George Pechlivanoglou: “Energy storage must move swiftly from theory into practice”
In an interview with Lazaros Theodorakidis on FM 100, the Deputy CEO of Eunice Energy Group explains why technology is no longer the obstacle to the energy transition. The essential challenge, he argues, is to accelerate the licensing and regulatory framework so that surplus solar generation is not lost but can return to the grid when demand rises.
Energy is no longer a subject for specialists alone. In an interview with Lazaros Theodorakidis on FM 100 radio, George Pechlivanoglou, Deputy CEO of Eunice Energy Group, explains that heating, cooling, data centres and artificial intelligence are steadily increasing energy’s importance in everyday life and across the economy. In his view, effective management of available energy resources is a prerequisite for lower-cost and more secure electricity.1
In the FM 100 interview, Pechlivanoglou places energy storage at the centre of the discussion. Greece has strong solar photovoltaic generation and significant wind potential. Yet when the grid cannot absorb production, part of it is curtailed. The answer, he says, is to integrate storage systems rapidly, allowing energy produced during periods of lower demand to be used later, when it is more needed.
Energy is a multifactor equation
The energy transition cannot be defined by a single objective or solved by one technology alone. Pechlivanoglou stresses that every available domestic energy resource should first be used effectively, before it is complemented by other appropriate solutions.
For countries with substantial solar and wind production, storage is the critical link. It enables electricity to be captured when it is generated at low cost and supplied to the grid when consumption is higher. In this way, clean power is not treated as intermittent output, but as a resource that can be integrated more reliably into the energy system.
“Whatever form of energy is available, that energy should be used first and foremost.”
The technical side is already mature
Asked why storage has not developed at the pace current conditions require, Pechlivanoglou is clear: the problem is not technological. Battery systems exist, technical solutions are available and projects can be implemented within a relatively short time frame.
The delay, he says, lies primarily in bureaucracy and in the speed of licensing procedures. Accelerating these processes is not simply a matter of investor convenience. It is directly connected to the cost ultimately borne by households, businesses and industry.
His comparison with neighbouring countries such as Bulgaria highlights the value of institutional speed. Where storage licensing progresses faster, the conditions are created earlier to make use of a greater share of renewable generation.
“We are certainly not stuck on the technical side. The technical issues have all been resolved.”
From solar curtailment to productive use
According to Pechlivanoglou, the current situation contains a clear contradiction. Greece can have very low-cost electricity from solar photovoltaics while simultaneously being forced to curtail part of that output because there is insufficient demand when it is generated.
This is where he sees the value of large-scale storage facilities. Batteries can absorb surplus solar generation and feed it back into the grid later, particularly in the afternoon and evening. The approach turns potential lost output into an available energy reserve.
For Pechlivanoglou, the priority is practical: large storage facilities need to be licensed quickly, so that energy which is currently left unused can be put to work. He estimates that such projects can be implemented in less than a year, provided procedures allow them to advance without delay.1
Planning must precede congestion
The discussion is not limited to large batteries. Pechlivanoglou connects the need for storage with broader planning at corporate, individual and national levels. Every decision that increases solar photovoltaic deployment should be accompanied by a plan for how the resulting electricity will be absorbed.
As he notes, Eunice Energy Group identified this need as early as 2019 and licensed its first two battery projects before the relevant regulatory frameworks had been fully formed. The decision was based on a straightforward technical question: how will energy be used when solar generation is concentrated in the same hours of the day?
The answer is that the transition requires coordination. Growing renewable generation is a positive development, but it must be matched by grids, storage and rules that reflect how the system actually operates.
Storage at every scale
Pechlivanoglou does not confine storage to the level of major projects. He believes that optimal energy management is necessary at every scale: in the home, in businesses and across the grid. A battery can help a consumer reduce energy costs, but that requires a technical and regulatory environment that allows such choices without disproportionate barriers.
The international experience he describes suggests that household and small commercial batteries are expanding because they make clear economic and technical sense. Storage, in other words, is not an abstract investment in the green transition. It can combine environmental value with tangible benefits for consumers.
“Millions of batteries are being installed in every home, on every balcony. They are not doing it because they love batteries; they are doing it because it makes economic and technical sense.”
The speed of decisions will determine the outcome
The main message of Pechlivanoglou’s intervention is that storage should not be treated as the energy transition’s next, distant step. It is the tool that will determine whether today’s renewable generation translates into lower costs and greater resilience for the energy system.
For Greece, the challenge is to narrow the gap between technical capability and regulatory action. The faster procedures are accelerated, the more effectively investments in renewable energy can be utilised and the sooner the benefits can reach the economy and end consumers.1
