Kissed by the sun

Night-time prices during the day: Greece has too much electricity

Greece is struggling with a peculiar energy problem. The country has a massive surplus of electricity due to the high efficiency of alternative energy sources. The Greek government's solution: lower prices should now lead to more consumption.

The Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy is planning to offer the cheaper night-time electricity tariff during the day in future in order to bring electricity supply and demand back into line. The daily newspaper "Kathimerini" reported on Wednesday that the problem is the high yield of solar energy, particularly during the midday hours.

PV systems are partially taken off the grid
According to the report, due to the high efficiency and large number of photovoltaic systems in Greece, it is now becoming increasingly common for these alternative energy sources to have to be taken off the grid temporarily during the day in order to keep the power supply stable and avoid blackouts.

The phenomenon was already clearly visible during the Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations a week ago, it was reported. In the mostly sunny days leading up to Easter Sunday, hundreds of thousands of Athenians left the capital to spend the festival on islands and in their villages of origin.

As a result, there was an "alarm at the electricity companies", as the news portal in.gr wrote. Those responsible were forced to take alternative energy sources off the grid because the surplus electricity production could not be fully consumed, exported to other countries or stored.

Night-time tariffs during the day
The night-time tariffs are expected to be shifted to between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the day. According to media reports, the ministry is even considering launching a subsidy program for smart household appliances so that consumers can switch on smart washing machines and dishwashers during the day from work via an app and thus take advantage of the cheaper tariff.