Remote Greek isle switches off power cuts, lights up green energy - battery storage systems

TIROS, Greece (Thomson Reuters Foundation )-
When the Greek island of TIROS was out of power --
A common problem, especially in summer, when tourists flood
Hotel owner Andreas radopoulos struggled with electrical glitches, food decay and inconvenience to guests.
But efforts are being made to turn the remote 12 anese Island, 78 km (48 miles) from Rhodes, from a dirty diesel-powered importer to an island that is basically its own
An adequate energy hub capable of exporting clean electricity to neighboring islands.
A grant of 11 million euros ($12) was used.
9 million) as part of the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation drive program, the European Commission plans to transform Tilos into one of the first green energy islands in the Mediterranean.
This work will use solar and wind power to provide enough power to 550 residents living in Tilos --
Every summer, thousands of tourists come here to enjoy the quiet beaches of the island. back vibe.
In the coming weeks, a hybrid power plant consisting of a wind turbine, it is expected that photovoltaic solar panel stations and battery storage systems will begin to meet the daily electricity demand of 250 to 300 households.
The system will generate and store enough power to supply about three
Supporters say any excess power will be passed on to other islands in the area for several quarters of the island's annual demand.
Lardobaulos hopes the new power system will end frequent power outages
Some last more than 12 hours.
This made his life as a small hotel owner challenging.
"Hopefully renewable energy will help us solve these problems and save some money," he said . ".
Tilos currently receives all power from a diesel power plant on Kos island, 69 km kilometers away.
It is the last of the three islands connected to the plant via an underwater cable and is easily interrupted.
According to the team operating the Tilos project, existing systems are costly, heavily polluted, and unreliable when demand for electricity in Kos rises.
"If you have a lot of demand in Kos, then this provides low quality power to reach Tilos," Zisimos Mantas said . ", Chief Business Development Officer, Younis Energy Group, a Greek company that manages the project.
According to Dimitris Zafirakis, the smallest and most remote island in Greece is 20 times the cost of diesel power generation on the mainland and is heavily subsidized by the state, tilos project coordinator and energy Lecturer, University of Applied Sciences, Piraeus.
He told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that seasonal fluctuations in demand for Tilos power also greatly increased production costs.
During the peak summer season, the population doubled when people came to work in hotels, restaurants and shops in tilos from Rhodes and Kos.
Last year, 23,000 tourists visited the island of TIROS, attracting them with picturesque villages and abundant wildlife.
Zafirakis said that as energy demand grew from June to September, overloaded power grids often collapsed.
The new battery system will reduce the cost of energy production and provide a reliable power year
The operator said it was a round, storing excess energy in order to provide power during peak demand periods.
El Salvador Suarez explained that storage is key for islands like Tilos, where electricity demand is changing throughout the year and solar and wind energy is intermittent, partners and heads of the Canary Islands Institute of Technology (ITC) renewable energy project. The long-
Tilos's long-term plan is to export surplus energy to Kos in the winter.
"Instead of importing oil,
We want to export renewable energy to Kos, "said Zafirakis.
Renewable energy has been the focus of local government attention for many years.
Turn Tilos into a clean-
The energy Island was originally proposed in 2009 by the late Mayor Tassos Aliferis, an environmental activist who banned hunting and promoted ecologytourism.
Maria Kamma, the current mayor, continues to defend his green heritage, hoping that this will improve the quality of life of the residents and give tiros a safer future.
She recalled growing up on an island that "died slowly.
She told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that at the age of 1990, the population fell to 200 and schools were about to close.
Starting in 2000, investment in infrastructure and transportation has attracted young people back to Tilos.
Kamma hopes that the new energy system will attract more people to Tilos for a better life.
Green energy will help the island become a "circular economy"
People who produce less waste or pollution
She says it protects the tiger's rich biodiversity and has more than 150 species of birds and nearly 350 species of plants.
Turn Tilos into self
Sufficient energy centers will ensure residents "have a very good standard of living" and can live and work permanently on the island, Kamma said.
The Tilos project provides a blueprint for other remote islands that rely on mainland power to become their own
That's enough, the operator said.
Suarez predicts that this model is particularly relevant as systems that store wind and solar energy in batteries "become more competitive.
He added that installing renewable energy on islands is a growing trend, from the Hebrides to the Canary Islands.
The smallest El Giro in the Canary Islands built
According to Suarez, the pumping hydropower station generated and stored enough energy to supply 60% of the island's electricity between January and April.
Mantas of Eunice Energy says turning remote islands into green, sustainable power is "a breakthrough scenario ".
"We hope that the Tilos project will be replicated on more islands," he said . ".