Harshad Patel
Stelios Psomas, a policy advisor at HELAPCO, paints a vibrant picture of Greece’s solar photovoltaic (PV) industry, highlighting both achievements and challenges in a recent analysis. Despite record-breaking growth in PV connections, with projections exceeding 1.7 GW this year and expectations to surpass 2 GW annually in the near future, some stakeholders remain cautious.
This caution stems from infrastructure bottlenecks in grid connections managed by IPTO, the Greek TSO. Although IPTO plans to accommodate up to 20 GW of PV by 2030, there are currently over 70 GW of applications, creating uncertainty and unease in the market.
Another concern is the increasing curtailments faced by PV installations, which reached 228 GWh in 2023 and are expected to quadruple this year. This represents a challenge for investors, exacerbated by the lack of storage infrastructure in Greece until the anticipated deployment of utility-scale batteries starting in 2026.
Despite the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) forecasting 3.1 GW of battery energy storage systems (BESS) by 2030, Psomas argues that 5 to 8 GW would be needed to effectively mitigate curtailments.
Looking ahead, Psomas anticipates significant growth in Greece’s PV sector, projecting an installed capacity exceeding 16 GW by 2030, surpassing NECP’s target of 13.4 GW.
Traditionally dominated by small and medium ground-mounted systems, the market is now transitioning towards larger-scale projects, buoyed by favorable regulatory changes and increasing self-consumption initiatives. However, recent shifts from net-metering to net-billing schemes have raised concerns among smaller installers about market stability and profitability.
Psomas underlines Greece’s leadership in solar PV within Europe, with the country producing a domestic electricity share from PV more than double the European average in 2023.
This achievement not only contributes significantly to carbon dioxide reduction but also stimulates economic growth, attracting €1.12 billion in investments and supporting approximately 15,840 full-time jobs in the sector.
As Greece prepares to host the Large Scale Solar Southern Europe event in July 2024, Psomas emphasizes the importance of addressing challenges such as grid integration, curtailment management, and expanding storage solutions.
The event will gather industry leaders to discuss these pressing issues and explore emerging technologies like energy storage and green hydrogen, which are poised to complement and enhance the solar PV landscape in Southern Europe.
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