The island of Crete, one of the main tourist destinations in Greece, has identified the key actions to become an island in zero emissions by 2030.
The Greening the Islands Observatory[1], together with the technical departments of the region and the government of Crete, public service companies, universities, local SMEs, international companies members of the Observatory, defined in March 2019 the priorities necessary to develop a new sustainable development strategy to the island.
From the supply point of view energetic, Crete has an isolated system and all its consumption is produced locally: there are three thermoelectric plants, fuel oil and diesel, and the renewable energy plants on the island cover the 20-24% of the annual energy requirement. The total renewable capacity of the island is 299 MW, which includes 200 MW of wind farms, 98 MW of photovoltaic plants, 0,3 MW of hydroelectric energy and 0,5 MW of biogas.
The observatory will work on the implementation of storage systems to support the increase of renewable energies. Energy efficiency solutions for hotels, buildings and street lamps will be improved and an information campaign will be planned to increase the acceptance of renewable energies among the population.
For the water management, solutions will be studied to increase the efficiency of the water network, taking into account the seasonal fluctuations in demand due to tourism. Subsequently, a strategy will be developed to prevent situations of water scarcity in the event of drought, among the solutions envisaged are innovative desalination plants.
On the mobility sectors, policies will be developed to promote the use of electric boats and electric cars and restrictions will be imposed on polluting vehicles in urban areas. Crete is also examining the possibility of developing a V2G (Vehicle to Grid) pilot project as well as creating cycle and pedestrian routes to encourage the use of bicycles.
As regards the waste, the GTI observatory will propose new methods to increase separate collection starting from hotels and markets, and then moving on to the collection of domestic organic waste. Biogas plants for organic waste management and domestic composting will be evaluated, as well as the opportunity of treatment and reuse of biological sludge for agriculture.
[1] Greening the Islands is an innovative organization that advocates for the self-sufficiency and sustainability of islands around the world. The Greening the Islands Observatory is a global initiative that brings together all the stakeholders involved in the process to meet island needs and stimulate the application of innovative solutions in the energy, water, mobility and environment sectors. The GTI Observatory also facilitates the development of shared strategies between governments and businesses.