Greece has made significant progress in renewable energy, but efforts must continue, as achieving the goal of climate neutrality will not happen automatically.
This was highlighted by Panagiotis Ladakakos, president of the Hellenic Scientific Association for Wind Energy, at an event yesterday for Global Wind Day.
He identified the sector’s biggest challenges as curtailments of “green” energy when demand cannot absorb it, the one-sided shift toward photovoltaics, licensing difficulties, and fake news targeting wind energy that links wind turbines to wildfires.
At the same event, Minister of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakis stressed that Greece now holds a leading position globally in the penetration of both solar and wind energy. This is the result of the efforts of investors and workers, as well as the reforms implemented over the past five years. “It is a Greek achievement that we should be proud of,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Alexandra Sdoukou reiterated the target of doubling installed renewable energy capacity to 23,5 gigawatts by 2030, and announced measures to address the sector’s challenges. “We will not let zero and negative prices on the Exchange and curtailments undermine the future of a sector that is synonymous with the country’s ‘green’ future,” she said. Upcoming initiatives include increasing demand and adapting it to the new production profile, accelerating the development of storage units, developing offshore wind farms, and establishing new international interconnections.
ELETAEN Director General Panagiotis Papastamatiou highlighted the anniversary of 30 years since the passage of Law 2244/1994, which for the first time allowed private entities in Greece to generate electricity exclusively (at the time) from renewable energy sources. As he said, it was the first step toward renewables now covering 50 % of demand (64 % in April).
At the annual “Aeolus” awards ceremony, ELETAEN honored Charalambos Pippos, then director of renewables at the Ministry of Industry; Hellenic Cables (whose award was accepted by CEO Kostas Savvakis); and MIT professor Panos Sklavounos, who specializes in floating wind farms.
Source: TodayPress
Source: TodayPress
