- According to Helapco, Greece installed 913 MW new solar PV capacity in 2020
- It comprises 459 MW connected to the grid in 2020, while remaining 453.8 MW is to be connected to the grid in 2021
- Total installed net-metering capacity has grown to 51 MW, with the annual addition of 17 MW in 2020
In the year 2020, Greece installed 913 MW of new solar PV capacity, according to the country’s solar PV association Helapco. Out of this, 459 MW was connected to the grid. Helapco said the 453.8 MW not grid connected in 2020 represented 780 systems installed, and that these will be interconnected in 2021.
The 913 MW installed in 2020 represents a significant uptake in solar compared to 161 MW Greece added in 2019, all of which was connected to the grid. It is at the same level the country achieved in 2012 when Helapco’s statistics show the installations added up to 912 MW. In 2013, annual additions exceeded 1 GW. Installations dropped significantly from 2014 due to significant changes introduced by the administration in regulatory policies.
It took the country’s total installed PV capacity at the end of 2020 to 3.742 GW, with 3.288 MW connected to the grid.
Despite COVID-19 leaving its mark in 2020, the market for rooftop solar systems ‘almost doubled’ on annual basis leading to the installation of 17 MW under net-metering taking its overall capacity to 51 MW. More than 90% of this capacity comes from the commercial segment.
Helapco also shared that in 2020, even with COVID-19, Greece maintained 42,200 full time positions in the solar PV market.
Solar PV auctions being conducted by Greece’s Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) is one reason for the encouraging increase in annual installations. For its latest solar and wind power tender of 350 MW capacity, the RAE has attracted more than 1 GW of total bids (see Applications For Over 1 GW Submitted For Greek Tender).
According to SolarPower Europe’s EU Market Outlook For Solar Power 2020-2024, Greece aims to install 7.66 GW solar power capacity by 2030 under the country’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). However, it believes the government needs to be more transparent with the auction pipeline and schedule. Report writers added, “Despite the NECP ambition, the government is envisaging creating a new tax on RES producers’ revenues, that would lower the revenues of solar projects. Such a measure could slow down the solar PV development trajectory to 7.7 GW in 2030.” (see SolarPower Europe Says EU Added 18.2 GW Solar In 2020).
