Križevci and Ptuj as an inspiration in the energy transition.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, April 15 and 16, 2025, the Argonauta Association from Murter organized a thematic visit with the aim of inspiring decision-makers with successful solutions for the use of renewable energy sources and considering the possibilities of their application in our local communities, and informing and encouraging media representatives to bring this topic to the wider public.

The cities we chose for the visit were Križevci and Ptuj.

Križevci because they have a vision of becoming a climate-neutral city by 2030 and because they are pioneers in innovative projects and active involvement of citizens in the energy transition. One of the most prominent projects is the “Križevci Sunny Roofs”, which is the first such example of citizen energy and group investment in renewable energy sources in Croatia. This city has also launched a co-financing program for the installation of solar power plants on the roofs of family houses, which has resulted in great interest from citizens.

Specifically, the locations we visited in Križevci were the power plant on the roof of the Technology Park, which was financed by crowdfunding, i.e. by the citizens themselves. Then we visited the office of Klika – the Križevci climate innovation laboratory that helps the citizens of Križevci and the surrounding area, as well as all interested parties, in the energy transition and supports Križevci on the path to a climate-neutral city by 2030.

The Klika office is located in the premises of the City of Križevci and is in close cooperation with the mayor Marija Rajn herself, who warmly welcomed us and gave a short presentation on the goal of climate neutrality by 2030, the steps they have taken, the difficulties and challenges they have encountered, and further plans and efforts in this regard.

After saying goodbye to the mayor, we headed to the city market, on whose roof the ZEZ invest power plant was opened, the first solar power plant in Croatia that is 100% owned by citizens and in which the co-ownership share is distributed among 127 citizens.

After a truly fulfilling day in Križevci, the next day we headed to Ptuj. There, our hosts were members of the Local Energy Agency LEA, whose goal is to create an energy-sustainable region that maximizes its own renewable energy sources, promotes low-energy construction, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

With them, we first visited the Grajena Elementary School, which has a 45 kW power plant. This is part of a larger project within the Call for Co-financing the Construction of New Devices for the Production of Electricity from Solar Energy on Public Buildings and Parking Lots for the Period from 2024 to 2026. As part of this project, Ptuj is implementing 17 solar power plants on the roofs of public buildings with a total capacity of 1.5 MW. Some power plants are connected as part of social self-supply, while some are implemented individually in the net-metering system.

The second location we visited was the District Heating Plant, which is special because it uses renewable energy sources, specifically wood biomass.

In 2023, the old natural gas boiler was replaced with a new, modern biomass boiler, which enabled more efficient and environmentally friendly heating for approximately 40 residential buildings and also a nearby hospital, health center and school

The system includes advanced flue gas purification technology, which significantly reduces emissions and contributes to environmental protection. The hot water system was also expanded, which allows for the connection of more users and reduces the number of individual furnaces, increasing energy efficiency and reducing heating costs.

Our thematic visit ended in the heating plant, and its goal – to inspire us in the possibilities of using renewable energy sources – was certainly fulfilled.

This thematic visit is part of the project From plans to reality – a renewable opportunity for the future and is part of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).