Nine records have been broken vigorous markets in 2022, which signal not only a transition to green energy, but also a shift by consumers to self-sustaining production from renewable sources, a rapid phase-out of Russian natural gas, and the transformation of the country into the energy supply gateway of Southeast Europe. An indicator of the level of development of RES is that system and network operators are taking emergency measures during periods such as this Easter, when energy demand is low and RES production is abundant, in order to protect the stability of the system even with a reduction in available energy from the sun and wind.

Milestones achieved by the energy market in 2022:

1.Green energy at the top: in 2022 according to Green Tank analysis (https://thegreentank.gr/2023/01/27/admie-december2022-el/) is the first year in history in which electricity generated from renewable energy sources and large hydroelectric power plants (23,667 GWh) exceeded the production of natural gas and lignite combined (23,534 GWh). These targets were achieved despite the relatively limited contribution of hydropower. In total, RES, together with large hydroelectric power plants, covered 46.7% of electricity demand in 2022, natural gas – 35.4% and brown coal – 11%.

Green Tank analyst Nikos Mantzaris tells APE: “Official figures for 2022 clearly show that the best defense against the energy crisis that peaked last year is a decisive shift towards renewables and savings. Any attempt to extend the life of fossil fuels, especially in power generation, endangers the national economy and the public interest.”

2.Installed capacity record: The renewable energy potential (wind, solar, etc. without large hydroelectric power stations) has overcome the barrier of 10 gigawatts already in November last year. According to official data from DAPEEP (Administrator of RES and Guarantees of Origin), RES capacity in December reached 10,340 MW (of which 4,570 MW wind and 4,895 MW photovoltaic).

3. Recording a photovoltaic installation: Last year saw the highest historical penetration of new solar power plants, as PV capacity from 3660 MW at the end of 2021 reached 4570 MW in December 2022 (+1235 MW), always according to DAPEEP. Market development statistics from the Association of Photovoltaic Companies show that the previous record was set in 2013 with 1,043 new MW, and less than 10 MW have been added over the years.

4. Silver European medal in solar energy: According to the Ember report, the share of photovoltaic systems in electricity generation in 2022 was 12.6%, which puts our country in second place in Europe after the Netherlands.

5.Faster development of RES compared to the EU: According to data provided by Nikos Tzafos, Prime Minister’s Energy Adviser, between 2018-2022. The capacity of photovoltaic installations in our country increased by 110% (i.e. more than doubled) compared to 92%, which was the EU average. , and the equivalent wind energy increased by 70% (compared to 30% in the EU).

6.100% penetration : According to ADMIE, for the first time in the history of the Greek energy system, the demand for October 7, 2022 was 100% covered by renewable energy for five hours.

7.Citizens switch to green energy. As noted by Green Tank at the Energy Communities Observatory, the energy crisis has prompted citizens, businesses and local communities to use renewable energy to cover their energy needs, either through self-production at the individual level (energy offset – virtual energy offset) or through collective own production (virtual energy pool). Energy Communities). According to current data, in November 2022, the number of requests for connection of virtual grid projects from the Energy Communities increased by 425% compared to November 2021). Over the same period, there was a 62.5% increase (from 499 to 811 applications) in the number of applications for virtual energy compensation projects in general, i.e. from energy communities and other entities (such as farmers, legal entities, etc.) . Even greater was the increase in requests for independent production through the net accounting mechanism, i.e. independent production of electricity by citizens and enterprises on an individual basis. In particular, applications for such projects have increased by 157% and the requested capacity has increased by 199.5% over the last year (November 2021 – November 2022).

8.Exceeding natural gas savings target: Greece has exceeded the European target for the reduction of natural gas consumption set by the EU for the period from August 2022 to March 2023. According to Green Tank’s analysis, consumption was down 31.8% year-over-year and 20.9% year-over-year. on average for the respective eight months of the previous five years, exceeding by almost 6 percentage points the target of -15% set by the European Commission.

9.Greece natural gas exporter: According to DESFA data, natural gas exports from the Greek system almost quadrupled in 2022 (+288.68%). This is mainly due to the transit of liquefied natural gas from the Revitussa station to the wider region and especially to Bulgaria, which has experienced supply disruptions from Russia’s Gazprom.

Source: RES-IPE