An energy ministry amendment to a bill introduced for the establishment of energy communities, promising decentralized, locally generated energy solutions, will broaden the use of net metering by permitting all RES technologies to take part.

The amendment, complying with EU directives, will bolster the roles of consumers by broadening net metering applications and allowing self-production, energy storage, consumption and trade.

Net metering enables electricity consumers who generate their own power from an eligible on-site facility and deliver it to local distribution facilities to offset the electric energy provided by the utility during an applicable billing period.

Until now, net metering has been restricted to photovoltaic and small wind turbine applications. Other RES technologies, including geothermal production, were barred from utilizing the self-production system.

Terms and prerequisites will be set by a ministerial decision.

 

Net metering applications have slowed down in more recent times, especially since the beginning of this year, market data has shown, as a result of problems encountered by applicants seeking to adopt the measure, sector officials have told energypress.

The net metering plan enables electricity consumers who generate their own power from an eligible on-site facility and deliver it to local distribution facilities to offset the electric energy provided by the utility during an applicable billing period.

Problems encountered by early birds have dampened the general interest in net metering.

Inaccurate power meter readings by HEDNO, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, committed frequently, according to sources, have stood as a key issue in the problems encountered by net metering participants.

Major delays by the main power utility PPC in delivering finalized billing amounts is another problem faced by participants. The utility just recently issued its first batch of annual net metering bills to net metering participants who registered in 2015. Self producers have, as a result, faced various unfair conditions, including being deprived of a 15 percent discount offered by PPC for punctual electricity bill payments.

To date, 1,317 net metering applications have been made around the country since May, 2015, when the initiative was launched.

The overall pace is expected to pick up now that HEDNO has begun receiving applications for virtual net metering. This measure allows vocational groups offering publically beneficial work, such as educational institutions, farmers and municipalities, to link fragmented and scattered operations and bases to just one electricity meter and offset the cost of electricity supplied to them by the power utility with electricity produced by their own power production systems for the grid.

 

 

A total of 954 net metering applications have been submitted by interested parties throughout Greece from May, 2015, when the program was launched for low-voltage PV power generation, to July this year, according to latest data provided by HELAPCO, the Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies, locally acronymed SEF.

HEDNO, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, followed up last year’s net metering launch for low-voltage PV producers by also making the offer available to medium-voltage PV producers late last October.

Net metering enables electricity consumers who generate their own power from an eligible on-site facility and deliver it to local distribution facilities to offset the electric energy provided by the utility during an applicable billing period.

Of the 954 net metering applications submitted, 307, or 32 percent, are now fully operational.

In terms of capacity, the applications made amount to 17.28 MW, while those operating have a 4.1 MW capacity.

 

A series of pending issues in the renewable energy sources (RES) sector, most crucially, the finalization of a new support plan, have led to sluggish progress and stagnated investments, sector officials have pointed out in comments to energypress.

Quite paradoxically, while prospective investors are waiting for the new RES support plan specifying production payment details, they face an imminent deadline at the end of this month to submit letters of guarantee without knowing whether their investments can be sustainable.

Also, although an amendment has been made permitting the imposition of a surcharge on RES producers to help finance the “disruption management” energy cost-saving plan for the industrial sector, a further revision needed to avoid applying this surcharge to gross earnings declared by RES producers has yet to be made, RES officials pointed out.

In addition, seven months have elapsed since HEDNO, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, promised to free a sizeable backlog of older and unitilized RES project permit applications, most of which will not be actualized. These dormant applications need to be cancelled to free capacity for islands where investors are seeking to pursue net metering plans. Considerable interest is being by investors on Crete. HEDNO has yet to publish an official list detailing the cancelled applications.

Net metering enables electricity consumers who generate their own power from an eligible on-site facility and deliver it to local distribution facilities to offset the electric energy provided by the utility during an applicable billing period.