climate change & energy

Climate Law: Preparing the Economy and Society for Change

Nikos Mantzaris participated in the online event entitled “Climate Law: Preparing the Economy and Society for Change” co-organized by the Institute for Sustainable Development of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) and the Competitiveness Council of Greece (COMPETE · GR) on Wednesday, 9 June.

Financing so that the green commitment becomes practice

On the occasion of the World Environment Day and the conclusion of Green Tank’s new report entitled “Financing opportunities for a sustainable future during the 2021-2027”, Ioli Christopoulou in an opinion piece stresses the need to make use of the unprecedented level of funding of the 2021-2027 period for the transition of Greece and its regions to a new sustainable development model.

Trends in electricity production – April 2021

As the lignite phase-out continues in Greece, one of the key questions to be answered is which source will replace lignite in the power mix. According to the latest data from ADMIE, the “battle” between fossil gas and RES (mainly solar and wind energy) continues. Graph 1 More specifically, although fossil gas (43%) had a larger share than RES (36%) in April, overall for the first 4 months of 2021 RES was the first energy source in Greece’s interconnected electricity network, contributing

Stop the expansion of fossil gas infrastructure

Their concerns regarding the proposal by 10 EU Member States to reintroduce fossil gas in the revised trans-European infrastructure energy (TEN-E) regulation, expressed 50 environmental NGOs and think tanks from these Member States in their joint letter.

Greece rushes to exit coal amid carbon price surge

Nikos Mantzaris discusses with journalist Cristina Brooks the developments leading to the recent decision by PPC and the Greek government to move forward the lignite phase out by 3 years, to 2025, and how Greece’s last lignite plant, Ptolemaida 5, can be converted into a sustainable renewables-based energy storage facility providing cheaper electricity than a fossil gas plant which is currently PPC’s default plan for the post-lignite future of Ptolemaida 5.

Environmental permit terms for wind farms

Based on an analysis of 101 environmental permits for wind farms in Greece, the Green Tank and Nature Conservation Consultants (NCC) document differentiated approaches in the permitting process and recommend the adoption of a harmonized approach across the country. The promotion of renewable energy sources (RES) is the central tool for achieving the country’s climate and energy targets. However, especially with regard to wind energy, which is considered the most mature of RES technologies, there are recognized potential impacts, especially on

Renewables is the first source of energy in Greece

Nikos Mantzaris commented on the progress of renewables compared to other energy sources in Greece’s electricity mix as it becomes apparent from the analysis of IPTO data for the first quarter of 2021, as well as the consequences of this development, to Machie Tratsa, journalist of Finacial Post.