Skopje, 31 May 2024 (MIA) - More than 36 companies are participating in the third annual Solar Fair which opened Friday at Skopje City Mall and is organized by “Solar Macedonia”. At the Fair, which will last through to June 2, visitors will be able to learn about photovoltaic systems, batteries for storing electricity, hybrid photovoltaic systems that also produce hot water, electric vehicles and others. 

According to the head of “Solar Macedonia”, Ilija Nasov, in addition to representatives from the country, companies from Greece, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and China will also present their products at the Fair.

Nasov underscored that the country’s production of electricity from photovoltaics rose by around 20 percent in the past year.

At the Fair’s opening, Nasov announced that a conference on solar energy will be held in Skopje in October, during which, he said, innovative solutions would be presented, such as agrovoltaics, which make it possible for agricultural products to be grown and electricity to be produced on the same land. 

USAID’s Kristofer Dodge noted that the Fair has double the participants it had in 2023, and added that solar energy is exceptionally important since it is clean and represents a sustainable alternative to the expensive import of fuels.

“Additionally, investments in solar energy create jobs, move technology forward and create green areas. Making use of the sun’s energy builds resilience in the generation of Macedonian electricity and reduces the dependence on the import of energy resources from abroad,” Dodge said. 

The Executive Director of Strategic Development Consulting, Kristina Vasileva, said the Solar Fair is backed by the project “North Macedonia Business Ecosystem Project” which is funded by USAID and aims to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. 

“In this case we don’t support them directly, but through associations of businesses, specifically in the solar sector. We believe that in this way we are helping companies work better together to cooperate and jointly represent their interests and become much more relevant stakeholders in the country’s business ecosystem,” Vasileva said. 

Photo: MIA