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July 30, 2025
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Over 20,000 prosumer units connected in Greece in last 18 months

Greece’s distribution system operator HEDNO added more than 20,000 prosumers in the past year and a half, although the new net billing program faces delays.

Last year the government in Athens formally ended the net metering scheme and enacted net billing, aligning with the European Union’s regulations. Any aspiring prosumer with an existing application can switch to the new mechanism for free. The connection charge is EUR 370 per unit.

In the net billing mechanism, the compensation for the prosumer for the electricity delivered to the grid is based on the hourly wholesale price of electricity, instead of a fixed tariff. Projects are limited to a maximum 10.8 kW for households and 100 kW for businesses and energy communities. Virtual billing is also allowed, meaning that production and consumption can be in different locations.

Total capacity almost at 1 GW

According to data from the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator (HEDNO or DEDDIE), more than 20,000 individual prosumer units have been connected to the grid over the last 18 months, with the majority being connected under net metering.

It brought the overall number of prosumer installations to 35,312, with a total capacity of 995 MW, according to the update.

HEDNO also said 705 applications were in the final stages of the licensing process.

Limited interest from suppliers and aggregators

Despite high interest, progress in adding units within the net billing scheme has been slow. Only two electricity suppliers currently provide such contracts to prosumers and just one of them includes businesses, Energypress reported.

There is limited interest among aggregators to represent corporate net billing installations in the market. As for household units, the Renewable Energy Sources Operator and Guarantees of Origin (DAPEEP) provides the service free of charge.

Market participants are urging improvements in the relevant ministerial decree on net billing, for things to move forward. One of them would be to simplify contracts.

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July 30, 2025
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Government of Serbia interested in taking over Plandište wind project

The Government of Serbia is interested in taking over the Plandište wind farm project from oil and gas company Naftna Industrija Srbije and renewable energy firm MET Renewables. They have been jointly developing the project for over ten years.

The Plandište project, with a capacity of 102 MW, was a topic at the latest meeting of the Board of Directors of Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), attended by Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović and Chairman of Gazprom Neft’s Executive Board Alexander Dyukov.

Gazprom Neft holds a 44.85% share in NIS, while its parent company Gazprom has another 11.3%.

Alexey Urusov was elected as the new chairman of the NIS Board of Directors, while Dragutin Matanović was appointed vice chairman.

Serbia aims to increase its renewable energy capacity

During the meeting it was noted that there is interest by the state of Serbia in taking over the construction of the Plandište wind park together with Hungarian company MET, thereby increasing the capacities from renewable sources in line with the strategic energy transition goals, the ministry said.

It revealed no further details. The current owners of the project are NIS and Switzerland-based MET Renewables.

The Plandište wind farm was one of the projects that obtained feed-in tariffs from the ministry under the first quota of 500 MW for wind power plants in Serbia. All other projects, totaling 397 MW, have long been completed –  Čibuk 1, Kovačica, Košava 1, Alibunar, Kula, Malibunar, and La Piccolina.

The wind farm was initially scheduled for completion in 2014, then postponed to 2019

The project was originally owned by Energowind, a company founded in 2005 by private investors. In late 2012, NIS bought a 50% share, and the firm was renamed NIS Energowind. Energowind’s CEO Goran Novaković, who was earlier Serbia’s energy minister, has signed the contract with NIS’s then-CEO Kirill Kravchenko.

At the time, the wind farm was scheduled to be completed in 2014, and construction formally began in September 2013. However, there was no progress until March 2019, when MET Renewables, owned by Hungarian private investors, purchased the other 50% stake from the initial owners. The joint firm was named NIS MET Energowind.

The building permit was amended in 2023

Shortly afterward, it was announced that the wind farm would be completed by 2021.

Project firm Wind Park Plandište received the status of privileged renewable energy producer in 2015. It is a right to feed-in premiums, a fixed price for electricity, over a 12-year period. The status has been extended multiple times, most recently in 2018 until 2020, according to the registry of privileged producers on the ministry’s website.

The project firm said that the building permit, amended in 2023, envisages the construction of 17 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 6 MW. The detailed regulation plan, revised in 2022, enables the construction of up to 20 wind turbines with a capacity of up to 7 MW each, according to the firm’s website.

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July 30, 2025
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Project underway for 81 MW solar park on coal mine in Montenegro

The Government of Montenegro adopted urban planning and technical conditions for a solar power plant of 81.1 MW in peak capacity in Pljevlja. The site for the facility is part of a coal mining complex.

Greece is the most successful by far in the Balkans in transforming coal land into clean energy and advanced technology hubs. The projects in the region are mostly for solar power plants. Neighboring North Macedonia is next when it comes to implementation, while Romania and Bulgaria as well as Serbia and Slovenia have made their first steps. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo* are still in the planning phase, and now Montenegro is joining them with a photovoltaic project.

The government in Podgorica adopted the urban planning and technical conditions for a solar power plant of 81.1 MW in peak capacity in Pljevlja. The facility in the country’s north called Rudnik uglja would be in the Ilino Brdo I cadastral unit, on the site of the Potrlica open cast coal mine.

According to a study submitted with the application, the connection capacity would be 62.5 MW. The coal mine’s operator and PV project developer, Rudnik uglja Pljevlja, said the location spans 62.6 hectares.

The government plans to close the Pljevlja coal plant in 2041

The firm is a subsidiary of state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG), which runs the Pljevlja power plant in the same complex. It is the only coal-fired facility in Montenegro. The government plans to close the thermal power plant, currently under reconstruction, in 2041.

Rudnik uglja Pljevlja presented a just transition plan in March. It aims to establish 12 businesses to transform the region and spin them off. They include construction, transportation and the installation of a small hydropower plant called Durutovići and a photovoltaic facility.

The previous government initiated the development of a plan two years ago for an industrial complex in Pljevlja. There are several separate renewable energy projects in the area as well.

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* This designation is without prejudice to positions onstatus and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
July 30, 2025
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RP Global gets EUR 12.2 million loan for Novalja solar project

RP Global has secured a EUR 12.2 million loan to build its Novalja solar power plant in Croatia.

In late April, Austrian company RP Global began the construction of the Novalja photovoltaic plant at the Zaglava site on the island of Pag.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said it approved a senior non-recourse project finance loan of up to EUR 12.2 million to RP Global Novalja d.o.o., owned by RP Global Energy GmbH, for the development and construction of the 21 MW Novalja PV plant in Croatia.

The project has been approved under the EBRD InvestEU Framework for Sustainable Transition.

The loan is divided into two tranches

The loan is split into two tranches: one amounting to a maximum of EUR 7.2 million, and the second of up to EUR 5 million, benefiting from a 20% first loss coverage under the EBRD InvestEU Framework for Sustainable Transition, the bank’s decision reads.

The total project cost is estimated at EUR 16.3 million.

The endeavor includes the installation of 35,776 photovoltaic panels. The expected annual electricity production is around 31,000 MWh, enough to supply about 12,000 households.

According to the EBRD, the project supports innovative offtake arrangements. It will combine a national renewables support with a merchant exposure in later years.

RP Global won premiums for its project at auctions

Last July, the Croatian Energy Market Operator (HROTE) awarded premiums for solar and hydropower plants with a total capacity of 420 MW. RP Global’s Novalja was among them, with 15 MW.

Back in 2022, the company said it intended to build wind farms and solar parks of 500 MW overall in Croatia over the next five years.

RP Global has completed two renewable energy projects in Croatia: the Danilo wind farm near Šibenik and the Rudine wind park near Dubrovnik.

Of note, the island town of Novalja could become one of the first in Croatia to begin the production of green hydrogen, and a rare example in the region. A project was launched in May.

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July 25, 2025
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Faria Renewables secures financing for 49.9 MW battery project in Greece

Faria Renewables has signed a loan agreement with Attica Bank for the construction of a battery energy storage system (BESS). The project is worth EUR 28 million. In addition, Cero Generation passed a milestone toward a 250 MW battery storage investment.

A BESS project selected last year in Greece’s second battery storage auction is now a step closer to materialization, Faria Renewables revealed. The company signed a loan deal with Attica Bank for the construction of the system. It would have 49.9 MW in capability and a capacity of 134.2 MWh.

The investment is worth EUR 28 million, the company added. Its first BESS unit, for which it earlier signed a contract with Huawei, would be connected to a 150/20 kV substation, currently under construction. Construction is expected to be completed before the end of September, the update adds.

BESS project benefitting from EU funds

The project is being implemented under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan Greece 2.0, with funding from the European Union – the NextGenerationEU and its Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) segment.

“Our collaboration with Attica Bank for the implementation of this significant energy storage project marks another crucial step in delivering sustainable energy solutions that support the country’s energy transition goals. We share a common vision to contribute to a greener society by designing and carrying out energy solutions that combine expertise, sustainability, and innovation,” Faria Renewables’ Chair and Chief Executive Officer Thalia Valkouma stated.

The renewables and energy storage developer has a portfolio in Greece exceeding 3 GW. It said it is exploring opportunities in new markets in Europe.

One of largest energy storage investments in Greece

According to Attica Bank’s Chief of Asset and Specialized Financing Christos Iliopoulos, the new agreement is for one of the largest investments in the energy storage sector in Greece.

“Attica Bank remains strategically committed to supporting the green transition and energy security of the country by financing projects that enhance the transformation and resilience of the energy system. Our partnership with Faria Renewables for the construction of a storage project is fully aligned with this philosophy,” he said.

The investment will help the integration of renewable sources into the national grid and enhance system flexibility, the announcement reads.

Greece has held a series of three auctions for subsidizing standalone BESS to get the market segment rolling, on the path toward its 2030 target of 4.7 GW.

Cero Generation makes progress toward 250 MW battery storage investment

In other news, Cero Generation Holdings, a subsidiary of Macquarie Asset Management, won an approval from Greece’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy for five BESS stations. Each would have 50 MW in operating power and 153 MWh in effective capacity (or 170 MWh nominally).

Project firms Energy Ventures 6 and Energy Ventures 10, in which Cero Generation holds 85%, received environmental terms (AEPO) for the proposed investment in Pelinnaioi, in the municipality of Farkadona in Trikala, Thessaly.

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July 25, 2025
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EU faces first annual solar installation decline since 2015 – report

The European Union is set to install less new solar capacity in 2025 than it did last year – the first annual drop in a decade, according to SolarPower Europe.

In its mid-year analysis of the photovoltaic market in the EU, SolarPower Europe said new installations are expected to decrease 1.4% this year. It would be the first slowdown since 2015. The market increased by 47% in 2022, by 51% in 2023, and by 3.3% in 2024.

The EU is set to add 64.2 GW, compared to 65.1 GW in 2024, SolarPower Europe said.

The update comes after solar became the EU’s largest source of electricity for the first time, in June 2025. According to Ember, photovoltaics generated 22.1% of EU electricity (45.4 TWh) last month, more than any other power source. In absolute terms, it was a year-over-year increase of 22%.

Dries Acke, Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe, said the 1.4% decline may seem small, but that the symbolism is big. In his view, a market decline, right when solar is meant to be accelerating, deserves EU leaders’ attention.

“Europe needs competitive electricity, energy security, and climate solutions. Solar delivers on all of those needs. Now policymakers must deliver the electrification, flexibility and energy storage frameworks that will drive solar success through the rest of the decade,” Acke stated.

The European Commission’s 2025 target for overal PV capacity is 400 GW, while by the end of the year the bloc should host 402 GW. To meet the 2030 target, and deliver the continent’s decarbonisation and competitiveness goals, Europe must install nearly 70 GW per year through the rest of the decade, according to SolarPower Europe.

Rooftop segment is shrinking

The projected decrease in solar is driven primarily by a declining rooftop segment, particularly home solar, the report reads.

Traditionally strong residential rooftop solar markets, like Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, and Hungary, are slowing. Households there are now postponing installations as the impact of the 2022 energy crisis wanes, according to the association.

There is one more reason – a withdrawal of incentive schemes without adequate replacements. It resulted in a residential rooftop market collapse of over 60% versus 2023 in most of the group. Similarly, Poland, Spain, and Germany are experiencing a decline of over 40%. Good news comes from utility-scale solar. It is expected to continue growing and amount to around half of all new capacity additions.

The authors of the outlook attributed the confidence to improved auction design, and the boost in auction-deployed solar from hybrid and co-located storage projects, especially in Germany and Bulgaria. Germany leads in solar auctions, followed by the Netherlands, France, and Italy, with Poland and Ireland also scaling up, the report underlines.

It also points to a weakening in the segment of corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs). They have been a key driver of utility-scale solar in recent years. However, in 2025, falling electricity prices have reduced buyers’ incentive to sign long-term deals.

New solar PPA signings have dropped by 41% in the second quarter of this year against end-March, according to the report.

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