Research & Publications / Academic & Scientific Papers
Energy Sources, Part B: Economics, Planning, and Policy Volume 20, 2025 - Issue 1
Greece’s path toward climate neutrality, aligned with the European Green Deal and REPowerEU strategies, relies on the rapid expansion of renewable energy sources combined with the development of energy storage capacity to ensure system resilience and reduce dependence on natural gas. This study uses the LEAP-NEMO model to assess the role of seasonal hydrogen storage in achieving national energy and climate targets. The results confirm that hydrogen storage allows for a higher penetration of renewable energy sources, thereby reducing curtailments and contributing to the early phasing out of natural gas from the country’s energy mix. However, its low round-trip efficiency and limited short-term response make it unsuitable for short-term balancing, highlighting the need for complementary storage technologies. Furthermore, reduced dependence on gas imports enhances energy security, allowing Greece to meet demand with competitive domestic resources, mitigating exposure to the high volatility of global market. The novelty of this work lies in the updated analysis of the Greek electricity system through an energy model framework, applied for the first time in the country, and in the demonstration of the role of hydrogen as a factor for the future scaling-up of renewable energy sources.
