"Investing in renewable and green energy" was the theme of a major industry conference which was held in Athens on July 15 and was convened by the "A- Energy Investment Initiative", a well known investor activist group. This latest gathering,which focused on " energy storage" and its role in furthering renewables investment in Greece in the mid term, brought together both old and new talent from academia and industry.
"Investing in renewable and green energy" was the theme of a major industry conference which was held in Athens on July 15 and was convened by the "A- Energy Investment Initiative", a well known investor activist group. This latest gathering,which focused on " energy storage" and its role in furthering renewables investment in Greece in the mid term, brought together both old and new talent from academia and industry. Keynote addresses were delivered by George Andriotis, the deputy chairman of Public Power Corporation (PPC) and by Yioula Tsiknakou from Terna Energy SA with both speakers stressing the huge potential and pivotal role of pumped storage in the interconnected system but also for the island of Crete.
Miriam Rodriguez Ruiz, from Electra Energy Cooperation, presented Spain's latest experience on battery storage in connection with renewables electricity production while Prof. Ioannis Anagnostopoulos from the National Technical University (NTUA) mapped out Greece's potential for electricity storage both for the interconnected system and for the islands. With electricity storage in mind IENE was invited by the organisers to present the first results of its major study on the development of an almost fully energy autarkic system for the island of Kastelorizo which is Greece's easternmost island,part of the Dodecanese island group,situated 2 km off the Turkish town of Kas and 125 km East of Rhodes.
In September 2017 IENE was asked by a group of inhabitants to look into the possibility of the whole island embracing sustainability principles based on renewable energy sources. Hence, the IENE assembled a group of engineers and scientists and embarked on a study to see how the installation of photovoltaic units and wind generators, backed by a well designed battery storage unit, could cover the full electricity load of the island throughout the year. The results of the study, which were for the first time presented in this conference, are most encouraging since 95% of electricity needs can be covered even during the summer peak demand season with a modest investment in the region of € 5,5 million which covers the installation of the photovoltaic and wind units and the battery storage. With a total installed RES capacity of 2,6 MW and two battery systems of 2MWh/1MW each, Kastelorizo could become a model "green" island showing the way for development in the broader Dodecanese.The IENE study also charts the island's transformation as a sustainable community proposing the introduction of electric vehicles and a smart electricity grid. According to IENE 's chairman Costis Stambolis ,who presented the study on behalf of the project team,a proper presentation of the study is scheduled for early September at a special event in Athens while a local workshop in Kastelorizo is planned for late September.
