by Catie Owen | Nov 3, 2025 | Europe, Large Scale Utility Solar
Amazon says it has added nearly one gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity to European electricity grids through 20 new wind and solar projects that came online this year.
The projects span five countries: 12 in Spain, three in Italy, three in Poland, one in Germany, and one in Greece, collectively capable of powering more than 700,000 European homes annually.
The company now supports over 230 renewable energy projects across Europe through power purchase agreements (PPAs).
These contracts provide developers with the financial certainty to build new clean energy infrastructure and feed additional renewable power into national grids.
Among the new projects are Baltic Eagle, one of Germany’s largest offshore wind farms, where Amazon has committed to offtake 189 MW of capacity, and the Miłkowice solar farm in Poland, its first renewable project in the country, with an 87 MW commitment.
Across Europe, Amazon has more than 40 operational renewable energy facilities, including 18 in Spain, eight in Finland, five in Sweden, four in Ireland, and two each in the UK, Italy, and the Netherlands. A further 70 projects are expected to come online by 2030.
The company says it is focusing on expanding in regions with carbon-intensive grids, including Poland and Germany, to accelerate decarbonisation across the continent.
“With more than 160 wind and solar projects in Europe, Amazon is helping to provide new sources of clean energy to local grids, creating jobs, and supporting local businesses as we progress toward powering our operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025,” said Lindsay McQuade, Amazon’s Director of Energy for EMEA.
Amazon claims to be Europe’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy and aims to power all its operations with renewables by 2025, five years ahead of its original target.
by Catie Owen | Apr 28, 2025 | Commercial & Industrial Solar, Europe
Swiss renewable energy developer Axpo has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with EDF Renewables Hellas, the Greek subsidiary of EDF Renewables, for 102MW of solar capacity.
Under the deal, EDF will supply all electricity generated at its Skala Korinis and Loutsa solar projects in Greece to Axpo.
While Axpo has not disclosed how it plans to use the acquired electricity, the company has signed several PPAs for solar power in Europe this year.
These include an agreement with British Solar Renewables in January and three PPAs covering 60MW of capacity in Hungary in March.
“This agreement reinforces Axpo’s ability to provide innovative and tailored renewable energy solutions across central and south-eastern Europe,” said Vasilis Machias, managing director of Axpo Greece.
EDF Renewables has expanded its European portfolio significantly in 2024, commissioning 3.2GW of new solar and wind projects and achieving a 6.7% year-on-year increase in annual capacity additions.
This growth has brought its global operating renewable capacity to 114GW. In Greece, EDF Renewables Hellas is reported by Axpo to have an “estimated potential capacity” of 4.5GW across various renewable technologies.
However, challenges remain for EDF in solar manufacturing. Earlier this year, the company closed its solar manufacturing subsidiary, Photowatt, after over a decade of operation, following an unsuccessful attempt to find a buyer.
Efforts to boost solar manufacturing continue elsewhere in Europe. Austria has introduced a “Made in Europe” bonus for solar and storage projects using European-made components. At the same time, Chinese firm DAS Solar has begun constructing a 3GW solar module plant in France.
by Catie Owen | Apr 23, 2025 | Americas, Commercial & Industrial Solar, Europe, Storage
METLEN Energy & Metals, a global industrial and energy company based in Greece, has announced the sale of its solar and BESS portfolio in Chile to Glenfarne Asset Company LLC – a New York-based proprietary investment platform.
The total capacity of the sold assets stands at 588 MW and is combined with co-located BESS with a storage capacity of 1,620 MWh.
Construction of the BESS infrastructure is still underway; however, it is anticipated to be completed within 12 months.
The transaction will be closed once the BESS facilities have been fully constructed, energised, and have the proper regulatory approvals and financing.
All solar farms in the portfolio are operational and, while they are spread across a wide geographic region, benefit from multiple interconnection nodes in Chile’s Sistema Eléctrico Nacional (SEN) grid.
METLEN CEO Evangelos Mytilineos commented in the company statement: “This is a landmark transaction for METLEN, as we pave the growth of M Renewables. We have identified the potential of Chile’s renewables market in 2020 and have successfully overcome market challenges.
“In doing so we have developed, structured – commercially and financially – and constructed these projects at the highest standard.”
Brendan Duval, Founder and CEO of Glenfarne, added, “This transaction represents a significant step in Glenfarne’s commitment to further expanding our presence in Chile’s renewable energy sector and continued growth in our business relationships with METLEN.”
Overall, the acquisition has cost Glenfarne $815m and includes the assumption of debt.
[Image credit: METLEN Energy & Metals]
by Catie Owen | Apr 7, 2025 | Europe, Large Scale Utility Solar
Meton Energy S.A., the joint venture between RWE and PPC, has reached the final investment decision for two new photovoltaic (PV) projects in the Prefecture of Central Macedonia in Northern Greece.
The Kotyli and Neo Syrakio solar farms will have a combined capacity of 567 MWp (518 MWac), with construction set to begin this spring and commissioning expected in 2027.
Once operational, the two solar farms are projected to generate enough electricity to power over 140,000 households annually. Meton Energy has secured 10-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with PPC and RWE Supply & Trading to distribute the green electricity.
The investment, totalling €418m, is supported by €175m in European Union – NextGenerationEU funds through the “Greece 2.0” Recovery and Resilience Facility. The remainder will be covered by €169m in commercial debt and shareholder contributions.
The new projects build on Meton Energy’s ongoing development efforts. The joint venture has already energised five solar farms with a combined 210 MWp and completed construction of a sixth, bringing the total to 315 MWp.
Three additional solar farms (625 MWp) are due online by the end of 2025. All nine are located in Western Macedonia on the former Amynteo lignite mine site.
“With our latest investment decision, we underpin once again our strong commitment to the Greek market with now roughly 1.5 GW of solar capacity in deployment,” said Katja Wünschel, CEO of RWE Renewables Europe & Australia.
Konstantinos Mavros, CEO of PPC Renewables, added: “Both our current projects in the old lignite mines in Amyntaio and the new investment in Central Macedonia, mean more new jobs… and a promise for sustainable growth and a brighter future for Greece.”
[Image credit: RWE]
by Catie Owen | Dec 9, 2024 | Commercial & Industrial Solar
Greek oil company Helleniq Energy has expanded its renewable energy portfolio by acquiring a 110 MW portfolio of solar parks in Western Macedonia.
This purchase brings the company’s installed renewable energy capacity to 500 MW.
The portfolio consists of six photovoltaic (PV) farms located in the municipality of Kozani.
These farms, equipped with bifacial solar modules, were commissioned in May and operate under long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with an unnamed “leading international company.”
Together, they produce approximately 175 GWh annually, enough to meet the electricity needs of over 41,000 local households.
Helleniq Energy acquired the portfolio from solar developer Lightsource bp, as part of a broader agreement reached last summer.
This new addition complements Helleniq Energy’s existing 204.3-MW solar park in Kozani, which has been operational since 2022 and is managed by the company’s renewable energy subsidiary, Helleniq Renewables.
The acquisition aligns with the company’s strategic goal of achieving at least 1 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2025 and exceeding 2 GW by 2030.
by Catie Owen | Sep 30, 2024 | Commercial & Industrial Solar, Large Scale Utility Solar
At the recent Solarplaza Summit Greece in Athens, the country’s photovoltaic (PV) market growth was a key focus.
Stelios Psomas, policy officer at Helapco, reported that Greece installed 920.6 MW of new PV capacity in the first half of this year, with 580.1 MW from utility-scale projects, 281.9 MW from commercial and industrial installations, and 58.6 MW from residential systems.
Psomas estimates Greece will add around 1.5 GW of PV capacity by the end of 2024, based on Helapco’s data, though this figure is not yet official.
Small solar projects, up to 500 kW or 1 MW for energy communities and farmers, have been particularly successful, securing fixed feed-in tariffs until May 31.
After that date, developers must participate in competitive auctions. Helapco expects 500 MW of these projects to be connected to the grid this year, though some may face delays due to slow grid operator connections.
Net metering has also contributed to the market, with 100 MW of new PV capacity expected in 2024, despite the scheme being closed to new applications after May 15 under a recent law.
Future growth in self-consumption projects will be supported by net-billing.
Greece’s draft National Energy and Climate Plan targets 13.5 GW of installed solar capacity by 2030, though Helapco predicts this goal will be reached by 2026.
Psomas anticipates the country’s PV capacity will rise to between 19 GW and 21.1 GW by 2030.
“In 2023, Greece ranked first in Europe in terms of the percentage of domestic electricity produced by photovoltaics,” said Psomas, noting that renewables accounted for 57% of the country’s electricity.
He believes Greece could achieve 100% green energy by 2030.
by Catie Owen | Jul 26, 2024 | Commercial & Industrial Solar
Ameresco Sunel Energy SA has announced its involvement in constructing Lightsource bp’s 560 MWp Enipeas solar project in Greece. The project is set to be one of the largest solar installations in Europe.
The joint venture between Ameresco, Inc. and Sunel Group, a PV EPC contractor, has secured a contract to build the Enipeas project for Lightsource bp, marking a milestone in Greece’s solar energy development.
Lightsource bp has developed over 9.5GW of solar projects across 19 markets since 2010.
Located in the Larissa and Fthiotida regions, the Enipeas project is expected to be completed within the next two years. It has two clusters: Skopia (400 MWp) and Kalithea (160 MWp), with nearly 970,000 PV modules.
Once operational, the project will generate 0.90TWh of electricity per annum, powering 225,000 households and reducing CO2 emissions by 379kt per year.
Natalia Paraskevopoulou, Lightsource bp Head of Country for Greece, says, “The 560MWp Enipeas project contributes substantially to creating a more sustainable future for Greece as it will provide affordable, secure, and cleaner energy and will support the country’s decarbonisation goals and energy independence.”
“The presence of workers and contractors will drive demand for housing, groceries, and other local services, generating additional income for local businesses and entrepreneurs.”
Ameresco Sunel Energy SA has engaged several local contractors and service providers and rented accommodations in Skopia Village for project personnel.
George Sakellaris, CEO at Ameresco, adds: “Our efforts align with Lightsource bp’s commitment of delivering cleaner, more secure energy while using local talent as much as possible for Greece.”
Konstantinos Zygouras, CEO of Sunel Group, concludes: “We are thrilled to be part of the Enipeas Solar PV Project. Our team is dedicated to delivering high-quality EPC services that will make a lasting impact on the local community and environment.”
