Greece: quasi-autonomous in energy, the island of Tilos wants to give an example

It’s the future to no longer depend on oil”, exclaims Vassilis Oikonomou, in his café bar at the port. Like most of the 780 inhabitants of Tilos, the 40-year-old is pleased that his "island is autonomous" so that it no longer "depends on the surrounding islands" for energy.

In the Dodecanese archipelago, facing the Turkish coast, this remote land of 65 km2 is the first in the Mediterranean to produce almost all of its electricity from renewable energies, thanks to 11 million euros of European funds and four from Greek private investors. Tilos won this week the third European prize for the best energy transition after the Danish and Spanish islands. “Tilos has set an example and this is the solution for the small islands of our country, boasts the mayor of Tilos, Maria Kamma. All the inhabitants are winners, the cost of energy is reduced and there are fewer power cuts than before. “Linked by an underwater cable to the neighboring island of Kos, Tilos is” 100% energy independent most of the time, but at the peak of the tourist season, we are rather at 70%”, recognizes the city councilor.

An island that benefits from the sun and the wind

Benefiting from the sun and the wind, Tilos, which "officially has the first hybrid power plant" in Greece, "produces and stores energy", welcomes Spyros Aliferis, engineer from Eunice Energy, a Greek renewable specialist who supplied the wind turbine and solar panels. With its panels with a capacity of 400 kilowatts and its wind turbine with a power of 800 kW, “the project has been working perfectly for two years”, estimates the engineer, pointing to the storage batteries. “It is an example that a small island can function only with renewable energies. About a hundred kilometers to the west, the island of Astypalea has taken up the challenge, hoping to reach "70% of its energy needs within three to four years", explains Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Kostas Fragkogiannis, initiator of the government project. On this butterfly-shaped land, straddling the archipelago of the Dodecanese and that of the Cyclades, the 1,300 or so islanders must eventually be rid of the diesel generators that still power their homes, and be equipped with wind turbines and solar panels. .

How to make “Kolak Pisang” : 1. Boil the water with the cane sugar until the water becomes brown 2. Peel the skin… https://t.co/SQKMu10L4f

— Martha Trisan Sun Apr 26 07:59:37 +0000 2020

But unlike Tilos, the 10 million euro project, including six from government funds, plans to switch to all-electric car traffic, in partnership with the German Volkswagen. At the foot of the Venetian citadel and the small white houses that descend towards the port, there are already charging stations for the first electric cars.

The whole project foresees a reduction of CO2 emissions by 70% and a reduction in energy costs by 25%. “In our eyes, it is a model for the world,” adds Mr. Fragkogiannis. The opposition party Syriza criticized this "advertising campaign" by Volkswagen on the "exotic scene" of Astypalea.

The next stage of the green plan is on the tiny island of Chalki

"It's not a Volkswagen island", insists the deputy minister, "all car manufacturers can get involved and sell their own vehicles. The politician assures that "there will be no exclusivity, neither in Astypalea nor in Chalki".

Because the next stage of the Greek government's green plan is on the tiny island of Chalki, west of Rhodes, with EU funds, this time in collaboration with French carmaker Citroën, ministry sources say Greek Energy and Environment. Volkswagen, like Citroën, is seeking to turn the page on the rigged diesel engine scandal.

France's Vinci Énergie and Greece's Akuo Energy are also to help install a hybrid power plant on the 26 km2 island lined with rainbow-colored houses. The Franco-Greek agreement in Chalki must be unveiled next Friday but "the idea is to follow in the footsteps of Tilos and Astypaléa", according to the same sources.

Objective here too: to become autonomous in renewable energies. Even if for the moment, the islands that go green have little perspective. For Prodromos Trikilis, a cafe owner from Tilos, "it's a bit early to judge this attempt to make the island energy independent". “You have to be patient, he says, it will eventually have results. »