Ms. Michalena is a Special Advisor at the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE), in Athens, Greece and a Researcher at the NTUA Laboratory of Urban Design. Professor Stefanou conducts research at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). → See also:
The exploitation of RES equipments is a result of international decisions and is controlled by Governmental policies relative to the natural resources and the economic potential of each country. The greek islands, rich in energy natural resources, active paths between the Middle East and the Europe, are islands of very small size, strictly limited by the sea, with a poor – the most of times – energy transport and distribution insfrastructure.
In the Laboratory of Poleodomic Synthesis of the National Technical University of Athens, we are developing an approach of RES planning into the greek islands, in order to be developed for their development especially as far as the development of their energy resources is concerned and always in relation to the „carrying capacity” of the islands on a material, pshychological and ideological level.
Given the fact that the energy supply is necessary for the islands – especially during the periods of tourist loads – and under the condition that this energy will be produced by well planned RES, we share the opinion that these technologies could be incorporated to the islander landscape in a contributing way to the cultural and esthetical conservation of the islands features, elevating in parallel their characteristic physiognomy and their historical character.
This paper begins with the historical and legislative framework of RES licencing and installation. A discussion of the current existence, the benefits and the problems of RES into the greek islands is also presented, whereas the next of the paper looks at the parameters surrounding the model which has to be formulated in order to count the „energy currying capacity” of each island.
Greek islands possess vast wind and solar reserves and consequently the history of Greece in terms of producing energy by natural resources is very old (beginning of the years of ‘30), whereas we had the first attempt of a wind generation in an islander greek territory in the years of ‘80.
Greek Laws 2234/96 and 2773/99 (following the Community Directive 96/92/ÅÊ (1)), and 3175/2003 (2) (following the Community Directive 2003/54/ÅÊ) structure the basic greek legislative framework which permits the RES equipments introduction into the gree energy status in the larger picture of the greek energy market’s deliberation.
The result of the greek energy market’s deliberation and the exploitation of renewable sources of energy in Greece, was the licencing by the Ministry of Development of over 170 projects of RES.
As far as biomass and geothermy are concerned there are reserves in the islands of Milos, Nisyros & Lesvos but they remain inexploitable, whereas wind ad solar systems present potential of further developpment.
According the data of Regulatory Authority for Energy, in Cyclades the licenced capacity amounts of 120 MW, whereas the 4,41MW have an installation authorization and some 7,5 MW already function.
In Dodecaneses, the licenced capacity amounts of 82,19MW, whereas the 22,91MW have an installation authorization and some 8,15MW already function.
In the rest of the islands finally (including Crete), the licenced capacity amounts of 450,789MW, whereas the 75MW have an installation authorization and some 108,545MW already function.
In all islands of Greece, from the 652,854 licenced MW the 102MW have already an installation authorization and another 124,18MW function; whereas the total energy produced is up to 234.324,601 MWH. The declination observed between the licenced and the installed capacity is due to problems such as the environmental and legislative restrictions, the deficit of networks, the special geomorphological features of the islands, the local reactions, and the cost of RES equipments [Table 1].
| Population | Capacity (in MW) |
Produced Energy (in MWH) | |
| Production Licences | 170 | 652,854 | |
| Installations Licences | 23 | 102,32 | |
| Operation Licences | 45 | 124,18 | 234.324,601 |
The relationship between the licenced and the functioning stations of RES per islander region is described in graph [1], whereas another 90MWare expected to be functioning up to 2006 (3) :
The majority of RES has been licenced in Crete [Graph 2].
The majority of RES are windparks [Graph 3].
Although the sense of the „sustainable development” is restricted in islands, given the fact that the islands concern the 4% of the European land and only the 13 million of European citizens (4), the production of pure energy is a result of an international and European environmental policy, resulting by the Protocol of Kyoto (5), the relative Directive 2001/77/ÅÊ of the European Union (6), the White Book of 1997 for the RES (7) and the Directive concerning the energy efficiency in buildings (8).
In any case, the development of production energy’s projects is a priority of essential importance for the islander economies, because except the richness of natural resources indicated in islands, the Peripheries where these islands belong, present more and more increased rates of economic development (9) a fact which obliges the local authorities to enlarge their energy infrastructure.
Moreover, because of the increased tourist traffic during the summer months, the demand for energy is vertically increasing (almost 45%) (10), and as a consequence major problems of inadequate energy provision of the islands are encountered.
For technical reasons, on the other hand, the usage of RES is advisable, since the cost of their feeding in energy from external sources is usually very high (11) and most of the islands are not interconnected between them and with the Mainland of Greece. RES equipments offer also the potential of extension depending on the energy needs arised, and altogether the potential of storing the producing energy, whereas their use is aimed to cover energetically dispersed energy applications (agricultural, hothouses, hotels, units of desalination, etc), applications useful especially in periods of tourist loads.
RES are also preferred for esthetic reasons, in order to avoid the negative phenomena of dieselmachines (smokes, chimneys, etc) and for reasons of harmonisation (through a good planning) with the existing, local, natural particularities.
In a social, finally, level, the development of pure energy projects results in the cultivation of a feeling of environmental responsibility and, the most important, in the assurance of labour posts and of enriching the local community funds (12).
The islands present different particularities in their economic and social development. Because of their small dimensions and of their relatively restricted communication with the Mainland, they create economies with some degree of autonomy. Although there has been noticed an important improvement of their communication and of their economic development through mainly tourism, their basic socioeconomic features haven’t been turned over, whereas, as far as the installation of RES is concerned, the particularity of each islander Periphery, the problems of the islands’ development and the deficits in infrastructures especially during the periods of tourist intentions, in combination with the great timedistance from the commercial centers and the weak degree of accessibility particularly in status of negative time conditions, imposent an approach of their planning, based on the usage of multiple criteria and parameters, in order to count each time the „curring energy capacity (13) of each island.
The sense of the „currying energy capacity” of the islands concern the result of many coordinates which have something to do with the need for the installation of energy equipments, their charge and their consequences on the islander environment (more energy means the arrival of more tourists, so more charge on the island). Through a polyparametric model which will count the carrying capacity of each islander region, it would be possible to reduce the negative consequences of the productive procedure of human activities and at the same time to satisfy the demands of local populations for energy. The main parameters which have to be included in the model, are the following:
As far as the dimensions of the islands is concerned and especially for the smaller islands, some factors like the credibility, the flexibility, the time of construction, the easy planning, the escorting works, and the restricted capabilities of connection to the network, impose the installation of small windparks (with 3-4 WindGenerators of small size) and of photovoltaic panels, whereas the energy needs of the population are increased especially in tourist periods.
The existent (14) and the natural resources to be discovered, must be co-evaluated for the choice of RES equipments which have to be chosen for installation, under priority.
The tourist development is an additional parameter, which has to be co-evaluated, given the fact that the tourism in islands has been increased worldwide from 1950 5%.
The wonderful climate and the cultural heritage of Mediteranean countries, have established her as the more significant pole of tourist attraction, carrying the 30% of the international tourism (15) (16), whereas the 113.000 inhabitants of Cyclades multiply by five every summer (17).
The most wide-spread form of Tourism, especially in the small islands, is the one of „Mass Tourism” which concerns the construction of hotel, transport and other infrastructures, a need which in combination with the challenge of competitiveness and the environmental worries which predominate in people’s conscience and also are imposed by the European Union, offer a marvelous opportunity for the promotion of effective energy politics, the exploitation of RES and the reasonable usage of energy in the hotel sector (18).
We have to take into account technical parameters of comportment of RES equipments (for example wind measures, meteorological data, windgenerators technical features, the Network features etc).
In the counting of carrying energy capacity of the islands, we have also to include the new technological discoveries which are ready to appear in a given time horizon which has to be pointed out as „year of reference” for the specific pourcentage of RES intrusion in the islands. Hybrid systems for example (combinations of wind generators with hydraulics or photovoltaics), the systems of desalination, the erection of bioclimatic buildings, etc.
Each activity of production consists an economic activity, meaning that each decision relative to the electricity’s production, couldn’t be made without the co-estimation of economic parameters, such as the cost of energy’s production from the RES stations (cost of investment, operational cost, cost of maintenance and cost of dismantlement), the Beneficial Time of Life and the financing mechanisms.
Greek islands are characterized by particular morphological and territorial features, rich in flora and fauna, transformed human environment, rich cultural heritage and rich visible resources. This kind of features, transform these regions into poles of an international ecological and cultural heritage. For sensible ecosystems of this kind, the danger of visible disturbing is very important and needs a balanced handling, during which the vertical feature of the wind generator (for example) if it is well exploited and harmonically combinated to the infertile and rocky territories of the Cycladean islands could make the Cycladean landscape ideal to hospitalize a form like that. This installation though, presupposes a deep and thorough morphological research of the Cyclades’ landscape.
To this approach, is useful to imagine the creation of a proper Study called „Study of Emergence of the Local Physiognomy” (19) through RES equipments: In order to avoid the ennoying results and due to the fact that Greek islands are uniform entities consisted of island of different local types, we realize that the essential here is to indiquate at a first step their differences and their comparative advantages, and afterwards to point out their particularities through RES equipments, exactly as it happened in the old times with windmills which used to point out the particularities of each Cycladean island.
Small islands (such as greek islands) are considered as sensible ecosystems due to their restricted space and resources and their long coasts. The reversal of the island ecological balance could result in many successive negative consequences. We should then take into account the environmental restrictions imposed by Districts to the RES investors, as well as the protection of special type (NATURA 2000for example (20)) in which only specific usages and activities are permitted. We also take into account the parameters which are to be included in the District Plans of Planning & Sustainable Development (21) for the Viable Spatial Development (22) of the island Districts as a result of the Greek Low 2742/1999 and the consequent decisions of the Supreme Administrative Courts of Greece (23).
The District Plan for the viable spatial development of the North Aegean’s District for the period 2000-2015 for example (24) includes a mild a balanced economic and social development, which respects the particular conditions of the islands which belong to this District and doesn’t destroy the natural and cultural environment neither neglects their basic traditional features.
As far as the energy equipments are concerned and in accordance with the existent decisions of the Supreme Administrative Courts of Greece, islands are accepting only a mild development (25) which indulge only as mild energy system, system which consists of energy production by renewable energy sources (wind, solar etc).
In following decisions of State Council whatsoever, the above mentioned international sources of inspiration are expanded to further relative „programs of United Nations which concern the more specific problems of the small islands’ viable development” (26).
By recapitulating the above analysis and by focusing our attention to the necessary actions which are needed to be taken into force regarding the increasing tourist development and the consequent usage of energy, we conclude that these actions are mainly the following:
The creation – in collaboration with the Local Societies and relevant Studies (of emergence of the Landscape’s Physiognomy, the carrying capacity e.t.c.) of a scientific model of decisions taking which will include proper parameters (environmental, economic, physiognomistic, aesthetic, etc), is indicated as an essential tool towards this aim. Through this model we will quantify into a practical level the signification of the „carrying energy capacity” which is already introduced to the greek legislative framework as a term especially for the islander places (28).
What is true is that the time is very limited for making experimentations, but the same limited are the margins of sustainable development for the greek islands which are considered as precious resources of the natural and cultural resources of Greece and consequently as viable factors for the further tourist development of Greece.
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