In the heart of one of the largest economic forums

In the heart of one of the largest economic forums in the Balkans - the International Fair " Helexpo 2025 " - the Bulgarian vision for the energy future was presented with a clear and strong voice. Within the framework of the Bulgarian pavilion, jointly organized by the Green Transition Forum and the Bulgarian-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the key panel discussion " Smart Energy Future: Digital Transformation, Building Efficiency and Industrial Leadership " was held. The event brought together leading experts on one stage, who outlined the path to a more sustainable, digitalized and secure energy system, raising fundamental questions for the future of the entire region.

Dragomir Tsanev, executive director of the Center for Energy Efficiency " EnEffect ", who shifted the focus from large corporate strategies to the power of the individual citizen and the unused potential of the building stock. Together with him, Radoslav Andonov from Geotrading AD, Nadezhda Myashkova, executive director of Power Partner Solutions, and Todor Ivandzhikov from Styrozid Eco joined the discussion. The panel was moderated by Vesselin Todorov, chairman of Solar Academy, Bulgaria.

The Systemic Gap: Who is Forgotten in the Energy Transition?

At the beginning of his speech, Dragomir Tsanev outlined a systemic gap in the current debate on the energy transition. He noted that while there is talk of huge ambitions and capital movements, " the role of the one who pays the bill " - the end user - is often forgotten. According to him, it is small and medium-sized enterprises and households that are the backbone of the economy, but they remain on the periphery of major decisions. Tsanev pointed out that development in Bulgaria is still not stable due to systemic gaps, the solution of which lacks political will. As the main obstacles, he identified the unfinished liberalization of the electricity market, as well as the lack of smart metering, which is an " absolute structural necessity " for the deployment of energy communities.

The solution, in his opinion, is not only technological, but above all - communication. " We need to make citizens believe that they have a role, that they are a factor, " said Tsanev. He emphasized that the investment power of ordinary people is a huge but dormant resource that can be a catalyst for change, bringing not only economic but also social benefits, guaranteeing security, stability and peace in the region.

The Building as a Battery: From Passive to Active

One of the most impactful ones that Tsanev developed was the innovative but completely achievable vision of buildings - not just as passive consumers, but as active elements of the energy system. " We underestimate the role of buildings, " he noted, comparing them to energy batteries. To illustrate his idea, he gave a simple physical example: a modern, well-insulated passive building loses less than a degree of temperature in 8 hours in winter, while old buildings from the 70s and 80s lose 6 to 7 degrees. " Is this a battery? Is this storage? " he asked rhetorically, emphasizing that this energy storage capability, combined with photovoltaics and smart management systems, could provide invaluable grid flexibility.

This enormous potential, he said, could be unlocked by mobilizing citizens' financial resources. He called on energy to become the sector that could mobilize at least part of the over 50 billion euros in savings of Bulgarian households. Such investments, he said, bring a double benefit - they reduce the bills of homeowners and turn them into prosumers, while at the same time easing the strain on the transmission and distribution grid across Europe.

Security in an Age of Uncertainty: The Lesson from Ukraine

The culmination of Dragomir Tsanev's speech was dedicated to the most pressing issue of our time - security. He argues that in a world marked by geopolitical tension and conflict, decentralization is not just an economic logic, but a strategic imperative. “We need to become smarter, ” he says, explaining that distributed, small-scale energy sources are much more resilient to attacks and disruptions than large, centralized power plants.

To support his point, he shares an example from the reality of the war in Ukraine that gives a whole new dimension to the concept of “energy security ”: “I remember, at the beginning of the war... our Ukrainian colleagues were telling us: ‘We need an energy production system that is cheaper than a missile. That doesn’t make sense to attack.’ ”

However, this model, Tsanev admitted, has its own big challenge - it is related to working with people, not machines. We are talking about the neighbor, the retired couple, the family with two children - each with their own problems, opportunities and attitudes. But it is precisely their involvement that is the only way to ensure that no one is left behind in the complex process of energy transition. Because, as he concluded, without social acceptance, any investment, no matter how large, is doomed to unsustainability.