Greece installed 400 MW of net-metered PV systems in 2024, bringing its cumulative distributed solar capacity to 850 MW. However, the country shifted from net metering to net billing in September.
Stelios Psomas, policy officer at the Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies (Helapco), told pv magazine that Greece installed 400 MW of new net-metered PV capacity in 2024. This total includes 300 MW of commercial systems and 100 MW of residential solar, bringing Greece’s cumulative installed net-metered capacity to more than 850 MW.
However, the Greek parliament passed the 5106/2024 law in April 2024, which closed the net-metering scheme to most consumers, with only a few exceptions, such as systems installed by local municipalities and households in poverty. Since May 16, 2024, electricity users have only been able to install PV systems (with or without batteries) that operate without injecting electricity into the grid, but they may join net billing schemes when available.
Psomas said that Greece continues to install net-metered systems approved before May 16, 2024, with another 350 MW of net-metered PV capacity to be installed in 2025.
Although Greece has not yet published its full 2024 energy statistics, about 1.5 GW of new PV capacity was installed from January to September across all PV market segments.
Greece’s latest National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), published in December 2024, targets 13.5 GW of PV capacity by 2030. Helapco said the country will likely reach this goal by 2026. Greece currently operates around 9.6 GW of PV systems.
Net billing
Greece introduced net billing in April 2024 and outlined the policy details in September.
The net billing policy applies to all electricity consumers, including residential, commercial, municipal, and farming users, as well as energy communities. Consumers who sign net billing contracts use the electricity they generate and export any surplus to the local network. Net billing contracts are valid for 20 years.
Surplus electricity exported to the grid must be sold in the energy market, either at the wholesale price or through a power purchase agreement (PPA) between the generator and a buyer. The exception is systems connected to small island networks, where export prices are set by Greece’s renewable energy sources operator (Dapeep) and local island network operators.
Virtual net billing is allowed on both the mainland and islands, provided the generating unit and the consumer are connected to the same network (for example, within the same island network).
The net billing policy includes innovative features. For example, different apartments within the same building can participate in virtual net billing through a sharing agreement between two or more apartments.
Another key feature is allowing third-party ownership of generation units. This allows users without sufficient funds to have a third party build, own, and operate the PV system while still benefiting from the net billing or virtual net billing scheme. In this case, the third-party owner is compensated via a loan agreement or other arrangement.
The virtual net billing policy for energy communities also allows households in energy poverty to join, even if they are not members of the energy community.
Net billing and virtual net billing systems can be installed on rooftops or on the ground, though the PV system size cannot exceed the consumer’s power demand. There are some exceptions for independent island networks.
A key aspect of the Greek net billing and virtual net billing policy is that residential users are exempt from value-added tax (VAT) on exported electricity. Other users, however, must comply with VAT laws for electricity trading.
The new policy is also favorable regarding various fees (for example, fees for local grid use or renewable energy support). Consumers using the net billing and virtual net billing scheme only pay fees for electricity they purchase from suppliers. They do not pay fees for electricity they self-consume or inject into the grid.
The emerging question is whether the new policy will spark a new wave of PV installations soon. Psomas said consumers need time to adjust to the new policy scheme.
“Greece’s self-consumption segment of the PV market will mainly install systems that were licensed under the old, net metering scheme,” he added, in reference to 2025. “Net billing will pick up slowly and this is a trend we have seen in other countries too.”
The Greek net billing policy, he concluded, is good. It just needs time.
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