Should Greece invest in energy storage facilities?

Currently there is a growing interest for investments in storage facilities in Greece. Licensed projects mostly consist of Li-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS), either stand-alone or integrated in PVs, as well as PHS facilities .

How many storage plants are there in Greece?

Currently there are four (4) storage plants operating in Greece, two open-loop pumped-hydro storage (PHS) stations in the mainland (700 ΜW in total) and two small hybrid RES-storage stations in non-interconnected islands (just 3 MW).

How does storage work on Greece's islands?

The introduction and development of storage on Greece’s islands that are that are not connected to the mainland power system is quite different, as it is currently only possible via hybrid stations (i.e. virtual production stations consisting of renewable energy resources and storage units operating as single distribution entities).

How long should energy storage be in a Greek power system?

Considering the energy arbitrage and flexibility needs of the Greek power system, a mix of short (~2 MWh/MW) and longer (>6 MWh/MW) duration storages has been identified as optimal. In the short run, storage is primarily needed for balancing services and to a smaller degree for limited energy arbitrage.

Will res stations be regulated in Greece in 2021?

1 During 2020-2021, Greece has experienced a new explosion of licensing interest for RES stations. The application to the Regulator in mid-2021 exceeded 9000 MW, with most of them having already acquired Electricity Producer Attestation (EPA), far beyond the needs of our national system.

Why is Greece focusing on energy storage?

Greece has been actively focusing on energy storage since the emergence of the RES “boom” in 2020. The country recognised the pivotal role of energy storage in the energy transition and emphasised its importance in the first iteration of the country’s National Energy and Climate Plan in 2019.