. The full programme and registration link are available on the OIEH website for those wishing to attend at short notice. (su)
