Medjimurje Energy Agency

Medjimurje Energy Agency Ltd.  (MENEA) was established in 2008 within the EU project “Creation of the energy agencies in Lleida (ES), Medjimurje (HR) and Montpellier (FR)” financed by Intelligent Energy – Europe (IEE) programme.  

The main objective of MENEA is to provide high-quality support for activities regarding the Rational Use of Energy (RUE) and Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in Medjimurje County and beyond. 

Medjimurje County is situated in Northern Croatia, bordered by the rivers of Drava and Mura. It spreads over 730 km2, has a population of 105,863 and includes 3 towns and 22 municipalities.  

With regards to RUE, MENEA is promoting the importance of energy efficiency in individual houses, industries and SMEs, public buildings, etc. and assisting interested parties from industry, SMEs, private and public sectors. 

In terms of RES, MENEA is promoting the use of renewables (especially biomass, solar and geothermal energy) in all above mentioned sectors. Target groups of MENEA’s services and activities are public institutions, SMEs and private households. 

Activities 

Through a wide range of activities, MENEA tries to satisfy informational, technical and supporting needs of the public and private sectors on the issues of renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change. 

The scope of MENEA’s activities encompasses: 

• Preparation of strategic, programming and planning documents based on sustainable and rational consumption of energy and use of renewable energy sources; 

• Technical support and preparation of projects related to RUE and RES; 

• Preparation of project applications for various national and EU calls for proposals for the public and private sectors; 

• Establishment of a regional, national and international network of institutions and companies for the exchange of good practices, sustainable concepts and projects and implementation of projects; 

• Raising awareness, providing information, advice and education regarding RUE and RES; 

• Introducing new technologies and services; 

• Finding available funding sources. 

In addition, MENEA’s areas of interest include:  

• Smart metering and automation; 

• Smart cities/smart regions/smart grid; 

• Energy performance contracting; 

• Nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB); 

• Use of geothermal energy; 

• Autonomous systems with advanced batteries; 

• Innovative financing instruments and funding possibilities for implementing RUE and RES; 

• Energy-efficient public lighting (use of advanced energy-efficient technology solutions, remote monitoring, smart dimming and scene-setting, intelligent energy metering); 

• Promoting the use of bicycles and e-bikes; 

• Social aspects (energy poverty, education of young people, social entrepreneurship); 

• Other innovative measures for energy efficiency (comprehensive refurbishment of buildings, SMEs, etc.)