Helios project the focus of energy conference in Athens
At a high-level energy conference in Athens, State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry, Jürgen Becker, stressed the opportunities for economic growth, innovation and new jobs in future markets presented by the expansion of solar power in Greece. The conference focused on the Helios project, which aims to accelerate the development of solar power in Greece and to export solar electricity to other EU member states.
The conference was jointly organised by the European Commission and the Greek Ministry for Environment, Energy and Climate Change. EU Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger participated in the conference alongside Greek Environment Minister George Papaconstantinou.
State Secretary Becker commented: "To inject lasting momentum into economic growth in Greece, we must use our cooperation on the Helios project to improve the framework conditions for the country's overall expansion of renewable energies. Solar power is currently almost twice as expensive in Greece as in Germany, in spite of considerably higher solar radiation. Establishing a market for renewable energies in Greece will also open up new investment prospects for the German renewables sector." Becker made it clear that the expansion of solar power in Greece cannot be supported through Germany's Renewable Energy Sources Act (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz, EEG): "Opening up the EEG for imported electricity is out of the question. We will continue to successfully use the EEG to advance the expansion of renewables in Germany."
Becker furthermore stressed that the Helios project cannot be about replacing German solar power with solar power from Greece, but must focus on further expanding renewable energies in Europe as a whole. "To restructure Europe's energy supply we need to exploit all renewable potential, both in Germany and in Greece. Due to the wealth of experience we have gained in the field of renewable energies, Germany can be a good partner for Greece in this task."