Greece

Greece has published new statistics showing that it installed 792 MW of solar in 2021. However, the country has also announced plans to postpone its coal phase-out date to 2028. 

German renewable energy developer Juwi has completed a 204MW solar plant with more than 500,000 JinkoSolar PV modules. The company said it is currently Europe’s largest bifacial solar park.

Electricity generation in the Middle East and Africa could soon support the development of an interconnection between Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt. Ilias Tsagas examines the landscape for this infrastructure mega-project, and the possible benefits for solar.

The Italian energy major this morning announced it had acquired German-owned clean power developer Solar Konzept Greece.

A row between the Greek ministry of the environment and energy, the country’s electricity utility, and a journalist has shown that Greece still has pro-lignite voices in key posts and that the government must move quickly if it wants to realize its coal phase-out plans.

The European Commission has given its seal of approval to a government program which will drive an estimated 264 MW of solar and wind capacity across 47 islands while they await connection to the mainland grid.

Competitive bidding for onshore solar and wind will establish a clean-power strike price acceptable to successful developers under the contracts-for-difference approach. The incentive scheme is also applicable to biogas, biomass, landfill gas, hydropower, concentrated solar power, and geothermal plants.

Greece’s energy sector has been experiencing an ongoing policy reform fever in the last two years that is now extending to energy storage, net metering and small solar farms. The reforms will boost the country’s energy transition.

Greece’s government gathered today on the Aegean island of Halki to inaugurate a local community energy project and also launch its Gr-Eco Islands Initiative, which aims to green the country’s archipelago.

The Euro trade body has promised to monitor the developing solar jobs market annually from now on, and pointed to Poland’s position at the top of the tree of EU member states for PV jobs last year as evidence the technology can still benefit from legislative backing.