Regulatory framework, electricity price highlighted as impediments to greening region’s energy mix
The Western Balkans, and Serbia in particular, should continue implementing regulations to help green the energy mix and fight climate change, according to panelists at the 11th Balkan Energy Finance Forum. They also raised the issues of how the low regulated electricity price is affecting investments in the energy sector overall and how third countries […]
Business interests of coal, oil, gas, nuclear are main obstacle to 100% renewable electricity worldwide
Serbia has enough potential to cover energy demand with renewables only, including solar, wind, biomass, organic waste, hydropower, and geothermal. The main obstacles to 100% renewable electricity worldwide are the business interests of coal, oil, gas, and nuclear, says Energy Watch Group (EWG) President Hans-Josef Fell, author of the 2000 German Renewable Energy Sources Act […]
Serbia pushes back introduction of renewables auctions by a year, extends existing support decree
The Serbian government has extended the decree on incentives for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources and high-efficiency heat and power cogeneration until the end of 2019. Experts say that the extension of the decree, which was set to expire on December 31, 2018, is good for all ongoing renewables projects, but that […]
Greece to auction 423 MW in solar, wind capacities on December 10
Greece’s energy regulator, RAE, will hold three auctions on December 10 for a total of 423 MW of renewables capacities, including 194 MW of solar and 229 MW of wind capacity, according to an announcement on the regulator’s website. RAE will auction a total of 94 MW for photovoltaic (PV) projects with an installed capacity […]
EBRD seeks to put investments that bring environmental benefits at heart of its financing, advisory activities
In her first interview since taking the helm of the EBRD’s regional operations in the Western Balkans, Zsuzsanna Hargitai discusses the international finance institution’s green financing and planned projects in the region. She tells Balkan Green Energy News that the EBRD takes seriously non-governmental organizations’ (NGO) recent reports about hydropower plant financing by its financial […]
Turkey seeks to integrate energy storage into planned solar projects
The Turkish energy ministry has hired DNV GL, a Norway-based global quality assurance and risk management firm, to conduct a feasibility study on combined solar and energy storage solutions, seeking to determine whether the integration of energy storage in the future solar auctions has the potential to further cut energy costs, news agencies have reported, […]
Feed-in premiums, auctions seen replacing “obsolete” feed-in tariff model
The feed-in tariff model of incentives for renewable energy production is obsolete, and the next step will be the introduction of feed-in premiums and auctions, said Miloš Banjac, assistant energy minister for renewable energy and energy efficiency. Banjac, however, did not specify which subsidy mechanism will be in place after the existing decree on feed-in […]
Greece’s RAE proposes stricter rules for renewables capacity auctions
Greece’s Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) has suggested stricter participation requirements for the new three-year renewable energy (RES) auctions in order to increase successful bidding. The regulator has proposed EUR 1.000 as a minimum registration fee for renewable energy auctions to be calculated at EUR 150 per MW rate. According to the proposals, participants will […]
