Excerpt from france24.com
In the tranquil Greek island of Tilos, a wind turbine hums over a silvery sea while scorching sun rays hit a hill lined with solar panels.
The small island of around 800 inhabitants is the first island in the Mediterranean to generate almost all of its electricity from renewable sources under a pioneering project launched in 2018.
Just 65 square kilometres (25 square miles) in size, Tilos last week was one of three islands awarded EU prizes for clean energy transition, alongside Denmark’s Aero and Spain’s El Hierro, part of the Canaries group.
Connected by submarine electricity cable to Kos, a larger neighbouring island in the southeastern Aegean Sea, Tilos has no shortage of sun and wind to draw upon.
It is 100 percent energy independent for most of the year, though that rate dips to 70 percent during the summer due to the higher energy demands of the tourism season, said Mayor Maria Kamma.
Island Innovation is a social enterprise and digital media company at the intersection of sustainable development and communications, offering specialised services across various sectors. We bring together the private sector, government, utilities, NGOs and universities to advance innovation for sustainability and prosperity in islands worldwide.
