“We Are Already Living and Driving the Technological Transition of the Energy Sector”

Zagreb, 31 October 2025 – The Green Energy Fair, the first Croatian and the largest regional 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 segment of the fair, Dario Antolović, Director of Integrated Energy Services at Enna Next, took part in the panel “A Technological Mix for a Secure Transition.”

The panel also featured Dražen Lovrić, Director of Strategy and Development at HEP, Mario Dodić, Director of the HVAC Education Hub, and Lovro Peterlin, Executive Director for International Markets at Termo Shop.

Antolović highlighted ENNA Group’s significant investments in renewable energy production – from large-scale solar power plants in Croatia and abroad, to battery storage systems and two geothermal power plant projects.

“All the knowledge and best practices we gain through our own projects are channelled into ENNA Next, our energy company. We already have numerous examples of customers who initially operated biogas plants and then installed solar power plants and batteries. The idea is to combine different energy sources and technologies with smart management to create additional value, ensure security of supply, and reduce energy consumption,” Antolović explained. He added that ENNA Next supplies electricity and natural gas to business customers, 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 our customers a complete technological solution. With our platforms, virtual power plant, and optimisation systems, we manage each individual facility, enabling us to use the technology at every site in the most efficient way. We can confidently say that the technological transition in the energy sector is not something coming in the future – we are already living it and driving it today,” Antolović concluded.

He confirmed that in recent months there has been a significant increase in interest in battery energy storage systems, as end users increasingly recognise the benefits these solutions can provide—primarily electricity price stability and energy availability.

“Battery storage systems provide flexibility and are ideal for grid regulation, which is crucial for the power system. In cooperation with HOPS, as an aggregator, we support grid regulation at the second-by-second level. Our portfolio already includes several battery systems that have proven highly effective in this area, enabling customers to benefit not only energetically but also economically,” Antolović said.

Hackathon for Young Engineers

At the Green Energy Fair, ENNA Group also served as a partner of the hackathon, a competition for young engineers, with Enna Next experts contributing to the development of the project assignment and the selection of winners. The goal of the competition was to develop a solution for energy independence—presenting a project that enables the production, storage, and smart use of self-generated energy, while being technically feasible and financially viable. With mentorship from Enna Next specialists, teams tested assumptions, built prototypes, calculated return on investment, and prepared pitch presentations based on which the winners were selected.

Eight teams of three members each initially joined the hackathon, but following the task briefing, three teams withdrew. Based on the submitted projects, three top teams were selected. The winning team received a prize of EUR 4,000, the second-place team EUR 2,000, and the third-place team EUR 1,000.

The winning team—Mislav Hager, Adrian Lokner Lađević, and Slavena Žilić—developed a platform for managing energy autonomy, featuring a digital interface and solution virtualisation. Their system uses AI to calculate grid outage risk based on a range of parameters and then prioritises the operation of individual loads accordingly.

We extend our special thanks to Dario Antolović, Marin Cerjan and Nikolina Čović from Enna Next for their dedication in preparing and delivering the hackathon, and we congratulate the winners and all participants.