In Astypalea, the butterfly-shaped island in the Aegean sea, it started there electric revolution. Two thirds of the vehicles are in fact being replaced by electric cars, bicycles and scooters, progressively powered by renewable sources. Traditional vehicle rental activities will also be transformed into shared mobility services, which will replace and make the public transport service more efficient: a car-sharing fleet for residents and non-residents with a digital management system will be organized on the island.
The diesel generators that provide electricity to the island today will be eliminated and replaced by photovoltaic fields and wind turbines by 3MW by 2023 which will guarantee 100% clean electricity for vehicles and cover 60% of all electricity consumption. By 2026 it is expected to reach 80%.
This revolution stems from an agreement between the Greek government and the German car manufacturer Volkswagen, which aims to transform the island into a laboratory to test how the energy transition to renewable sources can be accelerated in a micro-community.
The electrification project will help cut the energy bill by 25%.
Astypalea's electric revolution will be followed step by step by a group of researchers from the Universities of Strathclyde (Scotland) and the Aegean.