Agios Efstratios, a Greek island with 250 residents in the north-eastern Aegean Sea, previously depended entirely on fossil fuels. It now generates 91% of its electricity from renewable sources, mainly wind and sunlight. The change prevents around 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.
The European Union helped fund the Green Island project, which combines a wind turbine, solar panels and batteries. An automatic control system manages the energy supply. Batteries store electricity when production is higher than demand and release it when renewable production is too low. Electricity reaches residents through the island’s existing network. In winter, surplus energy also heats water, which is kept in tanks and used for heating.
Charalambos Makris, a resident who manages two guesthouses, says the new heating is quiet and economical. He no longer needs to run a boiler inside the house. Deputy Mayor Zoi Vlastou sees the project as a model for other Greek islands and the country more widely. It offers an example of how an island can reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
