Islands - leaders of the clean energy transition

The project of energy transition of Croatian islands began in 2018 in cooperation with the EU Island Secretariat. Cres-Lošinj archipelago, then Korčula, Hvar and Brač, and this year the islands of Zadar, Dubrovnik and Dugi otok prepared clean energy transition agenda and started the project. The innovation of the project is inclusion of all levels of society on the islands - residents, craftsmen, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations and decision makers which makes a precedent on the islands and puts rural areas at the forefront of the energy transition in Croatia.

Croatia’s island communities face electricity and water shortages. Energy is generated on land and drinking water is transported by water carriers or underwater pipelines. Island communities are often left without electricity or water during adverse weather or breakdowns. By producing renewable energy directly on the islands, this project improves the quality of life of island communities.

Islands - leaders of the clean energy transition implement renewable energy sources and conduct outreach in Croatian island communities. Our organisation, Island Movement, designs green energy transition agendas and conducts educational programmes. We also produce reports to the public on national and international sustainable energy best practices.

We work with Island movement employees, members,  volunteers, and island residents. Our organisation is also supported by businesses, as well as a variety of regional and national non-profit organisations focused on renewal energy, rural development, and spatial planning. The project also works with businesses and craftsmen, educational institutions and local governments throughout all Croatian islands. 

As energy prices rise and salaries remain the same, our project is a good practice for renewable energy initiatives. Although island communities are isolated from the mainland, they are resourceful. They could serve as examples to other communities, even those on land, that producing self-sufficient, sustainable energy sources is possible. 

A third of Croatia’s islands have started organising and implementing plans for independent energy production with further expansion in the future. The project‘s core value of community development and self-sufficiency through renewable energy is transferable to all social environments and contexts where communities can live and create their own sustainable energy. This project is easy to replicate in other island communities if there are people who can dedicate themselves fully to community development and outreach.