SCHOTT Solar and ENVIRON realize solar parks with 17 megawatts of output in Greece

SCHOTT Solar is extremely active in the upcoming Greek market. Together with its partner ENVIRON, the company is currently building solar parks with a secured total output of 17 megawatts. Leading Greek and European banks are financing the pipeline. Several systems with 10 megawatts in total have already been connected to the grid and refinanced and additional parks are already under construction. These orders emphasize ENVIRONS’s expertise as a major local EPC company and confirm the high acceptance of SCHOTT Solar when it comes to foreign projects and the project business in general.

“Thanks to our partner ENVIRON’s wealth of experience and strong ability to execute, we have been able to complete all of the projects as planned so far, despite the challenging conditions. What an outstanding performance!” notes Burkhard Söhngen, Vice President of SCHOTT Solar Power Projects.

“We intend to extend our relationship even further in the future,” adds Alexandros Xylouris, Chief Financial Officer of ENVIRON, in commenting on working together with this German company that has such a rich tradition. “Our goal is to get a leading share on the Greek photovoltaic market and we’ve found an ideal partner in SCHOTT Solar,” he adds .

The five systems owned by the KARATZIS Group (KARATZIS SA) that feature approx. 35,000 photovoltaic modules and have a total output of 8 megawatts are just one example of the solar parks that ENVIRON and SCHOTT Solar have already completed together. The KARATZIS Group from Heraclion manufactures netting materials for the production, agriculture and the horticultural sector, but also building materials, and is also active in the tourism industry. Another system with 5.5 megawatts of output is currently under construction. The KARATZIS Group makes land available for these projects and, at the same time, acts as an investor.

The project partners have been very impressed with both the tested durability and the high, long-term power yields of the modules, for which SCHOTT Solar offers a linear performance guarantee of 25 years. Furthermore, SCHOTT Solar’s strong international presence and excellent references in the project business convinced them to work with the expert solar company based in Mainz, Germany. The SCHOTT Group just opened a new sales office in Thessaloniki at the end of 2010 and has managed to extend its partner network in Greece quite considerably ever since.

“Our extensive know-how in the area of projects and the commercial business are proving to be of great advantage for our customers in Greece. German engineering, in particular, is in high demand here due to the outstanding quality associated with it,” explains Darios Dimitriou, Managing Director of SCHOTT Hellas.

New growth prospects for the Greek economy

Solar installations in Greece currently earn a statutory feed-in tariff of 35 euro cents per kWh for systems with over 100 kilowatts of output (as of August 2011). The active role that Greece is now playing in the area of Photovoltaics is also helping to stimulate the economy. Solar power serves as a regional driver of economic growth and creates jobs, especially in retail and craft trades. Furthermore, solar systems generate electricity for use in peak consumption times, when refrigeration and cooling systems need it most. This is helping the country to achieve long-term independence from costly energy imports. But even more, solar electricity could prove to be a coveted export good for Greek business and open up new growth prospects. Leading German politicians from the CDU party recently made this point.