Heating sector decarbonisation campaigner for the Western Balkans
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More from Natasa Kovacevic
The Western Balkans is facing a pressing energy crisis, largely due to outdated district heating systems that waste vast amounts of energy. In Serbia alone, district heating networks serve over 700,0000 households, yet inefficiencies have led to energy losses of up to 12 per cent, resulting in higher costs and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Energy consumption per square metre is nearly triple that of western Europe, mainly due to poor insulation and ageing infrastructure. Rising energy prices and reliance on often imported fossil fuels make energy efficiency an economic necessity.
Heating the heights: Žabljak’s bold move towards sustainable warmth
December 11, 2024 | Read more
Perched 1,456 metres above sea level in the Durmitor National Park in Montenegro, Žabljak, the highest urban settlement in the Western Balkans, is looking for new heating solutions. A 2020 pre-feasibility suggested biomass, but determined to avoid air pollution and deforestation, the local authorities set out to find a better way forward.
Bar’s battle: Montenegrin town rising against LNG project
March 5, 2024 | Read more
Plans to build a fossil gas import terminal on Montenegro’s coast, with backing from the European Commission, endanger the country’s fossil fuel phaseout. Growing local opposition to the project also underlines poor public participation in the process.
The Montenegrin mountain town pursuing sustainable district heating
October 5, 2023 | Read more
As cities and towns across central and eastern Europe work toward decarbonising their heating systems, the need to deploy renewable energy alternatives in the sector has never been greater. The small town of Žabljak, nestled in the mountainous region of northern Montenegro, is at the forefront of this effort.
Speeding up investments in a sustainable district heating system powered by solar energy would not only help cut greenhouse gas emissions and heating bills; it would actually save lives.
