As part of the conference of the Facility Management Business Association of Serbia (FMBAS) – named Transformation through strategic facility management, first discussion The key to a sustainable future – energy efficient buildings gathered three experts from related fields who, each from their own angle, spoke on the topic of energy efficiency.
Professor Slobodan Tošovićmaster’s degree and doctorate in human ecology and ecotoxicology, opened the discussion by emphasizing the importance of decarbonization, a goal that the European Union is aiming for by 2050. Energy neutrality, an important business goal, implies reaching a state in which all greenhouse gas emissions will be neutralized by the use of various technologies or by their transformation in a manner similar to photosynthesis in plants. In our country, there is an aggravating factor that helped us a lot in the past to survive, and that is lignite, although our plan is to completely exclude coal in energy production by 2050.
The problem that Serbia is facing is the high emission of greenhouse gases. Although the amount of emissions of 6.8 tons of CO2 equivalents per inhabitant looks better compared to the European average of 7.5 tons, the situation is not favorable. Namely, productivity in Serbia is significantly lower – three times lower than in Europe. At the same time, we produce more greenhouse gases per unit of goods produced than in Europe. Therefore, it is necessary to drastically reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, but also to significantly improve our productivity in order to realize the principles of sustainable development.
During the discussion, he emphasized that one of the key challenges in implementing projects is waste management. Solar panels contain glass and other components, and until now, waste from solar panels was often sent abroad, but changes in regulations will soon make this more difficult, so we need to find a way to solve this problem as well. Attempts to recycle solar glass in Paraćin were not profitable because the costs were higher than the value of the obtained materials. In that segment, challenges also exist with heat pumps that function on the water-water principle. These pumps are particularly problematic because their installation requires the fulfillment of stricter conditions in some European countries, such as Germany and Italy, where it is necessary to return the water underground to a suitable depth in order to avoid groundwater contamination. This often increases costs and complicates the installation procedure. Precisely for these reasons, flexibility in these processes is limited due to the complexity and strictness of regulations aimed at environmental protection.
Another participant, Antonela Solujić, representative of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, emphasized the importance of energy efficiency as a key tool in the fight against climate change. Regulation in this area was developed in the early 2000s, focusing primarily on limiting energy consumption in buildings, which in Europe consume about 40 percent of total energy and contribute 36 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Solujić explained that energy efficiency is applicable to all segments where energy is consumed, from buildings to industry, where it can significantly improve competitiveness through the reduction of operating costs. An important segment in energy efficiency management is energy management, where energy is managed through the collection and analysis of consumption data, which can achieve savings of 10 to 15 percent just by controlling consumption. Depending on that, appropriate technical measures can be applied – at no cost, through small costs, to large investments.
The state recognized the importance of this management system and introduced legal obligations for large consumers and the public sector. The obligations refer to the production and service sectors, especially for those with a consumption of more than 7 GWh of energy per year. For the successful implementation of obligations, it is necessary to appoint licensed energy managers, whose training is carried out by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade.
As she stated, the strategic documents foresee the annual rehabilitation of a large number of buildings, as well as investments of around 1.6 billion euros for the installation of capacities such as heat pumps. There is also the ESKO (Energy Service Company) financing model, which allows the private sector to invest in energy efficiency projects in the public sector. Private companies finance and implement projects to reduce energy consumption, and then pay for their investment from the direct savings that the public sector achieves by reducing energy costs – an increasingly attractive model because it does not require initial capital investments by public institutions, and the risk associated with the project is assumed by the private company.
The participant was also a representative of a private company, a pioneer in the field of solar energy – Miloš Kostić, owner and director of the company MT-KOMEX, which is behind the project of the largest solar power plant in Serbia. During the discussion, he managed to provide short analyzes and data of great importance, supported by many years of experience.
Challenges and the evolution of legal frameworks have followed the development of the sector since 2009, when it was made possible for private users and industrial plants to become both producers and users of energy, which contributed to the gradual increase in their importance. Each new version of the law, although not perfect, has allowed some progress and made it easier to invest in renewable energy sources. The first significant projects of solar power plants were launched in 2011, although at that time they were very difficult to pay off and without significant financial support, given that banks could not approve funds due to all the accompanying uncertainties in that area. When the investment is questionable and unprofitable for the investor, then even the bank does not see its role in such a project, he explained further.
The dependence of the energy market on international relations and geopolitical changes is evident. This made electricity prices highly speculative in previous years. However, after the energy crisis, electricity prices stabilized, and currently amount to around 90 euros per MWh, with additional costs of around 25 euros per MWh, which is significantly below the European average.
The discussion also touched on the new Law on Energy, which foresees further financing and support of solar power plants through auction calls. As Kostić further explains, the first auction set a starting price of 90 euros per MWh, with a quota of 120 MW, adding that the previous auction did not fully meet the quota of 50 MW, showing challenges in attracting a sufficient number of participants, partly due to the high requirements for banking guarantees ranging from 300,000 to 600,000 euros for projects of 10 MW.
Speaking about the challenges of smaller projects, Kostić emphasized that it is currently not that profitable to build 1 MW power plants due to the low price of electricity. Also, administrative processes such as urban projects and detailed regulation plans require time and numerous parliamentary decisions. Considering current market prices, the return on investment for a 1 MW project can take more than 12 years. For the financing of such projects, banks usually offer 50 to 60 percent of the financing, while the rest must be provided from the investors’ own funds.
Kostić concluded his presentation by emphasizing the differences between power plants on the roofs of buildings and those on land, pointing out that rooftop installations reduce their own consumption and use excess energy for sale, while ground installations have a different operational and financial approach.
Milica Vuckovic
Source: energetskiportal.rs
