ESINERGY Webinar Brings Together Energy Stakeholders Across the Danube Region

22 April 2026 | Online

On 22 April 2026, the ESINERGY project hosted a transnational webinar titled "Reducing peak loads and using local energy more efficiently", bringing together energy producers, utilities, municipalities, companies, farmers and energy communities from across the Danube region.

The 90-minute online event, moderated by Dragan Milutinović (RARIS, Serbia), opened with an introduction to the ESINERGY project by lead partner Katja Karba from LEA Pomurje, Slovenia. Dr. Michael Stöhr from BAUM (Germany) then set the scene with a concise overview of why peak loads are becoming an increasingly pressing challenge — from the rise of renewable energy and electric vehicle charging to growing demand for grid stability and cost efficiency.

The heart of the webinar was a series of practical presentations from ESINERGY pilot projects across five countries:

Croatia – Nina Jurinić (MENEA) presented how battery storage combined with rooftop solar can directly reduce peak demand.
Slovenia – Janja Horvat (Smart House) demonstrated a smart charging solution integrating PV systems, battery storage and flexible energy consumption.
Hungary – Róbert Musits (IMRO) showed how energy communities can coordinate local renewable energy sharing and management.
Austria – Andrea Dornhofer (Innovationszentrum W.E.I.Z.) shared innovative storage and community-based approaches to peak load reduction.
Bulgaria – Todor Tonev (UBBSLA) presented battery-based energy management implemented in a glass production facility.

Each round of presentations was followed by an interactive panel discussion, giving participants the opportunity to explore what works in practice and how these solutions can be adapted to different contexts.

The webinar closed with a practical guidance session led by Katja Karba, offering participants concrete first steps for launching their own flexibility or peak reduction initiatives, followed by a summary of key takeaways.

The webinar was live streamed and the full recording is available on YouTube.