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Discover project Announcements Lectures Project DISCOVER Projects Association Without Borders Without Borders

A lecture on energy communities was held in RiHub

On December 3, 2024, in the RiHub premises, the Association Without Borders presented the project DISCOVER and the topic of civic energy with special reference to the role of entrepreneurs in citizen entrepreneur communities.

Davorka Medved presented the project, objectives and expected outcomes. The previous work on the project was summarized and it was stated which activities will be implemented in 2025 and 2026.

Damir Medved spoke about the topic of energy communities from a technical point of view. He presented to entrepreneurs existing examples of good practice both in EU countries and in Croatia.

He also presented Northern Adriatic Energy Community, one of the three communities registered in Croatia so far.

Damir Juričić spoke about the financial effects of association in energy communities and presented the financial benefits for entrepreneurs and citizens.

After the lecture, the audience asked more questions about this topic. They were interested in practical problems and, most of all, administrative obstacles, which are still a reality in Croatia. The lecturers invited the attendees to additionally contact and inquire about energy communities through all channels of the association, and soon at the OSS at Drenovski put 138A in Rijeka.

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Discover project Announcements Lectures Project DISCOVER Association Without Borders

Lecture for entrepreneurs on the topic of energy communities

black solar panel under red and gray clouds

In cooperation with the City of Rijeka, the Association Without borders Invites you to a lecture

What benefits do entrepreneurs gain by joining up in energy communities

which will take place 3 December 2024 at 2 p.m.

in space RiHuba at Ivana Grohovca 1a in Rijeka.

The lecture is part of the project DISCOVER funded by the programme LIFE of the European Commission It provides support in the process of establishing energy communities.

The lecture will cover the following topics:

  1. LIFE DISCOVER project – status, methodology and tools available
  2. What are energy communities and why are they important to entrepreneurs?
  3. Legislation – state of play, how can energy communities be mobilised, what changes will happen at the beginning of 2026 and what are the reprecussions?
  4. Technology – why is data collection important and what requirements does it impose on potential members of the community?
  5. Finance – how energy communities work operationally, what are the benefits for citizens, businesses and public administrations if connected to the EC.
  6. Example the North Adriatic Energy Community – experiences and first results.

The lecturers are members of the LIFE DISCOVER - Davorka Medved project team, Damir Juričić and Damir Medved.

After the lecture, time is provided to answer the questions of the participants.

In cooperation with the City of Rijeka, the Association Without Borders invites you to a presentation

What benefits do entrepreneurs gain by joining energy communities

which will be held on December 3, 2024 at 2:00 PM in the RiHub space at Ivana Grohovac 1a in Rijeka.

The presentation is part of the DISCOVER project funded by the LIFE programme of the European Commission, which provides support in the process of establishing energy communities.

The following topics will be covered at the lecture:

  1. LIFE DISCOVER project – status, methodology and tools available
  2. What are energy communities and why are they important for entrepreneurs?
  3. Legislation – current status, how can energy communities be launched, what changes will occur in early 2026 and what are the repercussions?
  4. Technology – why is data collection important and what requirements does it place on potential community members?
  5. Finance – how do energy communities operate operationally, what are the advantages for citizens, entrepreneurs and public administration if they join in an EC.
  6. The example of the North Adriatic Energy Community – experiences and first results.

The presenters are members of the LIFE DISCOVER project team – Davorka Medved, Damir Juričić and Damir Medved.

After the presentation participants can ask questions about topics.

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Discover project Announcements Project DISCOVER Workshops Association Without Borders

CIVIL ENERGY CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Foundation and Blanka Smoljan and with the support of the City of Varaždin, we had the opportunity to participate in a great discussion that gave rise to many questions from the audience!

We all tried to answer the following questions together:

  • It is often said that the question is not whether the energy transition will happen, but who will play an important role in this transition?
  • Will we rely solely on large producers, or will citizens also play an important role in this transition?
  • Will local energy generation and sharing be a necessity in the future?
    Which cities have already recognised their citizens as important partners in this process?

It was a real pleasure to have a great conversation with Martina Nemčić, Mislav Kirac, Damir Medved, Ivan Dubravec and Tomislav Valičević – as always very well moderated by Blanka!

And of course it was a great opportunity to present to the participants what we are doing on the LIFE DISCOVER project and what they can expect from us in the coming period.

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Discover project Announcements Project DISCOVER

DISCOVER Guide for Energy Communities

structural shot of wind mills during daytime

Discover the DISCOVER Guide for Energy Communities: a comprehensive guide to starting community energy projects

Welcome to DISCOVER Guide, your essential resource to run and manage Community Energy Projects (CEP). As part of the DISCOVER project, this series of guides empowers energy community initiators with tools, strategies and a step-by-step framework to successfully revive their visions, with a special emphasis on Photovoltaic (PV) projects.

Mission DISCOVER project

The DISCOVER project aims to encourage the development of sustainable energy projects in communities by offering integrated support services. Whether you are embarking on a new sustainable energy initiative in your community, working on an ongoing project or planning something in the future, the DISCOVER guide provides a structured approach to simplify your journey. Its services and resources are contained in a comprehensive framework designed to make the complex process of launching and managing CEP more accessible.

The family of guides

The DISCOVER Guide series consists of three key components:

  1. General guide – A universally applicable manual describing the steps to create a CEP, regardless of location.
  2. Specific guide – Customised version for individual pilot regions, enriched with localised content.
  3. Interactive Guide – Online adaptation of a specific guide, accessible via an interactive platform, ideal for a wider audience.

Lifecycle management of energy projects in the community

General guide structuring the entire life cycle of energy projects in communities in three different phases:

  1. Planning phase – Conceptualisation, feasibility assessment, planning and fulfilment of regulatory requirements.
  2. Realization phase - Construction and implementation of CEP, including photovoltaic plant.
  3. Operational phase – Long-term management and maintenance of the energy community.

Within these phases, the guide is categorized into three main areas:

  1. Construction of photovoltaic power plants – from site selection to technical performance.
  2. Renewable Energy Community (REC) or Citizen Energy Community (CEC) – Establishing a legal and operational framework for energy trading.
  3. Community engagement – Building a collaborative environment, fostering teamwork and ensuring long-term participation.

Tackling challenges with practical solutions

The guide addresses the multiple dimensions of CEP development, including: administration, economics, technology i legal requirements. These topics will be addressed separately for each Pilot Region and summarised in country guides.  By consolidating contextualised information, the role of stakeholders, potential barriers and practical tools simplifies decision-making and reduces complexity. A special guide also provides references to local providers of individual components of the solution, which further facilitates the path for project initiators.

Why choose a DISCOVER guide?

The general guide will soon be complemented by the creation of specific national and interactive guides. They will provide additional information for:

  1. Reducing barriers: Addressing and simplifying administrative, technical and legal challenges.
  2. Promoting cooperation: Through community engagement and team building strategies.
  3. Simplification of the process: Providing a clear plan, from concept to operation.

How to proceed?

The general guide DISCOVER is just the beginning. Leading CEP initiators through every step of their projects, paves the way for a more sustainable and energy future.

Follow our future announcements for Specific guide the Interactive online platform, which will offer localised and easily accessible resources to further improve the success of your initiatives in building a local energy community!

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Discover project Project DISCOVER

DISCOVER presented at the conference of the ECOSTEAM project

Source: www.rijeka.hr

On Friday, 27 September 2024, a conference of the ECOSTEAM project from the ERASMUS+ programme was held. The City of Rijeka, one of the project partners, has invited us to present the DISCOVER project to the conference participants.

The conference was followed in Rijeka by students and teachers of the Secondary School of Electrical Engineering and Computing who are themselves participants in this project. Objective of the project ECOSTEAM to bring European/global environmental policies, ways of managing water, waste, energy and transport in cities, data and tools in the service of combating climate change closer to secondary school students. High school students from Rijeka are involved in the energy project.

The topics of photovoltaic power plants and community energy projects dealt with by the DISCOVER project are significant for the activities carried out on the ECOSTEAM project.

The City of Rijeka supported the Association Without Borders with a letter of intent when applying the DISCOVER Project. Intensification of cooperation on the DISCOVER project is expected in the coming period.

After the presentation of the ECOSTEAM and DISCOVER project, through the Zoom platform, participants joined the international GREENREPORT conference held in Florence, Italy.

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Discover project Project DISCOVER

DISCOVER presented in Kastav

Kastav Smart City Conference was held last week in Kastav, as part of which we presented the DISCOVER project to citizens on September 24, 2024.

DISCOVER is entering its implementation phase, after the implementation documents have been prepared in the first part of the project, we are now starting with concrete activities in interested cities and municipalities. The first is Kastav, but the neighboring Opatija, Matulji and of course Rijeka, Delnice, Jelenja, Cres and all who show interest in this topic follow.

The Energy Community of the North Adriatic

Association Without Borders is a member of the North Adriatic Energy Community, which recently received a license from the regulatory agency HERA. Damir Juričić, President of the ECSJ presented the process of establishing an energy community.

Damir Medved explained the importance and technical aspects of data collection and process optimization in energy communities.

Citizens interested in investing in photovoltaic power plants also need to be informed about the topic of energy communities. By joining communities, they can exchange energy surpluses with neighbours, local governments and entrepreneurs.

The DISCOVER project was presented at the City Hall as part of the Kastav Smart City conference on September 24th

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Discover project Workshops

DISCOVER project presented in the City of Kastav

On May 7, 2024, in the Business Incubator KASPI in Kastav, the first in a series of meetings was held with stakeholders from the City of Kastav, to which we presented the DISCOVER project. The City of Kastav is one of the stakeholders of the DISCOVER project, which is being implemented in several pilot regions, and the Association Without Borders is implementing it in Croatia. Through the project, we will provide the City of Kastav – a unit of local self-government, but also citizens, entrepreneurs and other interested parties with the necessary knowledge and information on the topic of Community Energy Projects (CEPs).

The basic information about the DISCOVER project was given by the project manager Davorka Medved. Damir Juričić presented the factors of financial sustainability of energy communities. Damir Medved explained the technical prerequisites for the work of energy communities as well as the technological capabilities of available platforms. Participants asked a number of questions about the topics presented.

Presentation of the DISCOVER project

The introductory meeting was full of information, so it was agreed to organize a continuation in which other interested parties from the City of Kastav will be involved.

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