Greece starts EUR-238m rooftop solar subsidy program

The Greek government has officially fired the starting gun of a EUR-238-million (USD 261.8m) programme that will subsidize the installation of rooftop solar systems coupled with battery storage.

The programme, dubbed Photovoltaics on the Roof, is open to households and professional farmers. The Ministry of Environment and Energy started accepting applications on May 2 through an online platform, which will remain open until the depletion of available resources. The programme’s closing deadline is set for the end of June 2024.

Households are required to install a battery along with their solar array, whereas farmers have the option not to add an integrated energy storage component. Eligible solar projects should be up to 10.8 kW in size and the batteries should have a storage capacity of up to 10.8 kWh.

Subsidies for households range from 45% to 75% of the total project cost, depending on their income, with up to EUR 16,000 to be disbursed to an individual proponent. Farmers, meanwhile, will be able to receive funding to cover between 40% and 60% of their investment, or no more than EUR 10,000 per applicant.

A special bonus of an additional 10% will be offered to people with disabilities and single parents, as well as to families with at least three children. Of the total EUR-238-million budget, EUR 45 million is earmarked for vulnerable households. Farmers will be able to benefit from a EUR-30-million pot.

Under its National Climate Law, Greece aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and become net zero by 2050. The country also targets 70% renewables share in the power consumed locally by 2030. Last month, Alternate Finance Minister Theodoros Skylakakis approached the EC with a request for an additional EUR 5 billion in debt funding from its Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), mainly to support projects in the renewable energy sector.