Greece ran fully on renewable power for 5 hours final Friday for the primary time ever – utilizing photo voltaic, wind and hydroelectric energy.
It reached a document excessive of three,106MWh (megawatt hours) of electrical energy at 9am native time (7am UK time), in keeping with IPTO, the nation’s unbiased energy transmission operator.
IPTO stated: “For the first time in the history of the Greek electricity system, the demand was covered 100% from renewable energy sources.”
Greece goals to greater than double its inexperienced power capability because it hopes renewables will account for a minimum of 70% of its power combine by 2030.
Tilos, a part of the Dodecanese group of islands, can also be working in the direction of operating fully on renewable power underneath a €30bn (£26bn) mission funded by the EU and personal funding.
‘100% renewable electrical energy system inside attain’
Nikos Mantzaris, a accomplice at suppose tank the Green Tank stated final Friday’s efficiency was vital as a result of “it shows that a 100% renewable electricity system is within reach in Greece, a concept that was considered impossible by most opinion and decision makers in Greece before”.
“The road for the deployment of renewables in Greece during the last decade has been bumpy with many hurdles and periods of stagnation. An electricity system with increasing shares of renewables is technically feasible if it is supported by energy storage technologies and adequate grids.”
“It is also economically preferable by far compared to electricity produced by lignite or gas, even if one includes the cost of storage,” Mr Mantzaris stated.
‘Problems not insurmountable’
He added: “The bottlenecks for further development of renewables are grid capacity, lack of adequate energy storage capacity and lack of an appropriate spatial plan for the proper siting of renewables.
“Since none of those issues are insurmountable, all of it boils right down to political will and the resolve of the Greek authorities to withstand intense strain for the event of recent fossil gasoline infrastructure, as a substitute of scaling up the shift to renewables.”
‘Renewables-dominated electrical energy grid is close by’
According to electrical energy knowledge from Ember, an unbiased suppose tank, Greece generated 39.4% of its electrical energy from renewables final 12 months, together with 19.8% from wind, 9.9% from hydro and eight.9% from photo voltaic.
It generated 61% of its electrical energy from fossil fuels in 2021, together with 40.6% gasoline and 11.3% coal.
In 2012, 51.2% got here from aim, 22% from gasoline, 7% from hydro, 6% wind and a couple of% photo voltaic.
Ember’s 2030 Renewables Target tracker says Greece is focusing on 70% renewable electrical energy for the entire 12 months by 2030. Portugal is aiming for 100%, Netherlands 97% and Germany 80%.
Elisabeth Cremona, an analyst at Ember, stated: “The milestone reached by Greece proves that a renewables-dominated electricity grid is within sight.
“This additionally clearly demonstrates that the electrical energy system will be powered by renewables with out compromising reliability. But there stays extra to do to make sure that renewables overtake fossil fuels in Greece’s energy sector throughout the entire 12 months.”
Source: information.sky.com”