Plugin solar in Croatia

Can I use a plug-in solar kit in Croatia? Yes, but only as a regular solar installation, not just by plugging it in. Croatia has no specific plug-in rule, and the grid operator HEP ODS applies the same rules as for rooftop solar. For small systems the route is short. Up to 3.68 kW on a single-phase connection (11.04 kW on three-phase), you install the system, pay HEP ODS's fee and send a notice of intent to connect. Within 30 days, HEP ODS fits a two-way meter and confirms permanent operation. Since 2026, surplus power is credited on your bill at 90% of the energy price. Only off-grid systems need no paperwork.

General overview for Croatia

Plugin solar kits: None set

There is no plug-in category and no watt limit for self-installed kits. HEP ODS says a kit connected to your home wiring follows the same rules as any grid-connected solar plant. That means you need a notice to HEP ODS and a two-way meter before you use it. Zero-export kits are no exception. The rules don't say whether you may connect through a normal socket, so ask HEP ODS.

Other solar kits

Kits above 800 W use the same one-step notice as smaller ones, up to 3.68 kW single-phase (the 16 A limit of a household socket circuit) or 11.04 kW three-phase, within your existing connection. Install, pay the fee and notify HEP ODS, which fits a two-way meter within 30 days. The rules don't say whether a socket is an acceptable connection point, so ask HEP ODS. Larger systems take a two-step procedure.

Feed-in compensation

Since 1 January 2026, new systems no longer get net metering. Your supplier must buy your surplus if your export power is no higher than your import power (500 kW maximum). Each month, the surplus is valued at 90% of the average energy price you pay, excluding network charges and fees, and deducted from your bill, for ten years. The value per kWh is reduced in months when you export more than you use. Households that applied by 31 December 2025 keep net metering.

The legal basis for plugin solar in Croatia

Self-consumption is governed by the Act on Renewable Energy Sources and High-Efficiency Cogeneration (NN 138/21, 83/23, 78/25). The 2025 amendment (NN 78/2025, in force 17 May 2025) rewrote Article 51:

Suppliers must buy surplus from end customers with own production who have a right to permanent connection, export through the same meter they buy through, and whose export power does not exceed their import power.
The surplus is credited monthly at 90% of the energy price for ten years from the certificate of permanent operation.
No fees are charged on self-consumed electricity.
Households that filed a connection-check request by 31 December 2025 keep the old net metering.

The connection procedure is set by HEP ODS's Rules on Connection to the Distribution Network, with a one-step notice for small systems up to 3.68 kW single-phase or 11.04 kW three-phase. The technical requirements are in the Distribution Grid Code (NN 74/2018). Neither document has a plug-in category; in September 2026, HEP confirmed that plug-in kits follow the standard rules. EU Recommendation (EU) 2026/1007 on simpler plug-in rules is not binding. This page is guidance, not legal advice.

Certification and registration requirements in Croatia

Croatia has no plug-in registry. Your system is recorded by HEP ODS as part of your grid connection when you send the notice of intent to connect.

Your inverter must meet the grid code:

Small units (up to 16 A per phase): HRN EN 50438.
Larger units: the CLC/TS 50549-1 series.

Plants below 50 kVA need no trial operation. HEP ODS also skips the anti-islanding test if the inverter is certified to HRN EN 62116. Keep the manufacturer's certificates, because HEP ODS may ask for them.

Ask your local HEP ODS office (Elektra) which documents must go with the notice. Off-grid systems that never connect to your home wiring need none of this.

How to handle your utility in Croatia

Your grid operator is HEP ODS, which works through regional offices called Elektra. For a small system on an existing connection (up to 3.68 kW single-phase or 11.04 kW three-phase, with no increase in import power):

Install the system.
Pay the connection fee under HEP ODS's price list for non-standard services.
Submit a notice of intent to connect a generating plant.
Within 30 days, HEP ODS fits the two-way meter and sends you a notice of connection possibility, an updated annex to your grid-use contract and a certificate for permanent operation.

Then sign a supply contract with surplus terms with your electricity supplier, who must offer one within 30 days. If your meter can't send production data automatically, you must report your production to HEP ODS monthly. More information: hep.hr/ods.

Are there any incentives for plugin solar in Croatia?

0% VAT: since 1 October 2022, the supply and installation of solar panels on private homes carries 0% VAT (Article 38(6), VAT Act). This covers panels, inverter, an optional battery, mounting and cabling; transport is taxed at 25%. It is not confirmed whether a self-installed kit qualifies, so ask the Tax Administration (Porezna uprava) or a tax adviser.

Grants: the 2026 call from the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (FZOEU) co-finances up to 50% of solar and, for the first time, home batteries. It is open only to owners of family houses who live there, so flats are not covered. Applications opened on 2 September 2026 and were paused on 4 September because of demand; the FZOEU has announced another call for systems commissioned between December 2025 and July 2026.

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While we researched each country's regulation diligently, we might have missed a recent update or got something wrong. If you have more updated information, please contribute to this overview and message us.