Greece’s PPC Renewables to boost Astypalaia island’s self-sufficiency with hybrid power plant

A 3.5 MW photovoltaic unit with batteries is set to cover half of the electricity demand at Astypalaia, a non-interconnected island in the Aegean Sea in Greece. PPC Renewables was selected to build the hybrid power plant and expand it in the second phase.

According to the 2011 census, Astypalaia, sometimes also spelled Astypalea, had just over 1,300 inhabitants. It is one of the Dodecanese Islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea. The Greek government selected it for one of the main projects, among a couple of dozen non-interconnected Greek islands, for energy self-sufficiency and a green transformation of the local economy.

PPC Renewables, the green energy arm of government-controlled Public Power Corp., won a competition organized by the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) and became the contractor for a hybrid power plant. The system in Astypalaia, sometimes spelled Astypalea, is envisaged to consist of a photovoltaic unit of 3.5 MW and batteries with 10 MWh in total capacity.

The project aims to bring the electricity self-sufficiency of Astypalaia to at least 80%

The overall aim is to make it a smart and sustainable island. Due to its distinct shape, Astypalaia is also known as the Aegean’s butterfly.

The hybrid facility is set to cover 50% of the local electricity needs, but PPC Renewables is supposed to expand it to bring the level to a stunning 80%. The existing oil-fired power plant is planned to be kept as support and, eventually, backup.

PPC is also involved in the energy transformation of the island of Halki

The new energy system at the isolated island would include electric cars and charging points. The estimates show power production costs would be significantly lower than for the old power station.

Chief Executive Officer of PPC Renewables Konstantinos Mavros said the hybrid system would be put into operation within months.

PPC, also known for its Greek acronym DEI, is participating in the Halki (Chalki) green-smart island project, involving a new 1 MW photovoltaic park. The utility has installed four electric vehicle charging stations.

As part of the GR-eco Islands initiative, with the new solar power plant operating under the county’s net metering mechanism, 34% of PPC’s bills were negative on an annual basis! A 40% share of consumers in Halki paid less than EUR 100 apiece and the remaining 26%, mostly businesses, were charged up to EUR 800, Energypress reported.