"We are already living and driving the technological transition in energy"

Zagreb, 31 October 2025 – The Green Energy Fair, Croatia’s first and the region’s largest trade fair dedicated to renewable energy sources, e-mobility, and sustainable technologies, was held on Wednesday and Thursday, 29 and 30 October 2025, at Arena Zagreb.

In the conference section of the fair, Dario Antolović, Director of the Integrated Energy Services Division at ENNA Next, took part in the panel discussion “Technological Mix for a Secure Transition.”

Other panellists included Dražen Lovrić, Director of the Strategy and Development Division at HEP, Mario Dodić, Director of HVAC Education Hub, and Lovro Peterlin, Executive Director for International Markets at Termo Shop.

Dario Antolović presented ENNA Group’s significant investments in renewable energy production – from large solar power plants in Croatia and abroad to battery systems, as well as two geothermal power plant projects.

“All the knowledge and best practices we gain through our own projects are channelled through our energy company, ENNA Next. We already have several examples of our clients who initially operated biogas plants and later installed solar power systems and batteries. The idea is to use different energy sources and technologies, combined with smart management, to create added value, ensure supply security, and achieve energy savings,” explained Antolović.

He added that ENNA Next supplies business customers with electricity and natural gas, purchases electricity, acts as an ancillary services aggregator for HOPS, and develops solar and battery system projects.

“We are an energy one-stop shop – a place where we can offer complete technological solutions to our clients. With our platforms, virtual power plant, and optimisation systems, we manage each facility individually, making the best use of the technology available at every location. We can truly say that the technological transition in the energy sector is not something that lies ahead – we are already living and working it today,” concluded Antolović.

He confirmed that in recent months there has been a remarkable increase in interest in battery energy storage systems, as the benefits these systems can offer to end users are becoming increasingly recognised – primarily electricity price stability and energy availability.

“Battery storage provides flexibility and is ideal for grid regulation, which is essential for the power system. In cooperation with HOPS, as an aggregator, we support grid regulation at the second-by-second level. We already have several battery systems in our portfolio that have proven to be highly effective in this area, bringing both energy and economic benefits to our clients,” said Antolović.

Hackathon for Young Engineers

At the Green Energy Fair, ENNA Group also acted as a partner of a hackathon, a competition for young engineers. Experts from ENNA Next participated in designing the project brief and selecting the winners.

The aim of the competition was to develop a solution for energy independence — to present a project that enables the production, storage, and smart use of one’s own energy, while being both technically feasible and financially viable.

With the mentorship of ENNA Next experts, teams tested their assumptions, built prototypes, calculated return on investment, and prepared pitch presentations on the basis of which the winners were selected.

Eight teams, each consisting of three members, took part in the hackathon. After the project brief was presented, three teams withdrew, and the jury selected the three best projects from the remaining entries.

The winning team received a prize of €4,000, the second-placed team €2,000, and the third-placed team €1,000.

The winners were Mislav Hager, Adrian Lokner Lađević, and Slavena Žilić, who developed a platform for managing energy autonomy, featuring a digital interface and virtualisation of the solution. Using a set of parameters, AI calculates the risk of grid outages and determines load prioritisation accordingly.

ENNA Group would like to extend special thanks to Dario Antolović, Marin Cerjan, and Nikolina Čović from ENNA Next for their dedication in preparing and delivering the hackathon, and congratulations to the winners and all participants.