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A32 FEATURE
Monday 20 august 2018
Renewable resort: Greek island to run on wind, solar power
By ILIANA MIER many businesses to rely on
Associated Press diesel generators.
TILOS, Greece (AP) — When While lacking the dazzle
the blades of its 800-kilo- of other Greek islands like
watt wind turbine start turn- Mykonos and Santorini, Tilos
ing, the small Greek island — a 14-hour ferry ride from
of Tilos will become the first the mainland — is a quiet
in the Mediterranean to run vacation spot that sees an
exclusively on wind and so- average of 13,000 visitors a
lar power. year. It’s known as a green
The sea horse-shaped island, popular with hikers
Greek island between and bird watchers, and
Rhodes and Kos has a win- most of it is now a protect-
ter population of 400. But ed nature reserve.
that swells to as many as “For many years now, Tilos
3,000 people in the sum- has plotted a course that
mer, putting an impossible is dedicated to protecting
strain on its dilapidated the environment,” she said.
power supply. “We are seeking visitors —
This summer, technicians tourists actually — people
are conducting the final who will visit our island who
tests on a renewable re- love the environment and
placement system that will want to protect it and na-
be fully rolled out later this In this Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, photo a road leads past a wind turbine stands on the Aegean island ture as it was given to us.”
year. It will allow Tilos to run of Tilos, Greece. Tourism is the main source
exclusively on high-tech Associated Press of revenue for the island.
batteries recharged by a But businesses have been
wind turbine and a solar plagued by lengthy black-
park. outs, leaving hotels without
The European Commission air conditioning and restau-
says Tilos will be the first rants without light or power,
autonomous renewable forcing them to discard
green island in the Mediter- food from warm refrigera-
ranean. It plans to use the tors.
project as a blueprint for Hotel owner Sevasti Dela-
other small islands across porta has closely followed
the European Union that the project since its incep-
have limited grid connec- tion over two years ago.
tion to the mainland. The There were initial doubts
EU has largely funded the about the idea among Ti-
project, providing 11 mil- los residents, but tests have
lion euros ($12.5 million) of run smoothly, even during
the total 13.7 million-euro peak times this summer.
($15.7 million) cost. The grid is expected to be
“The innovation of this pro- fully operational in a few
gram and its funding lies in months.
the batteries — the energy “I’m very optimistic about
storage — that’s what’s in- this project because there
novative,” project manag- are few negative conse-
er Spyros Aliferis said. “The In this photo dated Monday, Aug. 6, 2018, people eat in a tavern in the Aegean island of Tilos, quences as a business, and
energy produced by the Greece. for the guests of the hotel
Associated Press that I run,” says Delaporta.
wind turbines and the pho- — the project uses a pro- “People are pleased with
tovoltaics will be stored in totype battery system that the service because they
batteries, so that this ener- improves storage of the ex- have no problem with their
gy can be used for the grid cess energy generated un- fridges and they have no
when there is demand.” til it’s needed. problem with their air con-
The batteries store power To work, it required an over- ditioning. They are happy.”
during sunny and windy hauled grid with smart me- With long sunny days and
conditions, releasing it dur- ters installed in homes and average temperatures of
ing periods of heavy de- businesses to calculate 33 degrees Celsius (91 de-
mand and lower produc- times of peak demand. grees Fahrenheit) during
tion — such as at nighttime Currently, Tilos gets its en- the summer, tourists spend
and the peak tourist season ergy from an underwater their mornings at the beach
— to keep the grid pow- cable that runs from Kos and afternoons napping.
ered up. to the island of Nisiros and The island comes alive in
Named TILOS — Technolo- on to Tilos. That creates an the evening, when busi-
In this Thursday , Aug. 9, 2018, photo, a solar park on the Ae- gy Innovation for the Local erratic, outage-prone ser- nesses open and residents
gean island of Tilos, Greece. Scale Optimum Integration vice that routinely breaks and tourists alike flock to
Associated Press of Battery Energy Storage appliances and has forced bars and cafes.q
