The small island of Tilos in the Dodecanese archipelago, near Rhodes in the southeastern Aegean Sea, was ranked third in the EU RESponsible Island Prize for 2021 for its efforts in using renewable energy for its energy supply.
In fact, already in March of this year, the beautiful Greek island of Tilos was the first in the entire Mediterranean to become completely self-sufficient from the energy point of view, thanks to a strong investment in renewables.
With a population of just over 500 people, and over 13.000 tourists a year, the Greek island was the first of 80 total projects chosen to benefit from funding under the European “Horizon 2020” program.
The main objective of the Tilos project was the use of a innovative energy model or the creation of the first hybrid power plant in Greece, which produces energy from its own wind farm and solar energy generators and which it subsequently stores thanks to storage systems (batteries). By producing its energy entirely from renewable energy sources, the island has significantly reduced its carbon footprint while simultaneously reducing the costs incurred in bills by the local population.