In 2024, Croatia will increase its solar capacity by 397 MW.

Last year, Croatia increased its solar energy capacity by 397.1 MW, rising from 238.7 MW installed in 2023, according to the country's renewable energy sources association, which made the announcement on Tuesday.

Currently, there are over 26,000 solar power plants in Croatia, generating an overall capacity of 872.1 MW, and the nation is on track to join the GW club this year, according to RES Croatia's daily newsletter. Nearly 90% of the new installations last year were residential and industrial rooftop power plants, which dominate the domestic solar energy sector.

Although Croatia's solar energy production is increasing, it remains one of the lowest in the European Union for overall electricity generation from photovoltaic sources, which currently meet about 3% of the country's annual energy consumption, the association noted.

Croatia's net electricity production dropped to 1,264 GWh in November from 1,596 GWh during the same period last year, as reported by the country's statistical office last month. Hydropower plants contributed 525 GWh of the total for November, wind power plants accounted for 287 GWh, and solar energy contributed 33 GWh.

"We are still anticipating greater momentum for the development of utility-scale solar power projects, as there is considerable investor interest," the association informed German solar and storage media platform PV Magazine Group. The association believes that the permitting process, especially for connecting projects to the electricity grid, remains lengthy and difficult. They attribute the main challenge to a delay in a decision from the Croatian energy regulator HERA regarding the grid connection fee, which was anticipated to be concluded by the end of 2022 but is still unresolved.

RES Croatia also cautioned that the country's fragmented legal framework surrounding battery energy storage systems requires further improvement.