For 5 hours, an entire electrical grid goes 100% renewable

Greece’s renewable energy program achieved a unique milestone earlier this month when the country’s entire electrical grid ran completely on renewables for about five hours.

According to Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO), generation from renewable energy sources (RES) comprising solar, wind and hydro power touched a new historic high of 3,106 MWh on October 7, 2022, fully covering demand with clean energy for five whole hours.

“For the first time in the history of the Greek electricity system, demand was covered by 100% renewable energy sources,” IPTO said in a statement.

“With the interconnections implemented by IPTO on sea and land, new electrical capacity is created for even greater RES penetration that will make our energy mix even greener in the coming years.”

Renewable energy will account for at least 70% of Greece’s energy mix by 2030. To achieve this goal, the country is working towards increasing its installed renewable energy capacity from the current 10 GW to 25 GW. The Greek Government is also looking for €30 billion in European funds and private investments to upgrade their electricity grid to meet their 2030 goals.

In their August 2022 report on trends in electricity production, Greek environmental think-tank The Green Tank stated: “Cumulatively for the first 8 months in Greece, renewables excluding large hydro surpassed all other energy sources with 13,238 GWh, leaving fossil gas in the second place with 13,150 GWh, which decreased slightly for the first time since 2018.”

“In terms of shares, renewables covered 37.5% of the demand, fossil gas 37.2% reducing its share for the first time since 2017, lignite 11.3%, large hydro 8.6%, while the share of net imports was reduced to 5.4%,” the report said.

Renewables encompassing solar, wind and hydro power accounted for 46% of Greece’s energy mix up to August this year, up from 42% in the same period last year, The Green Tank added.

Image source: IPTO