Glass packaging producer Vetropack Straža joined the KOER virtual power plant. Technology company KOER launched the first virtual power plant in Croatia in February 2022, becoming the first aggregator.
Vetropack Straža is part of the Vetropack Group, which, according to KOER, is one of the leading producers of glass packaging in Europe. Its factory in Hum na Sutli, not far from Croatia’s border with Slovenia, distributes glass packaging in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and other countries in Southeastern Europe.
The cooperation between Vetropack Straža and KOER will contribute to the stability of the Croatian electricity system and give it additional support for connecting new renewable energy facilities, KOER and Vetropack Straža said.
Vetropack Straža has installed two rooftop solar power plants on its warehouses
Mario Berc, manager of the technical sector at Vetropack Straža, said the company has installed two rooftop solar power plants on its warehouses.
The photovoltaic facilities installed in 2019, with an installed capacity of 828 kW, generate 1 GWh of electricity per year, powering air compressors.
Berc noted that glass production is an energy-intensive process.
“We enabled the flexibility of the production process to be utilized in maintaining the balance of the Croatian electricity system, while at the same time supporting the green transition of the Croatian economy towards a more sustainable energy system,” he stressed.
Lasić: Virtual power plant is going additionally to optimize Vetropack’s production
KOER CEO Marko Lasić pointed out that glass production involves various complex processes and a large consumption of resources, saying they would be additionally optimized within the virtual power plant.
He recalled that the platform opens up a possibility for multiple benefits – it gives consumers the opportunity to become active participants in the electricity market, getting additional income, while helping the Croatian Transmission System Operator (HOPS) to optimize and balance the power system.
Source : Balkan Green Energy News
