Sustainable solutions are often not just good for the environment, but can also increase efficiency-at least that's what the residents of a Mediterranean island are discovering.
The Greek Island of Tilos will be the first to run on renewable energy when it fires up its 800-kilowatt wind turbine later this year, which will be good for tourism, its main revenue driver.
The island, home to a population of approximately 400 people, sees almost 13,000 tourists per year. Its population can swell to more than 3,000 people during peak tourism times, taxing the island's resources and leading to lengthy blackouts that leave visitors without air conditioning and restaurants without light or refrigeration.
The outages have forced many residents to opt for dirty diesel generators to ensure electrical access and keep services up and running for visitors.
The new system, also named TILOS (Technology Innovation for the Local Scale Optimum Integration of Battery Energy Storage), is a next-generation system that is able to save electricity generated for use at other times.
"The innovation of this program and its funding lies in the batteries-the energy storage-that's what's innovative," project manager Spyros Aliferis told the Associated Press. "The energy produced by the wind turbines and the photovoltaics will be stored in batteries so that this energy can be used for the grid when there is demand."
Residents are excited about the launch of the new system.
"I'm very optimistic about this project because there are few negative consequences as a business, and for the guests of the hotel that I run," hotel owner Sevasti Delaporta told the AP. "People are pleased with the service because they have no problem with their fridges and they have no problem with their air conditioning. They are happy."
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