Stella Zaharia, CEO of Optimus Energy, participated in the 5th Energy Legal, Regulation & Compliance Forum, in the panel discussion titled “The Energy Market of 2030: Regulatory Reforms, Investments and New Technologies”, alongside Panagiotis Papastamatiou, CEO of the Hellenic Wind Energy Association (ELETAEN), and Aristotelis Aivaliotis, former Secretary General for Energy and Mineral Resources at the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy.
In her remarks, Stella Zaharia offered a comprehensive assessment of market developments over recent years, identifying the critical steps required for the future of the energy market. The past few years, and particularly 2025, did not come as a surprise to the energy sector, but rather confirmed a trajectory that had long been visible. Negative prices, increasing RES curtailments, growing complexity in managing the new reality imposed by coupled markets, and the lack of sufficient storage and flexibility solutions did not emerge unexpectedly. Instead, they were natural outcomes of the rapid penetration of renewables without the parallel maturity of the mechanisms needed to effectively support their operation and, by extension, the system as a whole.
As she noted, the “fit-and-forget” narrative has now definitively collapsed. In the new energy era, the mere installation of renewable energy projects is no longer sufficient. In the years ahead, the market will make it increasingly clear that the true value of an investment is revealed during the operational phase and through 24/7 active participation in the markets.
In the near term, until storage reaches adequate levels and flexibility is enhanced, RES curtailments are not expected to decline but rather to intensify, as installed generation capacity continues to grow faster than system demand. In this environment, energy flexibility solutions are no longer optional but essential. At the same time, she stressed that emerging flexibility mechanisms and energy storage assets are not “easy” or plug-and-play solutions; on the contrary, they introduce a new, deeper level of complexity reflected in active management and market operations.
Particular emphasis was placed on battery energy storage systems, which are expected to be at the center of market developments in Greece over the next five years. These assets are entirely dependent on market signals, with their value deriving from continuous and dynamic optimization across multiple markets. Any forecasting error, operational delay, or uncoordinated decision translates directly into lost value. As she pointed out, the coming years will distinguish those who are truly capable of managing energy storage solutions.
Within this context, she underlined that in mature energy markets the use of automated and algorithmic systems has become a prerequisite for effective operation. Market volatility, data volume, and the speed at which market signals change make it impossible to rely solely on human intervention. The role of humans is not eliminated but shifts toward strategy, oversight, and critical decision-making, with technology acting as a necessary accelerator of reliability and efficiency.
In this environment, Optimus Energy has made a deliberate choice to invest in the optimization of energy flexibility. As the largest private Aggregator in the Greek energy market, with a portfolio exceeding 4.5 GW and managing more than 7 TWh annually, the company brings hands-on operational expertise to the management of complex portfolios.
Finally, she referred to Optimus Energy’s collaboration with international partners, emphasizing that Greece does not need to “reinvent the wheel,” but should promptly adopt practices that have already been tested in mature markets. At the same time, she encouraged regulators, market operators, and institutional stakeholders to follow the same approach, drawing on the lessons and experience already available internationally.
In closing, she stressed that while the challenges ahead are real, the opportunities are equally significant. By investing in operations, knowledge, and technology, the new energy reality can be transformed into value for the benefit of the system, investors, and society as a whole.
