(Alberto Azario) Piscopi, hidden in the Hellenic Dodecanese, to the most known as Tilos, will be the first island, not only European, but probably worldwide, to achieve total energy self-sufficiency. Thanks to a European project, started several months ago, the Greek island will succeed, probably starting from 2019, to feed its entire territory exclusively from renewable sources. The island, which extends over the Aegean Sea for about 63 square kilometers, is famous for its very rich biodiversity, which is why it is almost completely set up as an open-air nature reserve, hosting in its interior some 150 species of birds and more than 650 different types of plants. Different from the famous nightlife of Santorini and Mykonos, Tilos will become the most sustainable geographical area of the Mediterranean; ready to stimulate a "slow" tourism that, relying especially on green, tranquility and uncontaminated environment, increases the number of population resident on the island from 535 residents to almost 3000, including summer tourists. In addition to the crystalline waters and the characteristic shape that resembles that of a seahorse, Tilos has recently come to the attention of the media precisely for the decision to make a total change to its energy mix. In fact, until recently, the electricity required by the island for its needs came totally from a submarine pipeline that connected it to the neighboring island of Kos. A method that, especially at the peak of tourists, was affected by numerous energy blackouts that forced some companies, hotels and restaurants to rely on polluting diesel generators. The structure with the time has, moreover, required more and more maintenance until arriving at the moment in which the only possibility would have been to replace it completely. This was the turning point, namely that of detaching oneself from fossil dependency and of reversing the energy route, aiming at self-sufficiency by exploiting the normal resources made available free of charge, and with zero impact, by nature.
Then when the European Commission chose the small Greek island as the winner of a tender for sustainable energy in the "Energy Islands" category, financing the work for 80 percent (11 million euros out of a total cost of 13,7 million), the pilot project, ie the “green” transformation of the area, has begun to become a reality. The European call mentioned here was born within 'Horizon 2020', the program worth over 200 million euros, for innovation and research, launched in 2014 and ending in 2020 which involves 13 partners from 7 countries, including Italy, under the leadership of the University of Piraeus. The TILOS (Technology Innovation for the Local Scale) project thus sent a strong message to the rest of the European countries: "Community-wide alternative schemes that promote energy storage are becoming a vital reality and a way to address the energy security of islands ". Now the future goal will be to extend this experiment to other small islands in Europe with similar characteristics in terms of size and tourist flow, promoting energy self-sufficiency thanks to renewables. They are the ideal candidates for this kind of electrical storage systems, since the innovative solutions that provide alternatives to fossil fuels make it possible to bypass the problems of insulation, high cost of kWh and dependence on obsolete and polluting diesel generators.
“The entire system that we have installed so far and the one we are working on can provide nearly 1000 kilowatts of power: 800 from wind power and 160 from solar power. Thus the island's electricity needs could be covered even at the peak of the tourist season in August, ”explained John Kaldellis of the University of Piraeus. The heart of the project is not so much the construction of a large solar plant, built a few kilometers from the wind farm on the island of Tilos, as the construction of two accumulators, among other things produced in Italy, with nickel sodium chloride (insensitive to temperature external and therefore resistant to heat and cold, but above all able to function, even partially, depending on the availability of renewable energy), able to exploit respectively the energy produced (solar and wind), storing it and distributing it to the inside the island thanks to an intelligent “stand alone” micro-network, ie autonomous and capable of powering users without waste. The new system will thus make it possible to store and conserve also the excess energy produced, for example on windy days or in strong sunlight, to be exploited in periods when the demand is highest. Everything will then be regulated with smart meters in the homes and a smart central station, called SCADA, which will be able to manage the energy transfer according to real needs, calibrating production and energy demand. A policy, perhaps at times visionary, that of Tilos but which wants to be already a promise for future generations so that their lives are no longer powered by fossil fuels or in the name of climate change, but from clean sources, local and sustainable energy. If everything works out for the best and the tests now underway on the plant are successful, the summer 2019 one could be the first for Tilos, in which its inhabitants and guests will live using only renewable energy.