First virtual power plant in Greek energy market inaugurated

Protergia, power and gas unit of Greek company Mytilineos, and German firm emsys VPP have officially inaugurated the first virtual power plant in the Greek energy market. The launch was marked at the Renewables & Storage Forum in Athens.

The need for virtual power plants and power forecasting services is driven by the Greek electricity market reform. Greece is set to introduce an intraday market by the end of 2022. As for the rest of the region monitored by Balkan Green Energy News, the first virtual power plants was established in Turkey in 2020, while the first one in Croatia was launched this year.

Emsys VPP, an IT service provider, said its software for the aggregator unit combines data with solar and wind power forecasts from its partner company energy and meteo systems.

Protergia has digitized its own and third parties’ solar and wind power portfolio

Equipped with the complete software-as-a-service solution for aggregators, Protergia has digitized its own and third parties’ solar and wind power portfolio to monitor, forecast, remote-control and trade their variable electricity production in real-time, said emsys VPP.

The German company said it continues to provide support including the flexible connection of further assets.

Renewable energy plants in Greece will soon have full balancing responsibility

Emsys VPP added its solution reliably supports Protergia in trading in the new Greek electricity market. The firm noted that after the introduction of an intraday market in Greece, renewable energy plants would have full balancing responsibility, facing significant costs in case of deviations between forecasts and actual production.

In addition, the facilities will be enabled to participate in the balancing market as balancing service providers on their own or via a renewable energy aggregator, a fact which, with proper management, will revitalize existing revenue streams.

Efficient integration of climate-friendly energy into the Greek electricity market

Christos Nakos, Head of Renewable Energy Asset Management at Mytilineos and Protergia, said the company would use the sophisticated IT solution to market its own portfolio and to offer aggregator services to other operators of renewable energy plants.

According to Matthias Lange, Managing Director of emsys VPP and energy & meteo systems, asserted that the cooperation with Protergia and other partners ensures an efficient integration of climate-friendly wind and solar energy into the Greek electricity market.

The project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action as part of the Renewable Energy Solutions Programme of the German Energy Solutions Initiative.