In the center of the city, Prijedor received a solar tree yesterday where passers-by could at any time charge their mobile phones and laptops using solar energy.
“It is interesting that this is the first project of its kind in BiH. The goal of the project is the promotion of renewable energy and raising public awareness of the potential of solar energy as a clean ecological source’’, said Boris Srdić from the Agency for Economic Development of Prijedor “PREDA-PD” for Srna Agency.
A solar tree represents a metal structure that looks like a tree with branches on top where solar panels are located. It uses solar energy to produce energy that will continue to be used for charging mobile phones and portable computers, and supplies information from an LED screen.
“The project was conceived and developed by students of the Mechanical, Architectural and Electrical Engineering Faculties in Banja Luka, gathered in the organization of “Energetski Klub” that currently has 15 members’’, added Srdić.
The total worth of the project was 18.200 KM, from which 90 percent was provided by donor organizations of the German Society for International Cooperation “GIZ”, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Banja Luka Company “Kaldera”, and 10 percent from the city of Prijedor. The coordinator of the project was the Agency for Economic Development of Prijedor City “PREDA-PD”.
Member of the “Energetski Klub” Indir Mujanić said that on the front side of the tree there is an info-screen with information on energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as information about partners of the project, and the contents that rotate on the screen could be changed.
“On the back side of the tree is an opening where there is one conventional electricity outlet for charging laptops, and six outputs for four different types of mobile phones’’, added Mujanić.
The Deputy Mayor of Priejd Milenko Đaković said that, apart from functionality in terms of continuous use of solar energy, solar trees have an aesthetic component.
“I urge citizens to carefully use this installation so that it could stay the way it is now and serves its purpose’’, said Đaković.
