The first ‘green’ island in the Mediterranean is a reality

The small Greek island of Tilos is now energy independent, powered by wind and solar energy

The small Greek island of Tilos is now energy independent, powered by wind and solar energy

Since last February, Tilos is the first Mediterranean island powered by 70-75% on a yearly basis with clean energy, under the innovative ‘TILOS’ project, the winner of the EU Sustainable Energy Awards 2017. Aiming for full energy autonomy, the island is expected to be transformed into a model for the creation of smart community-level micro-networks based on the optimal combined use and collaboration of energy storage technologies, RES generation, power demand management techniques and the existing power interconnection with the island of Kos.

The project combines renewable energy production and its storage in batteries in order to be able to supply consumers even in times when sun and wind are not available or prove insufficient. It is comprised of an 800-kilowatt wind turbine, a 160-kilowatt photovoltaic cell and a 2.4 MW battery that can cover the island's needs for about a day and half, at a low-demand period like winter, as during the summer the demand increases due to tourism.

The connection of the new installations (photovoltaic systems, wind turbines) with the local network has been completed, the accumulators are placed at the predetermined points and the demand management devices are operational. ‘We are very proud for reaching our target’, says the island’s mayor Maria Kamma. ‘During the last days, we are all anxious about how the project will perform in our island and we are waiting for the moment that it will produce clean energy. In this endeavor, the project’s acceptance by our citizens, who embraced it from the very beginning, played a decisive role’.

Source: Greenagenda