Renewable electricity capacity maintains strong growth in Greece, despite high curtailments and low wholesale prices affecting profitability. Total installations excluding large hydroelectric plants are on the way to 20 GW.
During the first ten months of 2026, the transmission network added 2,700 MW, of which 600 MW were wind farms and the rest photovoltaics. Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO or ADMIE) expects 3,200 MW for the entire year.
This means that overall installations, including within the distribution network, have already surpassed 19 GW and are expected to climb to almost 20 GW by the end of December, the operator’s Senior Business Development Manager Dimitris Mihos said at the Renewable & Storage Forum.
Storage push underway
Operating capacity of standalone battery systems amounted to 800 MW so far. However, a faster course is seen ahead, as the Ministry of Environment and Energy has set a goal of 4 GW by 2028.
If pumped hydroelectric plants and small batteries in self-consumption are included, there is a total project pipeline of about 10 GW waiting for grid connection, according to Deputy Minister Nikos Tsafos.
Self-consumption to rise in 2027
The market expects an acceleration in smaller self-consumption solar power installations, as a result of a recent ministerial decree that amended the regulatory framework. The Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies (HELAPCO) foresees 300 MW to 350 MW in 2027 in this category, compared to 1.15 GW already installed.
HELAPCO: Negative price protection to cause distortions
The new rules provide an extra incentive for self-consumption units of up to 10.8 kW. Households will not be obligated to pay for the hours when the wholesale price is negative, unlike other producers participating in the market.
HELAPCO, representing larger producers, reacted in a letter to the government. It said that the incentive will lead to an artificial enlargement of self-consumption projects above actual needs.
PV producers under pressure
Curtailments have been high this year. By August, they had reached 1,905 GWh or 8.1% of total renewable energy production. The recent rise of wholesale prices made the occurence of negative prices less frequent, but did not solve the profitability issue many producers face.
“Acquiring connection terms is no longer sufficient to realize a project. Delays in energy storage have created a gap in investment continuity,” said HELAPCO’s Chairman Panagiotis Mourtopallas.
Recently, one of the oldest energy communities in the country decided to sell its 17 photovoltaic farms, situated in northern Greece. Another community is trying to raise EUR 400,000 in new equity to avoid selling, according to Petros Tsikouras, chairman of the Panhellenic Federation of Associations of Photovoltaic Energy Producers.