Community energyAbout
The city of Zadar is located on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast and counts 71,000 inhabitants. The city has a very rich past and, from what we see in energy matters, a promising future. The city is striving to becoming a greener and more sustainable town with a high quality of life for its citizens and visitors. Producing energy locally and together with residents and companies is one way to get closer to the overall aim. We’ve met up with Ana Bajlo, who is Head of Section for Energy Efficiency at the municipality of Zadar. The city was one of the fist ones to sign up to the LIFE LOOP accreditation scheme.
What is the current level of experience on community energy in Zadar?
The City of Zadar is currently at the beginning of getting involved in energy communities. As newcomers to the field, we first want to get to know and learn about communities. We completed the Energy Cities Espresso Training – Community Energy Expresso where we were introduced to the concept of communities and learned about their way of functioning. This training was very useful for us and actually created a base for further activities.
We completed the Energy Cities Espresso Training – Community Energy Expresso where we were introduced to the concept of communities and learned about their way of functioning. This training was very useful for us and actually created a base for further activities.
You’ve signed up to the community energy accreditation scheme. What do you expect from getting out of it?
We expect further progress and hope that energy communities will be formed in the near future not only in Zadar but in the whole country.
Who can be your local partners for community energy and how do you (plan to) collaborate with them?
Our closest local partners are institutions and companies owned by the City of Zadar, the electricity company and, obviously, our citizens. As the owner of the potential partner institutions and companies we will launch actions for collaboration. The electricity company manages the electicity production and distribution so we will collaborate according to the law procedure for photovoltaic installations. When it comes to our citizens, we will publish a public call to join the community.
Note to our readers
No matter how experienced your municipality is:There is so much to gain in joining the accreditation scheme. You may want to understand where you stand, get more skills into your organisation or use the certificates to show others that you take this topic seriously. Sign up now!
