Projects
Solar Roofs

A generous legal framework

•     Generous incentives for the installation of rooftop PV systems in the
residential and building sector were introduced in Greece in 2009.
•     The incentives are given through a special feed-in-tariff (FiT) for systems
up to 10 kWp on residential and small enterprises buildings. Especially for
islands with autonomous grids (such as most of the Aegean islands), the max capacity is set to 5 kWp (except Crete where systems can be up to 10 kWp).
•     The tariff level is 0.5225 €/kWh, guaranteed for 25 years. There is a 25%
compensation for inflation on an annual basis.
•     Total production is sold to the grid and the income is set off by the electricity bill for consumption.

Eligibility criteria

• The PV system owner should have an active connection to the grid.
• For residential users, part of the hot water needs should be covered by
other renewable energy sources (solar collector, geothermal heat pump
etc.)
• For small enterprises, no other subsidy should be received for the PV
system.

Variety of applications

Systems can be installed on the roof of the building as well as on facades,
louvers or on auxiliary buildings and structures like warehouses and carports.
The owner of the system should also own the space where the system is
installed.

How does it work on apartment buildings?

•     Only one PV system can be installed on the commonly owned roof of
apartment buildings (a written consent by all property owners is needed).
•     If the system is installed on a balcony shade of an individual apartment,
more than one systems can be installed on the same building.

Are there tax implications?

•     The residential PV system is no longer considered a business activity.
•     The income from the sale of electricity is set off by the electricity bill for
consumption and any credit is paid to the user’s bank account. This income
is tax free.
•     For very small enterprises, income is tax free if deposited in the tax-free
reserves account. If distributed, current taxes apply.
•     Very small enterprises are those that employ up to 10 people (annual
average) and have a maximum turnover of 2M€.

Are special permits required?

•     No. An application to the local electricity utility office is all that is needed.
•     Panels should not be installed over a building’s stair well or elevator shaft
and should not be used to form an auxiliary room or building.
•   On inclined roofs, the panels should follow the roof inclination.
•     0.5m safety distance around the edge of a flat roof should be kept.

Return on Investment

•   An installed grid-connected residential 2 kWp PV system is about 10k €,
while a 10 kWp system is about 40-45k € (VAT included).
•   In Greece, 1 kWp produces on average 1,350 kWh/year.
•   A 10 kWp system will pay about € 7,400/year for 25 years.
•   Banks offer up to 100% financing for residential systems.

Environmental benefits

• 1 kWh of solar electricity corresponds to savings of 1 kg CO2 (taking into account the current Greek energy mix).
• The quantity of CO2 saved by each kilowatt of PV is equal to the amount
that would be absorbed by 100 trees every year or to the emissions of a
medium size car running 7,000 Km/year.