The whole of Greece is supplied with 100 percent sustainable electricity
On October 7th, Greece reached a milestone. The entire country is supplied with 100 percent electricity from sustainable energy sources for five hours. Athens is also pursuing other ambitious goals.
Countries around the world are expanding their renewable energy capacities. Because the Ukraine war shows once again how dependent we are on fossil fuels. Greece, meanwhile, achieved a milestone on October 7th. Because the country supplied itself exclusively with electricity from renewable energies for five hours.
👏Based on #IPTOelectricity from #renewables in 🇬🇷 hit an all-time record, covering 100% of electricity demand for 5 hours on October, 7 2022.
🔍See in more detail how the Greek electricity mix develops in our monthly “trends in electricity production” https://t.co/mdTCXqaXBl pic.twitter.com/xdilbffuqd— The Green Tank (@The_GreenTank) October 10, 2022
At 10 a.m. German time (8 a.m. GMT), the energy produced reached a peak of 3,106 megawatt hours. Historically, this was the first day that Greece did not emit a single gram of carbon dioxide for its own needs. Financial incentives from the European Union are also behind this.
Greece is pursuing ambitious energy targets
Because Greece could receive up to 30 billion euros in grants for the conversion of its own electricity network. To achieve this, around 70 percent of the energy required must come from sustainable sources by 2030. In the best-case scenario, capacity will increase from ten to 25 gigawatts. Athens could reach this goal in less than eight years and thus become a frontrunner for the EU.
A number of major projects contribute to these figures. Only in April did the country inaugurate a solar farm with an output of 204 megawatts. The plant is located in Kozani in the west of the country and is the largest solar farm with bifacial solar cells. These types of panels can generate electricity on either side.
Germany still has some catching up to do
The Greeks also benefit from the country’s location. Due to the sunny weather, solar systems generate significantly more energy every year than elsewhere. The power per unit area is relatively high. But Germany can also learn a few things from the Greeks.
In this country, the share of renewable energies in the total demand is increasing namely off again. While we still achieved a share of almost 45 percent in 2020, it was only 41.1 percent in 2021. New initiatives and incentives are therefore needed in Germany in order to become independent of energy imports as soon as possible.
Also interesting:
