Easying the Integration of Renewables in Greece: Discover the Work of Piritium SA

The European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE) is glad to extend a warm welcome to Piritium SA who joined EASE in March 2021. Mr Karydas, President of the Board of Directors at Piritium SA, accepted to discuss with us about the expertise of the company, in energy storage and his expectations from this collaboration with EASE.

EASE: Mr Karydas, thank you very much for accepting this interview. We are very really happy to have Piritium SA among our members and we would like to know more about your activities in the sector. Could you summarise the most interesting insights from the work of Piritium SA for energy storage?

Mr Karydas: First of all, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to say a few words about our activities in the energy sector, including our energy storage activities. We are pleased to have joined EASE and we look forward to a fruitful collaboration. Piritium SA is a company belonging to Copelouzos Group and Samaras Group. The joint companies of the two Groups have been active in the energy sector, including RES, for more than 20 years. Piritium was initially formed to operate a plant producing poly wafers in Greece and has subsequently expanded its activities in the construction and operation of PV and wind farms.

It is evident that Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) will be crucial for the anticipated high penetration of RES projects in Greece and the fulfilment of the National Energy and Climate Plan targets and our company, having foreseen such need, was the first in the country to acquire two Production Licenses for BESS. Piritium is currently progressing with permitting additional energy storage installations, in order to be ready to support, in the most efficient way, the forthcoming energy transition in the country right after the new regulatory framework is in place.

EASE: We look forward to a very fruitful collaboration with you and to receive Piritium SA’s inputs for our Working Groups and Task Forces. What created the interest from your company to join EASE?

Mr Karydas: EASE is the foremost energy storage association in the EU and its members come from all parts of the energy storage value chain. Since energy storage is at an early stage in Greece and as we have decided to be active in this sector, we are interested to share our knowledge and expertise by getting in contact with associations and/or companies active in this sector. We believe that EASE can offer such valuable support with stakeholders being able to discuss ideas and exchange experiences and opinions. EASE with all such combined experience and expertise can be a valuable partner in promoting the interests of the sector both at the European as well as the local level.

EASE: What is your vision for how storage can contribute to the energy transition?

Mr Karydas: Energy storage can provide much needed support for renewable energy sources by ensuring that the variability of wind and solar is not an obstacle in balancing supply and demand of electricity. As RES penetration increases, energy storage will become an integral part of the energy transition, as it has the potential to provide services to all parts of the electricity grid. One of the most important services is grid resilience, since energy storage can help the grid to withstand unfortunate events such as natural disasters, greatly increasing our quality of life by securing energy supply when it is most needed. Furthermore, services such as provision of reserves and flexibility, contribution to the adequacy of system power, management of network congestion situations and voltage regulation are few examples of the vast array of services that energy storage can provide to support fast energy transition in advance of the otherwise required grid upgrades and expansions.

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