Weekend reading #2
The Greek island of Tilos is the first energy self-sufficient island in the Mediterranean – adapted from https://nyasustainability.com/2019/08/20/greek-island-becoming-fully-powered-by-renewable-energy/ - 346 words
September 08, 2019 at 5:28 pm
The small Greek island of Tilos has become the first energy self-sufficient island in the Mediterranean, with 100% renewable energy, with a combination of wind and solar.
The island is an ideal example for the future as it could or should be. Experts warn that the energy revolution is a must.
The Tilos energy project was selected for funding in a competition of eighty projects and received 11 million euros from the European Union in the Horizon 2020 energy competition.
In Tilos, where they have been facing a shortage of electricity in the past, they have found a solution in the sun and wind, as they have plenty of it in the Mediterranean.
"More or less we gain 20 percent of energy from the sun and 80 from the wind,” says Spyros Aliferis. It is a combined wind-solar power plant that already generates more electricity than the island needs, exporting it to other major islands. But Tilos has a revolutionary battery storage system, that is used for winter.
"Energy can be stored in batteries and then sent to the grid when demand increases or because of failures, we cannot produce it. We have 128 batteries that can store 22.5 kilowatt hours of electricity,” explained Aliferis, while looking at the windmill. Residents mostly engaged in tourism do not have to worry about being out of electricity for hours.
"In summer, we can supply seven, eight, even up to ten hours of regular power usage and three to six in the winter, depending on the weather," said Aliferis, who currently takes care of the project, which is otherwise managed by the Greek private energy company Eunice.
The company, together with its partners, has invested three million euros, the remaining 11 million was received from the European Union. This equals to around € 36,000 per capita, about 300 of them live on the island. At Tilos, they want their green energy story to be transmitted to other islands, not only in Greece and the Mediterranean but across Europe.