The small Greek island of Tilos is small—but it’s about to show islands around the world how tobecome energy dependent on the use of renewable resources. With the threatening vulnerability of the environment and its sources, it is starting to pose a challenge for the particular island. It has become apparent that solutions are needed as soon as possible.
Tilos is located in the Aegean Sea and is considered a home for about 500 people. The population usually doubles during summer when tourists flock and come to visit. They get their electricity via an undersea cable from a diesel power plant on the island of Kos. But the sad part is that it relies on fossil fuels, which has been usually unreliable because of the tectonic activity that can lead to power outages.
Because of this, the Technology Innovation for the Local Scale Optimum Integration of Battery Energy Storage project or TILOS has created this place a Mediterranean island that is fully powered by renewable energy. The leaders of this project focused on a hybrid system that can both produce and store energy to create an island microgrid.
The system runs on an 800-kW wind turbine with a 160-kW solar photovoltaic system and battery storage of 2.4 MWh of capacity which ensures that the energy supply is consistent both day and night, and regardless of weather conditions. The project also boasts of using smart meters and demand-side management software that delivers the electricity as smooth as possible.
Initially, this can cover up to 70% of the island’s energy needs. However, it may go as close to100% in the near future. The team has been envisioning that not long from now, Tilos could be exporting clean energy to Kos to replace its diesel energy.
“The overall idea is to create a special platform that will enable technological know-how transfer between islands, by also exploiting the experience gained from the smart grid system of Pellworm, and that will designate new opportunities for the development of similar systems inother islands.”
It’s amazing that it’s not only Tilos is benefiting from this project. Other small islands will also bereceiving hybrid energy systems coming from France, Germany, Spain, and Portugal. This is in hopes that it will create a ripple effect and more and more islands around the world will become energy independent and free from using fossil fuel.