The recent SolarPlaza Consultancy conference in Athens concluded that Greece’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) significantly underestimates projected solar capacity for 2030 by at least 40%. Stelios Psomas, a consultant for the Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies (HELAPCO), shared these insights during public consultations on the revised NECP, which anticipates a solar capacity of 13.5 GW by the end of the decade.
Psomas pointed out that even conservative estimates from HELAPCO, based on equipment orders for projects with mature licenses, suggest this target could be reached as early as 2026. By 2030, operational solar capacity is projected to range between 19 and 21.1 GW, exceeding NECP targets by 40 to 55%.
In the first half of 2024, Greece installed 920 MW of solar capacity, significantly outpacing the 97 MW added by new wind farms. This brought the total operational solar capacity in the country to 8 GW, which far surpasses the current wind energy production capacity of 5.3 GW.