Moving forward or slowing-down? Exploring what impedes the Hellenic energy transition to a sustainable future

Renewable energy (RE) can be considered as one viable option to help address concerns of energy autonomy and carbon reduction. This is especially true for Greece, where the electricity demand increases, the economic situation is likely to remain challenging and European Directives call for a mandatory supply of RE into the national energy mix. However, although steps have been made to make investment conditions seem favourable, the Hellenic electricity system has not achieved the expected embedding of RE in the grid, resulting in a lagging energy transition to a more sustainable energy system. We explain facets of the present day energy policy context and the historical evolution of the energy sector through a PEST analysis. The analysis reveals no lack of opportunity and effort, but institutional, social and technological misalignments in terms of developments and change. A comprehensive analysis is used to unpack the interfaces between institutions, society and technology and from this a number of options are identified which could potentially remove the sector disintegration and strengthen the functionality of these interfaces. Whilst no panacea for effective penetration of RE in Greece is apparent, the conclusions suggest that there is a pressing need for future energy governance to be more integrative and holistic to encompass the array of stakeholders in RE penetration in order to facilitate meeting EU RE targets by 2020.

► Disintegration can block sustainability transitions in the energy sector.
► Greece's energy sector's potential is blocked due to disintegration.
► Small-scale investments can boost sustainable energy transitions.
► Good energy governance requires integrating technology–society–institutions in Greece.
► Energy sector can be the motor to revive the Greek economy.