EU’s energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger, the director general for energy Philip Lowe, and the head of the EU’s Athens task force Horst Reichenbach have discussed the idea of enabling Greece to repay some of its debts to EU member states, such as Germany, by providing them with solar energy. “Several German companies have expressed interest in the idea but it would clearly be more interesting if several member states were involved,” a senior source told EurActiv. Greece enjoys 50% more solar radiation than Germany and yet its solar energy output is about 80 times smaller, according to the Greek energy ministry.
According to Paul Van Son, the president of the Desertec Foundation, Greek locations still had to be found “where the conditions are favourable enough to create a feasible business case, connect the electricity grids and move power from A to B,”.
Leading US solar PV firm, First Solar, says it is looking at investment in Greece, partly “because Helios is coming around the corner,” Christopher Burghardt, the firm’s Vice President confirmed to EurActiv.
Categories: Environment, Europe, Greece, Science and Technology