Local PV sector not seen rebounding before 2019

Greece’s photovoltaic market, among the world’s top ten, in terms of new installations, between 2011 and 2013, is not expected to regain momentum until 2019, according to a local pundit.

Spectacular figures for this RES sub-sector should not be expected in 2018, Stelios Psomas, an energy and environment expert, has forecast. The pundit forecast PV installations will reach 40 MW this year before rising to a level of over 100 MW in 2019.

Such figures indicate that a national objective set in 2010 for the RES sector to cover at least 40 percent of the country’s electricity demand by 2020 is beyond reach, Psomas pointed out, adding that the PV sector has the potential to become a leading RES sector player as long as appropriate political support is provided.

Last year proved to be disappointing for the PV sector as a mere 14 MW was installed in Greece, the pundit noted, adding that it took just five days to  instal such a capacity four years ago.

In 2017, PV installations in Greece represented 0.014 percent of the world’s total, which reached an impressive 100 GW, Psomas informed.

PV investment cost reductions that would reduce the need for subsidies and avoid overburdening consumers with RES-support mechanisms are crucial for the sector’s further growth, the expert explained.