ID Energy Group, whose subsidiary Xiliun Solar d.o.o. is a member of the Association RES Serbia, is currently developing 6 GW of RES projects in 12 countries. In Serbia, ID Energy Group aims to develop and build more than 200 MW of solar projects by 2027. All projects are located in the region of Vojvodina, and the construction of 80 MW is planned this year, Francesco Cortesi, General Manager for Hungary and Southeast Europe, reveals in an interview for the portal RES Serbia.
He explains why Serbia is not a mature solar energy market, what challenges the company faces in our country, as well as whether they plan to develop wind farms.
Francesco Cortesi has been active in the renewable energy field since 2011 as a consultant, lobbyist and lawyer and joined ID Energy Group in early 2017, to lead the international expansion of the company in Hungary and SEE where he is currently serving as General Manager for the region.
ID Energy Group is an international renewable energy firm specialized in solar energy, wind and biogas/biomethane. As a vertically integrated company, it is active in development, construction, investment and operation of renewable energy projects.
In Hungary, ID Energy started its activity in 2017 as construction company and it is currently a well-established player in the Hungarian market with an own portfolio of more than 500 MW in advanced stage of development comprising of solar and storage. ID Energy is also present in Romania, Serbia and Croatia with local teams and several projects in different stages of development.
You are the General Manager for Hungary and Southeast Europe at ID Energy Group, a company specialized in renewable energy sources. The subsidiary of ID Energy Group, Xiliun Solar d.o.o., is a member of the Association RES Serbia. Can you tell us in which countries your company operates and how many portfolios your company manages in each of these markets?
– Thank you for this opportunity. It is an honor for our company to be part of the Serbian RES Association and to contribute to the development of renewable energies in Serbia.
ID Energy Group is present in 12 countries and we are diversified in different technologies: solar, energy storage, wind as well biogas and biomethane.
Currently our development pipeline across all these technologies and markets is around 6 GW.
Your company is based in Spain. Who would you consider to be a leader in the renewable energy sector in that country?
– Iberdrola is the biggest company in renewables in Spain and amongst the biggest in the world.
What are your ambitions in Serbia? Which projects are you developing and when can we expect the construction of your solar power plants in Serbia?
– ID Energy Group has the goal to develop and build more than 200 MW of solar projects in Serbia by 2027. We want to start with the construction of the first part of our portfolio, around 80 MW, in 2025. All these projects are located in the Vojvodina region.
What are your plans regarding the wind energy sector? Do you have markets that are your priorities for development?
– Currently Spain and Hungary are amongst our priority markets for wind. But we would be happy to develop this technology in other countries as well, including Serbia.
What are the biggest challenges and obstacles you face in doing business in Serbia, and how do you plan to overcome them?
– Serbia has only 200 MW of solar installed in the whole country and therefore it is not a mature market in solar. Being a pioneer in a market entails certain difficulties. Since we started in 2021, regulations have been constantly changing over the years. Moreover, for not being a member of the EU, different rules are sometimes applying. For these reasons, it is important to have a strong local team as well as reliable local partners.
Is your company present in other countries in the region, and do you have ambitions to expand your business into these markets? What strategies do you have for entering new markets?
– We are also present in Croatia, Romania and Hungary (which is our main market in the region). Our strategy is to start from the beginning of a project lifecycle, which means we start with a smaller team focusing on development and then grow as our projects are getting to a stage when they can be built and operated.
Which examples of good practices and regulations from other countries do you think should be applied in Serbia to help increase capacity and accelerate progress in the renewable energy sector?
– After some years working in Serbia, I would say that the Serbian regulator is on a good track to properly regulate the market aligning itself with international standards. It is still needed a more certain and paced procedure for achieving connection points at DSO level, as currently, connection application can be stuck in the system for years before being resolved, while normally in EU they are resolved within an established timeline which gives certainty to the developers.