Serbia's renewable energy potential explored

Serbia could obtain as much as 55 percent of the energy it produces from renewable sources, an official says. Dejan Stojadinovic, the assistant minister of mining and energy in the caretaker government, was quoted by Beta news agency as saying that the country currently uses only 18 percent of this potential, all of it concentrated in the large hydro power plants. Serbia's renewable energy potential explored He added that the principal source – some 49 percent – of such energy is to be found in bio-mass used to produce biofuels, followed by water, solar and wind power, and small hydro plants. Serbia has the potential to use its natural resources and produce up to 2.3 billion kilowatts of power every year from wind farms. With the price of five eurocents per kilowatt, this amounts to EUR 120mn annually, Stojadinovic said. There are currently around 60 small hydro power plants in the country, but only half of them are in use, he explained, while 900 potential locations, whose total capacity would be at 500 megawatts, remain unexploited. According to Stojadinovic, the Energy Community Agreement obligates Serbia to define the share of renewable energy sources in 2010 by July 1 this year. According to him, this figure could be at 30 percent.

Serbia's renewable energy potential explored

He added that the principal source – some 49 percent – of such energy is to be found in bio-mass used to produce biofuels, followed by water, solar and wind power, and small hydro plants.

Serbia has the potential to use its natural resources and produce up to 2.3 billion kilowatts of power every year from wind farms. With the price of five eurocents per kilowatt, this amounts to EUR 120mn annually, Stojadinović said.

There are currently around 60 small hydro power plants in the country, but only half of them are in use, he explained, while 900 potential locations, whose total capacity would be at 500 megawatts, remain unexploited.

According to Stojadinović, the Energy Community Agreement obligates Serbia to define the share of renewable energy sources in 2010 by July 1 this year. According to him, this figure could be at 30 percent.