Greece is preparing a substantial revision of its net-billing and virtual net-billing framework after the existing system failed to deliver the expected level of investment in solar self-consumption. The Ministry of Environment and Energy has opened a consultation on amendments designed to address practical problems that emerged after the current rules took effect in September 2024. The proposed changes cover rooftop solar, batteries, virtual net billing, zero-export installations and small balcony systems.
Scope of the consultation for distributed generation and storage
The Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies has supported the direction of the changes. The association said self-consumption growth has been limited over the past two years. It attributed the slower uptake less to solar technology itself than to the complexity of turning distributed generation and storage into a financeable customer proposition.
Under the draft rules, batteries paired with self-consumption systems on the interconnected network would be allowed to export stored electricity. Those batteries would not be permitted to charge directly from the grid. The approach is intended to distinguish self-consumption battery operation from merchant storage arrangements.
Industry representatives said the separation would allow a battery to store electricity generated by its associated solar installation and later export it. They also noted that the battery could not buy low-priced electricity from the network for resale during higher-priced periods. While this treatment is broadly accepted for virtual net-billing projects, questions remain about applying similar limits to conventional net billing and zero-export installations.
Grid-charging limits and implications for different billing models
Representatives questioned whether preventing grid charging could affect demand management under conventional net billing and zero-export setups. They said restricting grid charging may reduce the battery’s ability to support customers during periods when solar production is unavailable. The consultation therefore addresses how storage can participate under different regulatory structures.
Standalone batteries installed by households and businesses would also be permitted, provided they do not export electricity to the grid. Their storage capacity could not exceed the consumer’s contracted connection capacity. These conditions aim to limit potential network impacts while defining boundaries for battery use.
The draft rules are expected to constrain some commercial uses of storage even as they improve the regulatory position of distributed batteries. A customer could install storage to reduce peak consumption, improve resilience and increase self-consumption. However, customers would not have access to the full revenue stack available to a merchant battery.
Balcony solar capacity cap and technical cost concerns
The consultation draft sets a maximum capacity of 800 W for balcony solar systems used in residential and building-mounted applications. These installations would operate on a zero-export basis. Industry concerns focus on additional technical requirements that could raise installation costs relative to system size.
For an 800 W installation, even modest compliance, metering or equipment costs could materially lengthen the payback period. Net-billing reform is described as commercially meaningful only when customers can predict how generated, stored, consumed and exported electricity will be valued.
Investment growth under the reforms is expected to depend on implementation by network operators, connection timelines, metering arrangements and supplier capability to provide transparent billing .
