The main problem of air pollution in Serbia lies in the uncontrolled use of small heating plants and individual furnaces, traffic in cities has a much smaller share in total pollution, so it is unclear why the state subsidizes electric cars instead of solving key problems of pollution, writes the portal Autonomija.
In March this year, a decree was passed allocating up to one million euros to subsidize the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles, and that decision is “multiple wrong”, said the program director of the Regulatory Institute for Renewable Energy and Environment, Mirko Popovic.
“The state subsidizes the purchase of hybrid vehicles with 2,500 euros instead of subsidizing more environmentally friendly and energy efficient production of thermal energy, which is a higher polluter. Electric vehicles are environmentally friendly, but that is not the main cause of the problem. For 2,500 euros, one household could buy a more efficient heater, for example. We can only speculate whether there are any private interests behind the subsidies of those vehicles,” said Popovic.
According to experts, one of the measures that would significantly improve the air quality of electric cars is the establishment of a district heating system.
Nikola Blagojevic from the Network of Good Energy assessed that Vojvodina is ideal for the use of geothermal energy, which is not used enough, just as biomass is not used.
“Biomass as a by-product of agriculture is very attractive for Vojvodina and currently its investment is profitable for larger systems such as farms, industrial plants, not so much for individual households. Central and southern Serbia can hardly be based on geothermal energy, because the structure of the soil is completely different and different systems should be sought there,” Blagojevic believes, BizLife reports.
