BayWa r.e.

Competition remains strong for second storage auction

Posted on by admin

A total of 55 applications representing standalone batteries with 1,668 MW in capacity have been submitted by RES investors to a second auction offering investment and operational support for standalone batteries, a solid turnout ensuring the strong competition registered at the first auction will be maintained.

Investment and operational support will be offered to projects totaling 288.21 MW, meaning applications for participation have oversubscribed this capacity by 5.7 times.

The field of contestants will be finalized at noon today, when a deadline for letters of guarantee expected from participants is set to expire.

According to sources, most participants have already submitted their letters of guarantee with applications. As a result, the number of participants is not expected to diminish.

All participants face 100-MW capacity limit totals for projects submitted to the first two auctions. Helleniq Energy, power utility PPC and Intrakat already exhausted this limit through the first auction and, as a result, cannot participate in the follow-up procedure.

Virtually all other major energy groups with a market presence in Greece have applied to  participate in the second auction, sources informed. These include, TERNA Energy, Mytilineos, the Copelouzos group, Elpedison, MORE, Enel, EDF, EDPR, BayWa, KiEFER and Faria.

A total of 12 projects were successful in the first auction, securing guaranteed revenues of between 34,000 and 64,100 euros per MWh for a year. A starting price of 115,000 euros per MWh, for a year, has been set for the second auction. Bidding is not expected to drop below 45,000 euros per MWh, for a year, market officials have projected.

 

Interest in roof-mounted solar panel subsidies gaining momentum

Posted on by admin

Homeowners are displaying a satisfactory level of interest in the energy ministry’s subsidy support package for roof-mounted solar panel installations, launched in early March, though there is room for swifter progress, energy market players have noted.

Also, the emergence of new products in the sector is sparking greater consumer interest, while companies are making necessary adjustments to meet heightened demand, officials have noted, in response to energypress questions.

The energy ministry launched a platform offering subsidies for roof-mounted solar panel installations on March 2. Some 3,800 applications were submitted during the first nine-day period, while the total number of applications lodged has since risen to 11,000, of which approximately 6,500 have already been approved.

The support program has ushered in a new era for the solar panel market, representatives at Inergio-Tesco, Big Solar, Recom, Baywa r.e., JinkoSolar and S ungrow, told energypress. Sector revenues are rising, while customers are no longer perceiving self-production as an alien concept, the companies noted.

Floating solar panel installations rising, Greek market considered

Posted on by admin

Companies headquartered in Europe’s north are looking for opportunities to invest in floating solar panel installations over lake, sea and reservoir surfaces around Greece, sources have informed.

Conditions at Greek lakes and seas locations are considered ideal to host such projects, capturing an increasing share of global renewable energy generation as their related technology continues to mature.

Key players are developing floating solar panels projects at various locations around the world, including European and Asian regions.

Germany’s BayWa r.e., developing floating solar panel projects with a total capacity of 52 MW at shallow waters in the Netherlands, is believed to be eyeing the Greek market.

Another major player, Norway’s Statkraft, is currently installing floating solar panels with a 2-MW capacity at a hydropower facility reservoir in Albania.

Portugal’s EDP, which has signed a memorandum of cooperation for renewable energy projects with Greek power utility PPC, and France’s Akuo, present in the Greek market, are both active in the floating solar panel sector.

Floating solar panel solutions are proving to be increasingly popular as their development avoids costs and complications encountered by investors behind  conventional solar projects on land.

The overall capacity of floating solar panel projects soared from 10 MW in 2014 to 1.1 GW in 2018 and is continuing to increase at a rapid rate.