Advanced decentralised energy options for Western Balkans
Towards the development of “ sustainable” energy concepts, the advanced utilisation of renewable energy sources (RES) in an effective production, environmentally friendly and economically viable matter has an increasing role in the formulation of national and/or regional energy chains. The work is focused in Western Balkan countries, namely Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and the Serbia and Montenegro. Aim of the paper is to present the work carried out in the frame of the European Commission project entitled “ Advanced Decentralised Energy Generation Systems in Western Balkans” (Contract No INCO-CT-2004-509187). The work deals with the identification of RES potential, in terms of availability and the specific characteristics of each type taking into account biomass, wind, hydro and solar. Regional maps of power production sources are developed with respect to the technologies used and the particularities of power demand side focusing on decentralised schemes. The different technological concepts were assessed in terms of their prospects and barriers for regional / local applications taking into account the local and EU available technologies.