Greece depended entirely on renewable energy for five hours on a single day and used solar, wind and hydroelectric power

It was a fantastic achievement for Greece when it depended entirely on renewable energy like solar, wind and hydroelectric power for five hours on a single day. IPTO, the country's independent power transmission operator, confirmed production of adequate electricity for five hours beginning at 9am local time (7am UK time). It was a first in the history of the Greek electricity system when renewable energy sources covered 100 percent of the demand. The country has ambitious plans to more than double its green energy capacity and hopes renewables will account for at least 70 percent of its energy mix by 2030. Tilos, part of the Dodecanese group of islands, is also progressing on similar lines. It plans to run entirely on renewable energy under a project funded by the European Union and private investment. For five hours last week Greece ran entirely on electricity from solar, wind and water. Nikos Mantzaris is a partner at think tank the Green Tank. He says the performance was important. This was because "it shows that a 100% renewable electricity system is within reach in Greece, a concept that was considered impossible by most opinion and decision makers in Greece before."

Nikos Mantzaris goes on to add that the road for the deployment of renewables in Greece during the last decade has not been smooth. However, it is possible to have an electricity system with increasing shares of renewables. Only, it has to get the support of an infrastructure comprising energy storage technologies and adequate grids. Moreover, it is economically preferable when compared to electricity produced by lignite or gas, even if one includes the cost of storage. Incidentally, Greece is serious about reining in renewable energy in place of fossil fuels. According to electricity data from Ember, an independent think tank, Greece generated 39.4 percent of its electricity from renewables last year, including 19.8 percent from wind, 9.9 percent from hydro and 8.9 percent from solar. The Renewable Target for 2030 is 70 percent renewable electricity for the whole year. The aim of Portugal by 2030 is 100 percent, the Netherlands 97 percent and Germany 80 percent.

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