/12^th May 2021, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ This decade shall be crucial for the clean energy transformation of Croatia, reveals the Renewable Market Watch™ in its report Western Balkans Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Market Outlook 2021÷2030. The country has considerable potential for developing solar energy and increasing energy independence. The energy transition council of Croatian President Zoran Milanović was established in 2020 and estimated the country’s solar potential to 6.8GW. However, to harness this potential effectively, Croatia will need to adopt more ambitious solar energy targets, ensure clear renewable energy investment direction in the power sector, and develop its modern electricity grid. The clean energy transition and development of the solar power sector can contribute to GDP growth and new jobs creation. Renewable Market Watch estimates that solar photovoltaic power capacity in Croatia will increase significantly in the following years compared to its current level assuming the tendered and planned large scale projects. The abundance of solar irradiation in Croatia shall enable photovoltaic energy to become an increasingly cost-competitive power generation source and attract new investments.

/LONDON, September 29, 2021, 10:30 BST, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The country’s primary strategy to meet the growing need for power includes reducing energy dependence by increasing energy efficiency, renewable resources, natural gas, nuclear sources and connecting to the European power infrastructure. The country imports nowadays approximately 30% of its power (the main import countries are Slovakia, Austria, and Ukraine, while the main export countries are Croatia and Serbia). Hungary is ranked among the top 10 countries by attractiveness for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy by the Renewable Market Watch in their yearly updated "Attractiveness index for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy investments in Central-East Europe (CEE) and South-East Europe (SEE) countries in 2021". Between 2015 and 2020, cumulative installed solar power capacity in Hungary registered an impressive 11-fold increase. In June 2020, Hungary adopted a new law making the net-zero emission target by 2050 a binding obligation. This law is part of a broader change in the country’s energy and climate policies.

/3^rd September 2021, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The Czech Republic is the fourth most energy-intensive country in the EU mainly due to the high intensity of its industry (such as metallurgy, steel and coal). After Germany and Poland, the Czech Republic is the third-largest coal producer in the EU. Although gains have been made in reducing energy intensity in the industry sector, the potential for energy efficiency improvements in the buildings and transport sectors is substantial. Energy use and carbon dioxide emissions in these sectors are growing. Energy efficiency improvement is considered a priority to reduce energy consumption and address climate change while also providing benefits for energy security. Investments in new renewable energy generation capacity in the Czech Republic are moderate in the past five years. Coal remains the primary energy source for electricity production, followed by nuclear power and hydropower. However, activity on the solar photovoltaic (PV) power market in the Czech Republic has been increasing since 2018, according to the recently published study Czech Republic Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Market Outlook 2021 ÷ 2030.