Greece’s new photovoltaic facility installations, in all categories, are expected to reach approximately 500 MW by 2020, sector officials agree.

Though such investment activity is capable of rekindling an otherwise stagnant sector, over the past few years, the projected level of installations remains below the  current needs of the country and its RES sector potential.

A lack of mature RES projects as a consequence of the investment inactivity that has affected the sector over recent years stands as the biggest problem, according to market officials. Complex and time-consuming licensing procedures are another issue.

These factors, combined with a RAE (Regulatory Authority for Energy) rule imposed to ensure bidding competition at RES auctions – the rule requires participant registrations to represent amounts exceeding those to be auctioned by at least 75 percent – is expected to prompt a shortage of mature projects for upcoming RES auctions.