Samaras & Associates S.A. – Consulting Engineers, founded in 1992 and based in Thessaloniki, is offering integrated technical and consulting services to the private and the public sector. The clients come from various fields including industry/processing, tourism, transport/logistics, energy and infrastructure. The three Energy Scouts Sotiris Kintzonidis, Athanasios Charistos and Anastasia Adamitzoglou from Samaras & Associates S.A. searched in their company for opportunities to reduce its carbon footprint. As part of their training to become Energy Scouts, they identified promising approaches for their company to contribute to climate protection.
Depending on the region, Greece allows for solar radiation conditions of 1,750 – 1,900 kWh/m² per year and thus offers excellent conditions for the use of photovoltaic systems. The proposal for the installation of a photovoltaic system on the premises of the company seemed therefore very promising.
Net Metering reduces energy bill
The Scouts calculated the financing of a commercial rooftop PV system with so called net metering billing mechanism, which is possible in Greece since 2014. Net-metering in general allows the local electricity company to bill the owner of a PV system for the “net” energy that he consumed, which is the difference between total PV energy produced by the system and total energy consumed. Net metering uses a single, bi-directional meter and can measure the current flowing in two directions. Therefore, no batteries are needed in this grid-connected system and possible increases in electricity prices are much lowered.
The photovoltaic system would probably produce around 58.000 kWh and save around 36.1 t CO2 emissions per year according to the Energy Scouts’ calculation. A onetime investment of 32,000 € would lead to savings of 8,500 € per Year, which means the payback period is only 3.76 years.
Additional climate protection actions have been planned, addressing stand-by electricity consumption and mobility aspects. These include the installation of so-called stand-by killers to reduce unnecessary electricity consumption and calculations for the use of a corporate minibus for commuting between work and home.
Mobility
Photovoltaics
Standby Consumption
- Industry sector: Service Industry (Consulting Engineers)
- Energy source: Electricity / Solar Energy
- Energy saving potential / Energy produced: estimated 58,000 kWh/year
- CO2 saving potential: 36.1 t CO2/year
- Potential cost reduction: 8,500 €/year
- Investment cost: 32,000 €
- Payback period: 3.76 years
- Company:
Samaras & Associates S.A. – Consulting Engineers
Limani Center
26th Oktovriou Street 43
54627 Thessaloniki
Greece
www.samaras-co.gr
