As part of the Energy Export Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, an energy business trip to Croatia will take place from 23 March to 26 March 2026 on the topic “Green Transformation in Croatia: Achieving Climate-Neutral Industry through Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.” The trip is aimed at German companies with innovative solutions in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy storage, intelligent energy systems, and the decarbonization of industry and infrastructure.
Croatia is pursuing ambitious energy and climate policy goals and is increasingly investing in the expansion of renewable energy, the modernization of energy infrastructure, and measures to improve energy efficiency. Against this backdrop, the Croatian market offers attractive business opportunities for German providers of technologically advanced and sustainable energy solutions.
The objective of the business trip is to enable German companies to enter the Croatian market in a structured manner or to expand their existing activities. Participants will receive comprehensive insights into the energy market, regulatory frameworks, and current projects and investment plans. The program will be complemented by expert events, company visits, and individually arranged business meetings with relevant Croatian market players, potential project partners, and decision-makers.
The trip is organized and implemented in close cooperation with the German-Croatian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Croatia), which has many years of market expertise and a strong local network. This ensures the targeted approach to suitable discussion partners.
If you have any questions or are interested in participating in this energy business trip, please contact Danilo Urbschat (du@eclareon.com).
The LIFE EnerGISE (Energy communities Effective Guidance, Advise, Innovative Support and Stimulation) aims to streamline and promote the process of establishing and developing energy communities in Central Europe (CE). A follow-up objective of the project is to accumulate, develop and contextualize all the current know-how in the field of establishment and development of such communities at the European level and to apply it effectively in the CE area. The know-how in the form of a user-friendly database will split into four key dimensions: Legislative, Technical, Financial and Socio-Economic. The key knowledge allocated in these dimensions will be applied in the form of specific services to be provided to energy communities at different stages of their preparation/development within newly established one-stop-shops (OSS) in 5 CE countries with low accessibility of know-how and good practice examples. The feedback from the provision of these services, i.e. the level of interest of energy communities and their assessment of the service relevance and quality, will be used to update both the services and the know-how database. The key findings from the real engagement with energy communities through the OSS centres will be subsequently disseminated and replicated at European level in an updated form, in addition to national and regional levels. The main tools for this dissemination and replication will involve: training and consultation events (workshops and conferences); fact sheets with structured descriptions highlighting best practices; case studies; and, finally, policy recommendations for European, national and regional institutions resulting from the project analytical part such as mapping barriers. The OSS network will be expanded to include other partners interested in leveraging the project tools as early as in the final part of the project, after pilot testing of all the tools. The project consortium is composed of 9 partners, 2 affiliated and 1 associated partner from 7 countries and is led by BeePartner from the Czech Republic.
Planned key achievements
Knowledge database as a primary OSS resource (4 dimensions: Legislative, Technical, Financial, Socio-economic)
Setup of 5 pilot one-stop shops (OSS) in CZ, PL, SK, SL and HU facilitating creation and development of energy communities through tailored services
Information Tools (fact sheets, good practices, frequenty asked questions related to energy communities)
Capacity-building workshops, trained experts, contribution to ENERCOM related events, final conference
Replication beyond 5 pilot OSS at the last stage
Report on persisting barriers to ENERCOM setup or development
The LIFE EnerGISE project has been launched with two main events. On the 16th of September, the online kick-off meeting took place with 81 participants, not only from the project consortium but also from wider stakeholder groups. In the online kick-off meeting, the objectives and workplan of the project was presented, with a few guest presenters from the EU Commission, CINEA and the Czechia’s Ministry of the Environment. On the 22nd and 23rd of September, an in-person consortium meeting was held in Ostrava, Czechia. This meeting focused on the project knowledge-database design, setup of one-stop shops in five project countries and other tasks planned in the project.
The LIFE EnerGISE Project aims to streamline and promote the process of establishing and developing energy communities in Central Europe. To do this, so-called online One-Stop-Shops will be established by national partners in Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary. A follow-up objective of the project is to accumulate, develop and contextualize all the current know-how in the field of establishment and development of such communities at the European level and to apply it effectively in the Central Europe area. That is where eclareon steps in with its expertise collected EU-wide and leads the project’s Work Package on Sustainability, Replication and Exploitation.
eclareon is pleased to announce the release of Community Engagement and Fair Benefit Sharing of Renewable Energy Projects report, a study commissioned by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe and finalised in late April 2025. Drawing on research from 11 on-the-ground wind and solar case studies within Europe, the report examines how early, accessible, and continuous dialogue with residents can accelerate the energy transition while ensuring local communities share fairly in its rewards. The report also provides a detailed overview of the community engagement and benefit-sharing schemes currently in place for renewable energy projects in five EU member states.
eclareon in close cooperation with CAN Europe has identified 14 + 1 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that project developers, policy makers, and NGOs can now use to gauge the quality of community engagement, and the proportionality of benefits delivered. These metrics span financial compensation, ownership stakes, job creation, discounted electricity, biodiversity measures, and upgrades to public services—tools that convert potential conflict into lasting support for renewables.
While some EU Member States already legislate community rights, practices remain patchy. The report therefore sets out clear guidelines, provides actionable recommendations and showcases best-in-class examples where robust engagement turned opposition into partnership.
For more details, download the report and explore the KPI checklist and interactive case-study map on the website of CAN Europe.
eclareon is pleased to announce the completion of another EU-wide project on the authorisation of renewable energy projects. The project, commissioned by DG ENER, aimed to monitor the implementation of the EC Guidelines and Recommendation on accelerating permitting procedures for renewable energy. As complex national permitting procedures often delay project development, the initiative focused on evaluating the implementation of non-binding EU legislation and identifying key barriers and measures to speed up permitting procedures.
Together with Viegand Maagøe (formerly COWI) and Prognos, eclareon spent the last 22 months analysing national administrative procedures in the EU-27 Member States and developing actionable recommendations to improve regulatory efficiency and support a faster transition to renewable energy. The assignment included three rounds of monitoring involving extensive desk research and deep-dive expert interviews, the organisation of a series of meetings of the Informal Expert Group on Accelerating Permitting, and a final stakeholder event. The initiative culminated in a comprehensive document providing guidance to stakeholders, mainly from the solar, onshore and offshore wind and battery storage industries.
eclareon is pleased to announce the completion of the Act!onHeat project, an ambitious initiative to accelerate strategic planning for heating and cooling (H&C) across Europe. With H&C accounting for almost half of Europe’s total energy demand and 75% still dependent on fossil fuels, Act!onHeat focused on identifying success factors for effective H&C plans, developing workflows using open source tools, and issuing 21 actionable recommendations for planning, implementation, financing and policy.
As part of the project, eclareon led the development of financial pre-feasibility studies, evaluated the Act!onHeat support facility and provided best practice case studies. Together with our partners, we supported 120 municipalities in advancing their H&C strategies, facilitated 30 pre-feasibility studies and helped develop financing options for 15 emerging projects. The initiative culminated in a final conference – “Make your Digital Sprint in Heating and Cooling”, held in Brussels in November 2024 – where experts, policy makers and practitioners gathered to share knowledge and network.
eclareon, in partnership with the Slovak Association of Photovoltaic Industry and RES (SAPI), has released a landmark study forecasting that Slovakia’s renewable energy sector could require as many as 77,000 skilled employees by 2030. If the country accelerates heat pump deployment beyond current projections, however, the number could rise to an estimated 121,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. These figures stem from an in-depth analysis of three key technologies—solar PV, onshore wind, and heat pumps—across three developmental scenarios: business-as-usual, the Draft Update of the National Energy and Climate Plan, and a net-zero pathway targeting carbon neutrality by 2050.
Under the Draft Update NECP scenario alone, the study predicts around 50,000 FTE jobs, led by heat pumps (43%), with onshore wind and solar PV splitting the remaining 57%. The business-as-usual scenario, meanwhile, anticipates over 53,000 positions, dominated by heat pumps (82%). By contrast, the net-zero path envisions 77,000 FTE jobs, mostly from solar PV (65%) and onshore wind (35%), but this calculation does not yet include additional heat pump potential. Should heat pump deployment scale up at even the business-as-usual rate under the net-zero scenario, total employment could reach the 121,000 mark.
The study combines an employment factor model and an input-output model, integrating both secondary sources and unique primary data collected through online business surveys and expert interviews. According to eclareon’s analysis, despite 2023 having been designated the European Year of Skills, Slovakia’s education system still struggles to align with the specialized requirements of green jobs. Many companies in the renewables sector face a mismatch between the STEM skills they need and the existing labor force, pointing to a critical need for expanded technical training, interdisciplinary curricula, and hands-on industry partnerships.
To discuss these findings and explore actionable solutions, a high-level, invitation-only event was held on 29 October 2024 at the European Commission Representation in Bratislava. In attendance were national policymakers and representatives of major energy firms seeking to bridge the gap between the country’s labor supply and its rapidly evolving green energy sector. Presenting on behalf of eclareon were Vlad Surdea-Hernea (Project Manager) and Ulf Lohse (Senior Consultant), who outlined how Slovak industry and the government can collaborate to maximize the environmental and socio-economic benefits of renewables.
The full study, containing detailed methodology and scenario breakdowns, can be accessed at: Green Jobs in Slovakia (PDF).
At the eclareon policy department, we advise European institutions, governments, businesses and NGOs on the global deployment of renewable energy and climate technology solutions. eclareon’s team, which spans a wide range of EU Member States and beyond, offers a unique blend of international academic and professional experience. This diversity fosters a holistic approach to our projects.
With over 20 years of experience in the energy and environmental technology sectors, eclareon has established lasting industry relationships, underscoring our dedication to continuous growth and innovation.
We are currently looking for professionals with a passion for climate and energy policy to join our pool of experts. Your expertise will be instrumental in driving forward important research projects in these vital areas. Joining the pool does not entail any pre-set commitments. As we pursue and acquire projects, we will be in touch with you to explore whether you are the right fit for the task and discuss whether you wish to participate.
Application Guidelines:
Please send your detailed Europass CV to jb@eclareon.com. It is important that your CV includes comprehensive sections on your education and work experience. This level of detail is crucial to matching you with projects that reflect your expertise and interests.
Selected experts will be engaged in project-based work that matches their expertise, qualifications and interests, with remuneration commensurate with the scope and nature of the project.
We are excited to announce the release of an English educational film (with subtitles) showcasing 10 innovative solar technologies that promote the global energy transition. The film was produced as part of the SolarSchools project in collaboration with presented by danilo and is available on the project’s YouTube channel, “SolarSchools.”
The film explores and highlights modern solar technologies in detail, ranging from space-based solar power to flexible solar films. Individual YouTube videos for each of the 10 technologies are also available on the channel and can be found in the playlist titled “10 innovative solar technologies.”
