Faced with rising electricity and natural gas bills, Greek companies and households are turning en masse to solar power this year to cope with the ongoing energy crisis.
Nikos Tzortzakakis, Chief Operating Officer of AENAOS Energy Systems, a local company specializing in renewable energy sources (RES), says his phone has been ringing nonstop these days. Demand for solar projects has increased by about 80% this year, he told Xinhua.
“Amid the energy crisis, self-generation is the only solution households and businesses have to cope with the cost of electricity and protect themselves in an unstable environment,” Tzortzakakis said.
With more than 250 days of sunshine a year, Greece is rich in renewable solar energy resources. According to a recent report by the Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies (HELAPCO), generation from new grid-connected solar projects increased by 59% from 838 MWh (megawatt-hours) in 2021 to an estimated 1.340 MWh by the end of 2022. The total capacity of grid-connected solar installations currently operating in Greece has now reached 5.466 MWh.
A staff member works at the Stergiou Family S.A. factory in Acharnes, a suburb of Athens, Greece, on 29 November 2022.(Photo by Lefteris Partsalis/Xinhua)
In Greece’s energy transition, medium-sized solar investors (projects of 10-1.000 kW) account for 71% of the overall market, large projects (over 1MW) account for 22%, and small investors for 7%.
Stergiou Family S.A., one of Greece’s largest producers and distributors of confectionery and bakery products, took the plunge this summer. The company installed a Chinese-made, grid-connected 250-1.000 kW solar system on the roof of its factory at its headquarters in Acharnes, a suburb of Athens.
“Installing solar panels under the net metering principle allows us to use 100 percent of the energy generated by the panels,” George Delis, the factory manager, told Xinhua.
“Our factory meets up to 30 percent of its daily energy needs through the panels. On inactive days, such as Sundays or national holidays, the energy generated can be fed back into the public grid,” he said.
Staff members work at the Stergiou Family S.A. factory in Acharnes, a suburb of Athens, Greece, on 29 November 2022.(Photo by Lefteris Partsalis/Xinhua)
By switching to solar power, Delis said, the company could reduce not only its operating costs but also its carbon footprint amid the severe energy crisis.
The Greek government plans to roll out a series of subsidy programs in the coming months to support the public’s shift to rooftop solar panels, the Ministry of Environment and Energy recently announced.
A 200-million-euro (207,25-million-U.S.-dollar) program is set to launch in early 2023, offering subsidies of up to 60% for rooftop solar panels with a capacity of 10 kW combined with energy storage (batteries).
Those who choose to install solar systems without batteries will receive smaller subsidies (about 30 percent), the ministry said.
The program is designed to allocate 30% to farmers (about 70.000 beneficiaries), 30% to small and medium-sized businesses, and 40% (about 100.000) to households, Energy and Environment Minister Kostas Skrekas said at a recent press conference in Athens.
This photo, taken on 29 November 2022, shows solar installations on the roof of the Stergiou Family S.A. factory in Acharnes, a suburb of Athens, Greece.(Photo by Lefteris Partsalis/Xinhua)
The ministry has also announced two other subsidy programs, one to promote self-generation by businesses and another to help energy communities support vulnerable consumers.
Skrekas said demand is expected to be high, as businesses and households look for ways to reduce their energy costs.
“At the moment, the average cost for a household for a self-generation project is about 10.000 euros without batteries. So, with the 30 percent subsidy, it comes down to around 7.000 euros,” Tzortzakakis said.
For projects with integrated batteries, the initial cost is about 14.000 euros, which falls to 5.600 euros after the subsidy, he explained.
The subsidy will help both businesses and households finance their transition to renewable energy sources, he said.
Meanwhile, the state needs to upgrade the country’s energy infrastructure to cope with the increase in supply, Tzortzakakis added.
Nikos Tzortzakakis, Chief Operating Officer of AENAOS Energy Systems, a local company specializing in renewable energy sources (RES), says his phone has been ringing nonstop these days. Demand for solar projects has increased by about 80% this year, he told Xinhua.
“Amid the energy crisis, self-generation is the only solution households and businesses have to cope with the cost of electricity and protect themselves in an unstable environment,” Tzortzakakis said.
With more than 250 days of sunshine a year, Greece is rich in renewable solar energy resources. According to a recent report by the Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies (HELAPCO), generation from new grid-connected solar projects increased by 59% from 838 MWh (megawatt-hours) in 2021 to an estimated 1.340 MWh by the end of 2022. The total capacity of grid-connected solar installations currently operating in Greece has now reached 5.466 MWh.
A staff member works at the Stergiou Family S.A. factory in Acharnes, a suburb of Athens, Greece, on 29 November 2022.(Photo by Lefteris Partsalis/Xinhua)
In Greece’s energy transition, medium-sized solar investors (projects of 10-1.000 kW) account for 71% of the overall market, large projects (over 1MW) account for 22%, and small investors for 7%.
Stergiou Family S.A., one of Greece’s largest producers and distributors of confectionery and bakery products, took the plunge this summer. The company installed a Chinese-made, grid-connected 250-1.000 kW solar system on the roof of its factory at its headquarters in Acharnes, a suburb of Athens.
“Installing solar panels under the net metering principle allows us to use 100 percent of the energy generated by the panels,” George Delis, the factory manager, told Xinhua.
“Our factory meets up to 30 percent of its daily energy needs through the panels. On inactive days, such as Sundays or national holidays, the energy generated can be fed back into the public grid,” he said.
Staff members work at the Stergiou Family S.A. factory in Acharnes, a suburb of Athens, Greece, on 29 November 2022.(Photo by Lefteris Partsalis/Xinhua)
By switching to solar power, Delis said, the company could reduce not only its operating costs but also its carbon footprint amid the severe energy crisis.
The Greek government plans to roll out a series of subsidy programs in the coming months to support the public’s shift to rooftop solar panels, the Ministry of Environment and Energy recently announced.
A 200-million-euro (207,25-million-U.S.-dollar) program is set to launch in early 2023, offering subsidies of up to 60% for rooftop solar panels with a capacity of 10 kW combined with energy storage (batteries).
Those who choose to install solar systems without batteries will receive smaller subsidies (about 30 percent), the ministry said.
The program is designed to allocate 30% to farmers (about 70.000 beneficiaries), 30% to small and medium-sized businesses, and 40% (about 100.000) to households, Energy and Environment Minister Kostas Skrekas said at a recent press conference in Athens.
This photo, taken on 29 November 2022, shows solar installations on the roof of the Stergiou Family S.A. factory in Acharnes, a suburb of Athens, Greece.(Photo by Lefteris Partsalis/Xinhua)
The ministry has also announced two other subsidy programs, one to promote self-generation by businesses and another to help energy communities support vulnerable consumers.
Skrekas said demand is expected to be high, as businesses and households look for ways to reduce their energy costs.
“At the moment, the average cost for a household for a self-generation project is about 10.000 euros without batteries. So, with the 30 percent subsidy, it comes down to around 7.000 euros,” Tzortzakakis said.
For projects with integrated batteries, the initial cost is about 14.000 euros, which falls to 5.600 euros after the subsidy, he explained.
The subsidy will help both businesses and households finance their transition to renewable energy sources, he said.
Meanwhile, the state needs to upgrade the country’s energy infrastructure to cope with the increase in supply, Tzortzakakis added.
