For the first time in Greece, the residents of a municipality are producing the energy they consume, ANA reports.
The residents of the small island of Halki, in collaboration with the municipality, can fully cover their energy needs and reduce their electricity bills to virtual nil due to the operation of the island's photovoltaic park, created as part of the GRecoIslands program.
The GR-ecoIslands initiative with the state-of-the-art photovoltaic park of Halki, with a power of 1MW, covers the local energy needs of the residents, giving them the possibility to zero the bills for the electricity they consume through "Virtual Net-Metering."
Halki was the first island to pave the way for GREcoislands, the national initiative aimed at the complete green transition of small islands. It is part of the Greek government's effort to combat climate change while promoting sustainable development and empowering the green economy and cutting-edge technologies.
What is the Halki GR-eco Islands National Initiative?
The GR-eco Islands national initiative aims to transform the Greek islands into models of the clean energy transition, green economy, energy self-sufficiency and digital innovations.
Within this framework, on November 5, the Greek Prime Minister, Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis, inaugurated in Chalki island the first project, a partnership of Greek and French companies under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
The project includes constructing and operating a 1 MWp photovoltaic system that will comprehensively cover the needs of the residents who will participate through the recently established ChalkiON Energy Community in producing and consuming clean energy.
In addition, the project involves upgrading public lighting using intelligent management systems, upgrading telecommunications services to support further e-learning and telemedicine, and providing six electric vehicles and corresponding chargers and an electric boat that moves using solar panels.
The savings are estimated at 180,000-250,000 euros per year. At the same time, “green” energy from photovoltaics replaces electricity production using oil from the nearby Rhodes Island power plants, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1,800 tons per year.
