energy storage

Combining PVs with batteries essential, AKUO boss stresses

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Combining PV facilities with batteries needs to be made mandatory, while an upgrade of the country’s grid and interconnections is crucial for the energy transition, Eric Scotto, president of French renewable energy giant AKUO has stressed in an interview with energypress.

Backed by decades of experience in agrivoltaism, combining solar energy production and agricultural development of territories, AKUO, the company president noted, aims to establish Greece as Europe’s leader in this sector.

The French energy group’s extensive experience in agrivoltaism will enable the company to offer solutions that fit the needs and challenges of the Greek landscape, Scotto pointed out.

He saluted a recent decision by the Greek energy ministry to promote hybrid RES systems combining PVs with energy storage, noting that, otherwise, the problem of RES output cuts, carried out to avoid grid overloading, could not be countered.

Scotto, in the enegypress interview, also underlined the importance of sufficient grid interconnections, especially in the case of Greece, as they represent a key to further growth in green energy output, which, inevitably, will greatly exceed domestic needs.

Emphasis needs to be placed on green-energy PPAs between companies and RES producers, Scotto noted, while also expressing confidence that AKUO will reach its goals in Greece through prospective projects totaling 1.5 GW.

AKUO was founded in 2007 and has grown to develop PV, wind energy and storage projects in approximately 30 countries.

RAAEY deciding on terms of second storage auction

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The board at RAAEY, the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water, is expected to meet this week to finalize terms for the country’s second auction for standalone batteries.

RAAEY will announce the finalized terms for the second auction once the energy ministry has issued a ministerial decision.

Though a final decision still needs to be reached on the starting price to be offered at this next auction, a level of just over 100,000 euros per MW, for a year, well below the starting price of 200,000 euros per MW, for a year, offered to successful bidders in the first auction, staged in August, appears likeliest. Bidding competition at the first auction was intense.

Questions still remain about the total storage capacity to be offered to investors at the next session. This offer could depend on the extent of the remuneration cut, even though some RAAEY sources have noted the capacity to be offered could well remain at about 300 MW, as originally planned.

The energy ministry is aiming for approximately 1,700 MW in installed standalone batteries by 2027.

A total of 12 RES projects with storage units, for which successful bids were submitted in the first auction, secured tariffs averaging 115,000 euros per MW, for a year, or 57 percent below the starting price.

 

Significant cut in energy storage tariffs at next auction

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The energy ministry has decided to significantly cut tariffs to be offered at a second auction for standalone batteries, prompted, in its decision, by investors’ lofty expected revenues, as reflected by bidding at a first auction in August.

Tariffs for RES projects with standalone batteries are expected to drop well below the starting price of 200,000 euros per MW, for a year, offered to successful bidders in the first auction.

According to sources, levels may even be halved, the likeliest level expected to range between 100,000 and 120,000 euros per MW.

The follow-up auction will be held with the aim of expanding the country’s supported energy storage portfolio, initially planned to reach 1,000 MW.

The tariff cut, whose extent is expected to be clarified this week, through a ministerial decision, will enable officials to offer a greater capacity through the second auction.

This additional capacity, expected to exceed 300 MW, promises to pave the way towards an installed energy storage total capacity of more than the 1,000 MW that had been originally planned, through three auctions.

Besides the tariff starting price to be offered to RES projects with standalone batteries at the next auction, the ministerial decision will also offer financial details on letters of guarantee required of successful bidders.

RAAEY, the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water, will announce the next auction once the ministerial decision has been issued.

A total of 12 RES projects with storage units for which successful bids were submitted in the first auction, secured tariffs averaging 115,000 euros per MW, for a year, or 57 percent below the starting price.

Energy storage ambiguities need to be cleared for bank financing

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Banks have incorporated the prospect of financing energy storage facilities into their business planning and are currently conducting studies in order to formulate an appropriate financing formula, but sector ambiguities still need to be cleared up if lenders are to offer investors financial support.

Banks need clarity on two issues. Firstly, ambiguity as to the revenues that storage units can earn from participation in the market needs needs to be cleared. Also, regulatory framework specifics are needed in order to offer clear information on how subsidies and other support would be awarded to energy storage units.

Investors behind energy storage projects must be able to determine revenues as part of their business plans if banks are to conduct proper evaluations ahead of financing.

Capacity mechanisms crucial for energy storage investors

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Current European debate on capacity mechanisms represents a key factor in business plans concerning storage projects with standalone batteries as the mechanisms can potentially determine the viability of such investments, market officials have told energypress.

A number of investors are already considering the prospect of merchant storage projects with standalone batteries, in other words, projects that will participate directly in the market and derive their revenues from it, primarily, without receiving operational or investment support, as is the case with projects participating in auctions, the market sources added.

Direct market participation applies for projects that greatly exceed the capacity upper limits of auctions, set at 100 MW per project, meaning market participation is essential for their sustainability.

Though investor considerations for such storage projects are still at embryonic stages, as analyses and studies remain in progress, the importance of capacity mechanisms for their viability has already become clear, the sources stressed.

This is so as revenues derived from capacity mechanisms constitute steady income that would prove pivotal in the bargaining power of investors when seeking project financing support from banks.

TIF-HELEXPO: Renewable Energy Tech exhibition on renewables, storage, green and smart energy in Thessaloniki March 14-16, 2024

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Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF)-HELEXPO’s unique – for exhibition standards in Europe and beyond – venture to expand into the promising green economy field is continuing and being enriched.

The 2nd Forward Green Circular Economy International Exhibition will be held at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Center March 14 to 16, 2024, while, at the same time, the 1st Renewable Energy Tech, a large-scale, European-standard trade fair exclusively focused on the green and smart energy market, will take place at a separate exhibition space.

As noted in a relevant announcement, Renewable Energy Tech will be staged in collaboration with energypress.gr, the largest news and information portal on energy matters, which also organizes the most important annual conferences on energy, covering all its sub-sectors.

This new exhibition will give the opportunity to dozens of companies, active in Greece and southeast European countries – in the fields of renewable energy, energy storage, hydrogen and “green” gases, electromobility, energy saving, smart management applications and, overall, in the sectors of the green energy economy – to exhibit their products and services and also come into contact with potential partners or competitors.

Renewable Energy Tech, within its framework, will host a major international conference on renewable energy, storage and green technologies, while the exhibition facilities will include specially designed areas for B2B meetings.

The Forward Green and Renewable Energy Tech events promise to serve as the region’s most dynamic exhibition duo for new energy production and consumption standards, as well as for technologies of the future, dramatically changing the economy and everyday life of modern societies.

For further information:

Panagiotis Hatziioannou pc@helexpo.gr

Katerina Benaki kb@helexpo.gr

 

5th Renewable & Storage Forum to cover all big topics

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The 5th Renewable & Storage Forum, the country’s most influential renewable energy and storage event, organized by energypress and taking place, this year, at the grand ballroom of the InterContinental Hotel in Athens on November 2 and 3, is shaping up into a big event with a great number of participants who will be addressing a rich agenda of topics.

The event comes at a time when the renewable energy and storage sector faces an increasingly complex and demanding institutional and regulatory environment, rapid technological developments, as well as heightened investment interest.

The registration process is now in progress through the event’s website (https://renewablestorageforum.gr/) until all available places are taken. The venue for this year’s 5th edition of the event is bigger, but given the strong interest, registering as soon as possible is advisable.

Besides the main agenda, the conference will also offer a two-day supplementary session, over a number of hours, to be held concurrently at an adjacent room, where specialized technical and corporate presentations will be held.

The conference will be livestreamed, in Greek and English, through the energypress websites, linked websites, as well as social media.

For further information, including the event’s Sponsorship Program, contact Maria Delli, 2108217446, mariadelli@energypress.gr 

FORUM’S BASIC SECTIONS

SECTION 1 – Terms and conditions for a sustainable and socially balanced energy transition

SECTION 2 – New European electricity market structure – The role of renewables and storage in the European Commission’s proposals

SECTION 3 – Greek electricity market following the crisis – Extraordinary measures and the new normal

SECTION 4 – Revision of the National Energy and Climate Plan and the new investment landscape – Strategic planning of the Greek energy market – Signals coming from the new NECP

SECTION 5 – Financing of RES and storage plants, participation in Energy Exchange markets – Green PPAs – Impact on the RES special account

SECTION 6 – How many RES units and which technology can Greece take on? The role of energy storage – Power absorption cuts and what investors should expect.

SECTION 7 – Networks and grid interconnections as a key factor for the future of renewables

SECTION 8 – Distortions and thorns in the institutional, licensing and regulatory framework hampering the smooth development of renewables and energy storage

SECTION 9 – Energy Storage: Market trends following the first auctions – Hybrid facilities on the islands

SECTION 10 – Offshore RES systems

SECTION 11 – The entry of foreign players, major deals, the position and role of small domestic investors

SECTION 12 – Hydrogen, biogas, green gases: Projects, infrastructure and deadlines

SECTION 13 – RES development and environmental policies – Special Spatial Plan – Reactions of local communities

SECTION 14 – Role of renewables and storage in industrial energy cost and production

SECTION 15 – The consumer as energy producer – Roof-mounted photovoltaics – Power suppliers’ proposals – Smart applications, electromobility

SECTION 16 – Technological developments and cost of equipment for photovoltaics, wind energy facilities and energy storage

SECTION 17 – Developments in Balkan RES markets – Opportunities and challenges

Roof PV applications now over 14,000, 60% with batteries

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Completed applications for small-scale, roof-mounted PVs with capacities of up to 10 kW have reached 14,230, of which 8,752 include plans for batteries, making them eligible for a related subsidy support program.

The public’s strong interest for roof-mounted PV installations highlights its growing interest in net-metering solutions as a means of energy-cost reduction.

An increasing number of applicants are revising their RES production licenses in order to incorporate batteries into their installations and, thereby, become eligible for subsidy support.

The 14,230 applications submitted so far represent a total capacity of approximately 100 MW, while roughly one-third of 238 million euros in subsidies that have been made available for roof-mounted PVs has been absorbed.

Also, between 7 and 8 percent of RES units that have applied for grid capacity are now connected to the grid.

Some investors have hesitated to submit applications to pvstegi, the platform established for roof-mounted PV subsidies, over uncertainty regarding the disbursement of subsidies.

Specifically, one term stipulates that subsidies would not be disbursed if any irregularities, such as building permit violations, were to be identified. This condition is typically in place to ensure that PV systems are installed in compliance with local building and zoning regulations.

Connection-term priority for RES projects with storage units

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The energy ministry is planning to revise the process for licensing renewable energy projects by giving connection-term priority to projects that include energy storage batteries. This move is driven by the need to address grid capacity shortages resulting from the rapid increase in RES projects in recent years.

The promotion of energy storage promises to complement the effectiveness of an enormous amount of ongoing investments in grid upgrades, energy minister Theodoros Skylakakis noted during a TV interview while commenting on the country’s grid capacity issues.

Both solar and wind energy projects would be given priority status for connection terms if batteries are incorporated into their plans, an addition minimizing their usage of grid capacity, the minister clarified.

Energy ministry officials have already begun work on a formula for the connection-term priority plan.

At present, operating RES projects are estimated to represent a total capacity of 26 to 27 GW, meaning grid capacity for new RES units is expected to be fully taken by 2030, if taking into account that approximately 2 GW will also be needed for offshore wind farms planned to be developed by the end of the decade.

Lower energy storage tariffs considered for next auction

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The energy ministry is considering to lower tariffs for energy storage projects that make successful bids at a second energy-storage auction following intense competition displayed at a first auction.

The follow-up auction will be held with the aim of expanding the country’s supported energy storage portfolio, initially planned to reach 1,000 MW.

A reduction in tariffs for energy storage projects at the next auction would be coupled by an increase in the overall capacity – in excess of 300 MW – to be offered to investors. This additional capacity promises to pave the way towards an installed energy storage total capacity of more than the 1,000 MW that had been originally planned.

Bidding by energy storage projects that secured tariffs at the first auction ranged between 33,948 euros per MWh, for a year, and 64,122 euros per MWh, for a year, well below a starting price of 115,000 euros per MWh, for a year.

A total of twelve projects involving seven bidders shared approximately 400 MW.

Support program for business-sector PVs set for September launch

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The energy ministry plans to launch a photovotaics support program for businesses by the end of September, promising enterprises energy-cost savings through self-produced energy.

Subsidy support for PV installations in the business sector will be reserved for systems incorporating zero feed-in batteries, which do not enable injections of renewable energy output into the grid.

This effectively means business-sector PVs will be able to be installed anywhere around the country, regardless of grid capacity availability.

The list of successful applicants, to vie for support funds totaling 160 million euros, should be finalized towards the end of November, or, in a worst-case scenario, no later than December, energypress sources informed.

The support program, to be funded by the Resilience and Recovery Fund, will be administered by TAIPED, the Greek privatization fund.

Energy storage plan seeks to encourage investments

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The primary objective of an energy storage formula concerning annual compensation for electricity storage units, currently under consultation until September 13, is to provide potential investors with a sense of security regarding their return on investment, officials have indicated.

This approach aims to encourage investors to confidently move forward with their project plans, even though certain aspects of the existing framework remain unresolved.

The fundamental principle behind the energy storage plan is to motivate energy storage units to attain peak efficiency by actively participating in electricity markets. In essence, the framework is designed to discourage investors from becoming passive due to the support they receive, fostering a drive for optimal performance.

As explained by professor Manolis Karapidakis in an article for energypress, the energy storage strategy incentivizes units to maximize revenue generation from markets, while also mandating energy storage unit owners in groups to maintain performance levels consistent with those of other group members, which ensures that they don’t risk experiencing lower revenues than initially anticipated.

RAAEY, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Environment, and Water, intends to ratify a finalized version of the energy storage framework by September 20, having taken into consideration observations and comments by consultation participants.

Second batteries auction to be announced late September

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RAEEY, the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water, is expected to announce a second standalone batteries auction towards the end of September, for a session offering an overall capacity of 300 MW.

Terms for the next standalone batteries auction will, more or less, be the same as those that applied for the previous auction, according to energypress sources.

This effectively means that participants will have 25 days to submit bids once the auction’s announcement is made.

Taking into account that RAEEY will require approximately one month to evaluate the bids, a finalized list of successful projects can be expected in November.

The first auction for standalone batteries proved highly successful, while bidding competition between participants was intense.

A total of 12 projects secured the session’s entire capacity of 411.79 MW on offer, at annual prices ranging from 33,948 euros per MW to 64,122 euros per MW, well below an upper limit of 115,000 euros per MW, annually.

 

 

NECP revisions in consultation for October Brussels delivery

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The energy ministry has shared an updated National Energy and Climate Plan with market officials for their input in consultation until August 28.

Notably, this updated NECP incorporates revisions to 2030 targets that were initially outlined by the ministry in January pertaining to the installed capacity of power stations and energy storage units.

The targets outlined in the proposal, which indicate the expected status of each technology within the national electricity system after a decade, should be viewed as preliminary. In the final version of the text, the energy ministry is expected to incorporate further amendments to the relevant figures after having taken into consideration the insights and suggestions provided by various market players.

In contrast to its earlier presentation in January, the updated NECP now features a comprehensive full-text structure. Notably, it encompasses projections detailing the anticipated trajectory of consumer electricity prices up until 2030 and 2050. Additionally, this refined version incorporates estimations regarding the necessary levels of investment and consumer expenditures required to align with the objectives of climate targets.

The draft currently undergoing consultation includes a slight correction concerning the projected involvement of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in the energy mix for 2030. Specifically, RES participation in gross final energy consumption has been adjusted to 44%, a marginal decrease from the previously presented 45% in January.

Additionally, RES contribution to electricity generation has been refined to 79%, reflecting a minor adjustment from the earlier figure of 80%.

The revised NECP includes a significant cut in batteries, whose installed capacity in 2030 has now been set at 3.1 GW, from 5.6 GW. The target for pumped-storage units has also been reduced to 2.2 GW from 2.5 GW.

On the contrary, the 2030 target for installed gas-fueled power stations has been increased to 7.7 GW from 7 GW, while lignite-fired power stations are expected to be fully withdrawn by 2030.

The ministry aims to soon finalize its revised NECP for submission to the European Commission by October. The finalized plan will include road maps for 2030 and 2050, as is expected of all member states.

 

 

 

Energy storage auction winners list disclosed: 12 projects, 7 bidders

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A list of twelve energy-storage projects that won the bidding in an auction staged by RAAEY, the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water are being promoted by a total of seven successful participants.

Helleniq Energy and Intra Energy (Intrakat) are each behind three of these 12 projects, PPC Renewables bid successfully for two projects, while Aenaos (Mytilineos), Energiaki Techniki Anaptyxiaki, Energy Bank, and one energy community bid successfully for one energy storage project each.

RAAEY is expected to officially announce the details, including bidding levels, of the twelve winning projects, to share roughly 400 MW, immediately following a board meeting today.

The lowest bid, 34,000 euros per MWh, for a year, was submitted by Helleniq Energy and the highest, 64,000 euros per MW, for a year, was lodged by Intra Energy, it has already been disclosed.

According to energypress sources, the finalized list stands as follows: Helleniq Energy – approximately 100 MW, divided into three projects (50 MW, 25 MW, 25 MW); Intra Energy – approximately 100 MW, divided into three projects (50 MW, 25 MW, 25 MW), PPC Renewables – approximately 98 MW, divided into two projects (50 MW and 48 MW); Aenaos (Mytilineos), one project (48 MW); Energiaki Techniki Anaptyxiaki, one project (7.8 MW); Energy Bank, one project (50 MW); Energy community (8 MW).

 

Energy storage auction draws highest bid of €64,000/MW/yr

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A first auction offering operating and investment support for energy storage projects has produced a highest offer of 64,000 euros per MW, for a year, and a lowest offer of 34,000 euros per MW.

Also, 90 of 93 bids submitted were considered valid by RAAEY, the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water. The three investors who had bids rejected have until August 7 to submit appeals. The 93 bids submitted represented a total capacity of 3.3 GW.

A final list of projects securing operational and investment support, based on the lowest subsidy levels requested, will be established at RAAEY’s next plenary session on August 10.

Investment support has been set at 200,000 euros per MWh. Operating support to be offered will be shaped by the bids submitted by all participating investors.

Many of the bids were significantly lower than the maximum price permitted, 115,000 euros per MW for a year, which was essentially the starting price of the tender, sources informed.

A total energy storage capacity of 400 MW on offer was covered by 12 projects with respective capacities of up to 50 MW planned by seven companies, Helleniq Energy, PPC Renewables, Mytilineos, Intrakat, Energy Bank, Energiaki Techniki Anaptyxiaki, and one energy community.

 

RES projects incorporating storage a rising trend

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The renewable energy sector is witnessing a notable rise in projects incorporating storage capabilities. According to a Pexapark survey, 64 percent of respondents expressed their intention to integrate batteries into their projects or expand the storage capacity of their existing installations.

For green energy companies, this has evolved into an issue of existential significance as escalating grid injection cutbacks, to prevent overloading, are compelling investors to turn to storage solutions as a viable remedy.

A total of 30 applications were submitted to the June licensing cycle held by RAAEY, Greece’s Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water, for revisions to existing Producer Certificates, the intention of investors being to incorporate battery systems into their RES projects. The trend highlights a clear and robust interest in Greece as well.

Pexapark views hybrid bilateral contracts as the optimal solution to bolster projects that integrate renewable energy and storage. These contracts encompass not only services dedicated to the grid but also plant performance aspects.

Grant Thornton: Aggressive bidding likely in BESS tender

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Very low, aggressive bids are highly likely, without being the dominant feature, in an ongoing tender for battery energy storage systems (BESS), according to a Grant Thornton report on the process, the first of three segments.

Most participants will operate within reasonable and expected limits based on the existing data, the Grant Thornton report, just published, noted.

RAAEY, the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water, is expected to publish a provisional list of selected and excluded tender participants on August 3, ahead of a finalized list of successful bidders by August 10.

The ongoing tender for energy storage systems has turned out to be a challenging exercise as participants have been called upon to solve and financially model complex issues, the Grant Thornton report pointed out.

Auction participants who can achieve economies of scale or benefit from a centralized sourcing strategy will establish a significant cost advantage over smaller participants, the report noted.

Also, many participants can be expected to break their bids into smaller projects in order to secure a place on the shortlist, it added.

Most revenue will come from the balancing market and the Ancillary Services Market in the early years of battery operation, the report noted.

In addition, strong competition and technological improvements will lead to a reduction in system costs in the medium term, the Grant Thornton report projected.

A total of 96 bids representing a total capacity of 3.3 GW have been submitted to the tender’s first phase.

 

Registration process launched for Renewable & Storage Forum, an energypress event

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Energypress, organizer of the Renewable & Storage Forum, the country’s largest and most influential conference on renewables and energy storage, has just launched its registration process for the event, taking place, this year, at the grand ballroom of the InterContinental Hotel in Athens on November 2 and 3.

Being staged for a fifth year, the latest Renewable & Storage Forum comes at a time when the renewable energy and storage sector faces an increasingly complex and demanding institutional and regulatory environment, rapid technological developments, as well as elevated investment interest.

Besides the main agenda, the conference will also offer a two-day supplementary session, over a number of hours, to be held concurrently at an adjacent room, where specialized technical and corporate presentations will be held.

The conference will be livestreamed, in Greek and English, through the energypress websites, linked websites, as well as social media.

For further information, including the event’s Sponsorship Program, contact Maria Delli, 2108217446, mariadelli@energypress.gr

 

Macquarie-Enel Green Power Hellas to invest €1bn by 2030

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Australia’s Macquarie Asset Management has entered a 50-50 joint venture with Enel Green Power Hellas following a 50 percent acquisition from Italy’s Enel Green Power.

The Macquarie-Enel Green Power Hellas joint venture for the Greek market has prepared a business plan whose investments total one billion euros until 2030.

Besides co-managing existing projects and reaping benefits from them, the partners also plan to invest in new RES projects with a focus on storage, PV, wind, and new technologies.

Taking this investment plan into account, the Italian corporation’s existing portfolio in Greece, totaling 566 MW, could more than double by the end of the decade.

Besides its existing 59 wind, solar and hydropower projects, representing an overall installed capacity of 482 MW, Enel Green Power Hellas is also developing six PV projects totaling 84 MW.

Enel Green Power Hellas also plans to develop PV units offering 11 MW in Kozani, northern Greece, which would take the company’s portfolio to 577 MW. This capacity could exceed 1.2 GW by 2030, boosted by new RES and storage projects.

European Parliament endorses electricity market design plan

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ITRE, European Parliament’s committee on Industry, Research and Energy, has endorsed an electricity market design plan that includes provisions for separate remuneration mechanisms rewarding availability, flexibility and storage.

Major industries are nowadays equipped with systems managing their energy loads in order to avoid higher-cost, peak-hour energy usage.

These systems are capable of disrupting loads of up to several hundred MW, corresponding to two power plants. New availability mechanisms, authorities have pointed out, should be independent of any mechanisms proposed for the remuneration of flexible power plants.

Energy load management is distinctively different. Interruptible loads cannot compete with rotating power plants and any attempt to combine the two through one remuneration mechanism would fail, authorities have pointed out.

Solid interest for roof-mounted PVs, subsidy offer skipped

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A growing number of residential electricity users are turning to net-metering solutions as a means of restricting their energy bill costs, latest official data has shown.

Some 12,500 applications have been submitted to distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO’s platform, now upgraded and simplified, for grid capacity reservations concerning small-scale PV systems with production capacities of up to 10 kW.

Virtually all of these applications were submitted by residential applicants, a small remainder made up of applications by farmers.

Contrary to expectations, many residential PV applicants who have reserved grid space are shunning the opportunity to secure subsidies offered through a support program for roof-mounted PVs, as they are sticking to basic plans that do not incorporate batteries, subsequently ruling themselves out for subsidy support.

Households opting to install battery-free PV systems are not eligible for subsidies. However, farmers remain eligible for subsidy support even if they do not attach batteries to their PVs.

In numbers, 12,500 small-scale PV systems have secured grid capacity, while only 7,500 of these plan to combine batteries into their systems, making them eligible for subsidy support.

The other 5,000, or 40 percent, will remain ineligible for such support, despite subsidies of at least 90 percent for batteries.

According to market officials, the addition of batteries to PV systems increases the amount needed up front – before subsidy reimbursement, offered several months later – by an average of 5,000 euros, a deterrent for many applicants.

Subsidies for PVs range from 35 to 65 percent, depending on income status. Low-income applicants are eligible for battery subsidies covering the entire cost.

 

 

‘Associated companies’ clarity offered ahead of storage auction

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RAAEY, the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water, responding to questions raised by investors, has clarified its definition of “associated companies” in connection with an upcoming auction to offer capacities for standalone batteries.

According to a statement released by the authority, associated companies are enterprises that maintain any of the following relationships: a) companies holding a majority of the voting rights of shareholders or partners in another company; b) companies that have the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the board, management or supervisory body of another company; c) companies that have the right to exercise a dominant influence over another company by virtue of an agreement with that company or a clause in the statutes of the latter; d) any company that is a shareholder or partner in another company and controls alone – by virtue of an agreement with other shareholders or partners in that company – the majority of the voting rights of the shareholders or partners in that company.

Storage up to 8 GW needed for 27-GW green energy objective

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Energy storage facility investments offering an overall capacity of between 4 and 8 GW will be needed by the end of the decade if Greece is to achieve a national RES portfolio target of 26 to 27 GW, according to studies linked to the National Energy and Climate Plan.

Securing a significant sum of support funds needed for these energy storage installations, to play a pivotal role in the country’s effort to achieve its renewable energy targets for 2030, stands as one of the main challenges faced by the energy ministry’s new leadership.

At present, it remains unclear how much funding support can be secured for this effort through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

It is estimated that a sum in excess of one billion euros will need to be found to support investments for energy storage units offering between 4 to 6 GW.

The astronomical sum of support funds required means that new RES objectives in the NECP, once updated, must be kept within realistic proportions, market officials have pointed out.

A related study will need to be conducted to determine the extent of support funds that will be available through auctions for energy storage development, while also specifying any alternative funding sources, the officials added.

5th Renewable & Storage Forum, November 2 and 3 in Athens

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This year’s Renewable & Storage Forum, the fifth edition of Greece’s biggest and most influential conference in the renewables and storage sector, staged annually by energypress, takes place November 2 and 3 at the capital’s Atheneaum Intercontinental ballroom (89-93 Syggrou Ave).

The event comes at a time of an increasingly complex and demanding institutional and regulatory environment for the renewable energy and storage sector, rapid technological developments, as well as red-hot investment interest.

Besides the event’s main program, a concurrent supplementary session offering specialized technical and corporate presentations will be held at an adjacent room.

The conference will be livestreamed, in Greek and English, through the energypress websites, linked websites, as well as social media.

For further information, including the event’s Sponsorship Program, contact Maria Delli, 2108217446, mariadelli@energypress.gr

RES investors turn to storage, fearing grid injection cuts

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RES investors are turning to energy storage solutions in growing numbers, fearing revenue shortfalls as a result of operator-enforced grid injection cuts during periods of lower energy demand.

In June alone, RES investors submitted a total of 24 producer certification applications, representing 1.6 GW, for RES projects combining energy storage units, energypress sources informed. These portfolios include both solar and wind energy parks.

Investors behind RES projects with maturing licensing procedures are also expressing great interest in renewable energy facilities incorporating energy storage systems.

Also, interest in energy storage unit additions to RES projects already holding producer certificates has been on the rise since February, when a total of 24 applications, representing 644 MW, for license revisions enabling generation-storage combinations were submitted by investors.

RAAEY, the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water, plans to soon assess all these applications.

Projects to be given the green light by the authority will join an already substantial portfolio of RES facilities equipped with energy storage systems.

 

Battery project group revenue, ancillary service details needed

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The method to be applied for estimating standalone battery revenues concerning project groups and a formula for their participation in the balancing market constitute two unknown factors troubling investors as they conduct calculations in preparation for an upcoming tender, already announced, to offer standalone battery capacities.

The way in which revenues will be estimated stands as a key concern for the investment community as ambiguities continue to exist, making it considerably difficult to calculate investment-related figures with any accuracy, investors have told energypress.

Clarification is also needed on the so-called ancillary services that will need to be provided by standalone batteries incorporated into the grid support system, they added.

Officials are currently discussing the details of this matter, utilizing, in the process, the experience accumulated by European markets that possess greater maturity, according to energypress sources.

 

‘RES hurdles keeping Greece 80% reliant on fossil fuel imports’

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Terna Energy president Giorgos Peristeris has spoken out against the country’s energy policy, citing a number of factors which he believes are restricting the development and greater market penetration of renewables and energy storage projects, including pumped-storage stations.

The Terna Energy chief, speaking at the group’s annual shareholders’ meeting yesterday, blamed the state, regional and municipal authorities for RES project delays, which, he noted, have kept the country 80-percent dependent on fossil fuel imports for energy.

Peristeris noted it is ironic that a country such as Greece, endowed with over 330 days of sunshine a year, rich wind energy potential in mountain areas and seas, and landscape favoring the development of hydroelectric and pumped-storage projects, opposes, in various ways, the production of clean, domestic and free energy, instead remaining dependent on imported fossil fuels.

He also described as “outrageous” the daily energy sufficiency concerns of operators at a time when energy storage technology has made tremendous progress.

Peristeris described the resistance raised by assorted groups opposing the installation of wind energy facilities in various parts of the country as  “hypocritical”.

Consumers and taxpayers would have paid an additional 4 billion euros for their electricity over the past 18 months without the contribution of wind farms, he contended.

The Terna Energy president went on to say that unwarranted fears about wind turbines are being expressed at a time when coastal areas, mountains and streams are suffering irreversible and destructive intervention as a result of numerous arbitrary constructions.

Casting more blame on the state, he noted that the public remains largely unaware of the fact that 3 percent of annual gross revenue accumulated by RES ventures is returned to local municipalities.

 

PCI/PMI list preliminary ratings out, GREGY a borderline case

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The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy, preparing a shortlist of electricity projects for a sixth PMI/PCI list, including Projects of Mutual Interest and Projects of Common Interest, has just staged a teleconference with representatives of projects vying for a place on the list.

As for the PMI list, the Brussels officials, in addition to preliminary ratings for candidate projects, also presented their criteria and formula applied for appraisals.

The presentation of these details was necessary as, under the revised TEN-E Regulation, new PMI selection criteria are being used for the first time for projects also involving non-EU members.

According to energypress sources, the GAP Interconnector, an Egyptian-Cretan power grid interconnection project plan been promoted by the Eunice group, was not appraised, as had been expected, because it has not secured Letters of Support from the Greek state.

GREGY, another Greek-Egyptian grid interconnection plan, which is being promoted by the Copelouzos group, was given a preliminary rating of 9.3, just below the 10-level score required for inclusion on the PMI list.

GREGY project officials have until June 30, when the PMI shortlist will be announced, to enhance their project’s dossier with additional details that could boost its rating and secure a place on the PMI shortlist. Copelouzos group officials are confident this can be achieved.

The Euroasia Interconnector, planned to link the Israeli, Cypriot and Greek power grids, has amassed the points needed to secure its inclusion on the PMI shortlist.

A total of five European projects, two of these with Greek interests, have achieved preliminary scores offering places on the PCI shortlist.

One of the two Greek projects, Terna Energy’s pumped-storage station project plan for Amfilohia, northwestern Greece, was included on the EU’s PCI list in 2013, while all indications suggest it will retain its place on the list’s sixth edition.

The Eunice group’s Ptolemaida BESS, a 250-MW energy storage facility planned for Ptolemaida, northern Greece, has scored highly for a place on the revised PCI shortlist.

Licensing, earnings clarity ‘issues’ for storage framework

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Investors behind standalone battery installations at RES units have named licensing maturity issues, lack of clarity on how market earnings for such energy storage systems could be calculated, as well as the impact of grid injection restrictions as main concerns that need to be addressed by authorities.

Market players expressed their opinions in response to an energypress request for an initial assessment of a new legal framework regulating energy storage.

Participants commended the establishment of a legal framework facilitating the entry of energy storage into the country’s grid, noting, however, that this set of rules arrived with considerable delay, at a time when such an option had almost become a necessity as a result of RES grid injection cuts imposed on producers to protect the grid from overload issues during periods of low electricity demand.

Market players generally offered favorable assessments of the country’s new framework for energy storage, noting it supports rapid deployment of energy storage systems, helps reduce market-related risks, and, by extension, helps reduce financing costs.