Solar has claimed the top spot at Greece’s second-ever technology-neutral renewable auction, producing prices below the 5-euro-cent-per-kWh mark as it bagged all contracts but one.
New figures from regulatory agency RAE show solar applicants scooped up 350MW of the 502.94MW in feed-in premia distributed under an online auction alongside wind power, held between 10:00 and 10:30 AM on 2 April 2020.
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Participants started bidding from ceiling prices of €0.06132/kWh (US$0.066/kWh) but the top solar winner – a 200MW project utility PPC is planning in Eordaea, near the northwest city of Kozani – was chosen at a lower €0.04911/kWh (US$0.05306/kWh).
The second and third largest solar contract-winners (see table below) scored similarly low tariffs, at around €0.051/kWh (US$0.055/kWh). Every other PV project – as well as the 153MW sole wind power winner – was contracted at prices of around €0.055/kWh (US$0.059/kWh).
Top three solar winners of Greece’s tech-neutral auction
| Project company name | Location | Capacity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| ILIAKO VELOS ENA S.A. | Eordaea, Kozani | 200MW | €0.04911/kWh |
| EMV Α.Ε. | Evrota | 70MW | €0.05068/kWh |
| HELIOTHEMA ENERGY S.A. | Thebes | 42MW | €0.05087/kWh |
Source: RAE
Country with 7.7GW PV ambitions cuts licensing red-tape
Solar’s sound performance on 2 April 2020 echoes the results of Greece’s first technology-neutral renewable tender, held in April 2019. Six of last year’s seven auction contracts were bagged by industry projects, including a 203.4MWp scheme recently sold by EPC juwi to oil firm HELPE.
Greece’s auctioning calendar is meant to help deliver sizeable green energy goals this decade. The latest national energy plan commits the country to taking installed PV capacity to a cumulative 7.7GW by 2030, up from the 2.76GW at the end of 2019. according to IRENA.
In office since last July, the government of the centre-right New Democracy party has acted to bring down renewable licensing barriers. From new certificates to dedicated registries, the new measures are meant to shorten delays for permits, said to reach 3-4 years in the case of PV.
The price milestones seen with technology-neutral auctions have contrasted so far, with a more muted response to PV-only tenders. As documented by PV Tech, the solar-specific exercises of last July and last December both ended in undersubscription.
See here to browse the results of Greece's technology-neutral auction in full
The prospects and challenges of solar's new era in Greece and the rest of Europe will take centre stage at Large Scale Solar Europe 2020 (Lisbon, on 30 June-1 July 2020).