The workshop ‘Islands for Clean and Sustainable Energy Production’ had a focus on electric mobility and sustainable energy and was held on the island of Astypalea in Greece
On the island of Astypalea, a workshop on ‘Islands for Clean and Sustainable Energy Production’ was held, organized by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. The workshop discussed electric mobility, clean energy, energy communities and cooperatives, and energy self-sustaining islands, where the host, the municipality of Astypalea, was highlighted as an example of good practice.
The participants were members of the city council, non-governmental organizations and communities from Bulgaria, Greece and Croatia
The island of Astypalea is one of the pioneers in the field of e-mobility. Public transport (Astybus) and car rental (Astygo) services are available using electric vehicles, which are mostly powered by solar panels.
A bus or Astygo can be ordered through a simple application. A presentation on this project as well as other past and future sustainability projects was given by the mayor of Astypalea, Nikolaos Komineas, and Kostas Karanasios from DAFNI, the network for sustainable Greek islands. Other sustainable projects at Astypalea include electricity generation from renewable sources, waste recycling, waste water utilization, and water desalination.
While the plan for the future consists of two phases – in the first, a hybrid system of solar panels and energy storage batteries will be installed, which will cover 50% of the electricity needs on the island, and in the second phase, where a wind farm will also be installed and all together to cover over 80% of Astypalea’s energy needs.
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Cover photo: Mirna Dalić