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Kythnos

Location: Kythnos island, Greece

Area: Cyclades, Aegean Sea

Number of inhabitants: 99.3km2 – 1608 inhabitants

Climate: Temperate Climate

Pilot led by: ICCS – NTUA

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Energy Mix & Infrastructure

Kythnos is a non-interconnected Island with the following energy mix:

  • Peak load: 2980kW
  • Installed capacity of fossil fuel Generation: 5920kW
  • Installed capacity of RE Generation units 903.25kW:
    • 3 PV stations of 238.25kW
    • Wind stations of 5 x 33kW + 1 x 500 kW = 665 kW

In 1982, the Installation of the 1st wind park (5 x 20kW) in Europe took place in Kythnos. In 1983, the first hybrid station comprising a PV system (100kW) coupled with battery storage (400 kWh) was installed. In 1989, the park’s wind turbines were replaced by new ones (5 x 33 kW) and in 1992 the PV inverters were upgraded. Later, in 1998 a wind turbine of 500 kW was installed. Μost of the systems installed back in 1980s are not in operation, a new project for repowering the 500kW wind turbine potentially coupled with battery storage to reduce curtailment is currently an ongoing.

  • Gaidouromantra microgrid:
    • 12 vacation houses
    • PV arrays of 11 kW
    • Lead-Acid (FLA) battery bank with nominal capacity 1000Ah/48V
    • 9 kVA diesel back-up generator
    • Agent-based software/hardware for centralized and distributed control, composed of Intelligent Load Controllers (ILC) in each house.

Gaidouromantra microgrid was the first Microgrid in Europe (2001) supplied by almost 100% renewable generation. The system was built in the framework of two projects, PV-MODE (JOR3-CT98-0244) and MORE (JOR3CT98-0215), supported by the European Commission. In 2006, the Kythnos Microgrid was upgraded in the framework of the MORE MICROGRIDS project (FP6 019864), and used as a test field for the implementation of advanced control strategies. Currently, an upgrade of the existing infrastructure is under progress in the frame of KSI project.

Energy Agenda

Currently the “Kythnos Smart Island” project (dur. 2019-2021) is in progress:

Thanks to “Kythnos Smart Island” project the island becomes again a living lab, not only for clean energy, smart grids and energy efficiency, but also for the coupling of energy with water, waste and mobility management solutions. while in parallel smartening existing port facilities and delivering extensive urban regenerations of public spaces and retrofitting and reuse of the municipal building stock and buildings of cultural heritage.

The project demonstrates the potential of islands to deliver integrated interventions for the local infrastructure that, while contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, will enable, by extending its tourism season and strengthening the interdependencies and symbiosis among economic activities, the transition to a diverse, circular and sustainable economy. For doing so the project foresees the active involvement and engagement of the local community and entrepreneurship which will be a catalyst for its successful implementation but also for the sustainability of its impact. Eventually, “Kythnos Smart Island” constitutes a local development vision and strategy for the local municipality bridging the integrated, smart and efficient infrastructure management with local economic development all while creating a unique identity as green destination.

The agenda of Kythnos Smart Island includes:

  • Energy & Smart Grids: Acceleration of the clean energy transition through multiple applications, such as demand side management, integration of storage in the distribution network, research on a local microgrid and extensive sector coupling.
  • Street lighting: Energy upgrade and smartening of the island’s street lighting network, while improving visual comfort and minimizing lighting pollution.
  • Water management: Demonstrate the integrated water resource management at island scale, while reducing the water production cost and water losses at the distribution system.
  • Waste management: Demonstrate the potential to transform an island into a zero-waste area, while maximizing valorization of waste and minimizing environmental impact.
  • Transport & Mobility: Decarbonize the island’s transport sector through the uptake of electromobility on land and sea transportation.
  • Building & public space retrofitting: Energy upgrade of municipal buildings into Nearly Zero Energy Buildings and sustainable regeneration of public space.

Relative Activities

“RE-EMPOWERED” will accelerate the digitization and energy transition of Kythnos’ energy system. Building on the existing experience and proven technologies developed within past EU projects, the tools and business models that will be upgraded and demonstrated in the framework of “RE-EMPOWERED” will lead to higher technological and efficiency level and moreover it will increase the maturity level to develop a structured energy community with active engagement in its core. The demonstrated solutions, tools, strategies, business models in Kythnos will synthesize an economically sustainable and attractive multi-layer architecture that will be replicable in all non-interconnected islands in Greece and elsewhere.