Greece will provide 238 million euros ($260.6 million) in subsidies for households and farmers to install solar systems and energy storage batteries.
This program will run until the end of June 2024, or until available resources are exhausted. The maximum installed capacity eligible for the subsidy is set at 10.8kW, with batteries up to 10.8kWh.
Homes must install solar systems with storage batteries, while farmers can choose between two options. The system can be placed on rooftops, auxiliary areas of buildings, agricultural land or on the ground.
This plan focuses on supporting vulnerable families and explicitly provides a budget of 45 million euros (about 49.2 million U.S. dollars) for this group.
A total of 100 million euros (about 110 million U.S. dollars) is earmarked for citizens with an annual personal income of up to 20,000 euros (about 21,200 U.S. dollars) or a family income of 40,000 euros (about 43,798 U.S. dollars).
Nearly 63 million euros (about $69 million) was earmarked for citizens with annual personal incomes of more than 20,000 euros (about $21,200) or household incomes of more than 40,000 euros (about $43,798).
A total of 30 million euros (about 32.8 million U.S. dollars) was distributed only to professional farmers and farmers with special status.
The scheme aims to fully cover the cost of the batteries as well as the development and installation costs of the solar system. The battery subsidy for the first two categories is 100%, and for the third and fourth categories is 90%.
Subsidies for households range from 45% to 75%, and farmers can get 40%-60% subsidies for solar systems. In addition, subsidies for solar systems with batteries can reach up to 16,000 euros (about $17,519) for households and up to 10,000 euros (about $10,949) for farmers.
The scheme also provides special allowances of 10% for the disabled, spouses and dependents of the disabled, single-parent families, three-child families and families with many children.
The plan is part of the Greek government's efforts to promote energy democracy, reduce citizens' electricity bills and limit the country's environmental footprint. According to Environment and Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas, this plan is a decisive step towards achieving these goals.
The European Parliament passed the revised Building Energy Performance Directive, which stipulates that all new buildings must install solar roof systems by 2028, and household buildings must be renovated by 2032.
Last year, the European Commission launched the Solar Roofs initiative, which will mandate the phased installation of solar energy in all new public, commercial and residential buildings.