Challenges and Opportunities of a Greek Island on the Journey to Renewable Energy 

Abstract

Our increasingly delicate environment and diminishing fossil fuel resources make solutions for sustainable energy vital. This paper looks at Ikaria, an island in the Aegean Sea in Greece, to realize 100% renewable energy by 2030 through participation in the European Commission’s Clean Energy for Islands Initiative. Ikaria's case can serve as a case study for a global energy transition, inspiring other territories striving for more sustainable solutions. Herein, we explore financial, energetic and educational challenges and examine the existing legislation and economic support mechanisms to evaluate how a sustainable energy transition can be achieved. The outcomes of this literature review can provide potential insights and pathways for policymakers, researchers and practitioners involved in the energy transition of their respective countries in the face of global energy challenges.

To reference this paper: 

Papakonstantinou, M., 2024. Challenges and opportunities of a Greek island on the journey to renewable energy: The case of Ikaria. In Towards Circular: Analysis of the coastal areas of Greece, Italy and Spain. Edited by Skupchenko, J.K. Think Tank AlterContacts. Available at: https://www.altercontacts.org/publications/towards-circular-2024/gr-sd-5 

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.11185.60004

Introduction

With the growing urgency of environmental issues and the diminishing reserves of fossil fuels, renewable energy has become an imperative goal for countries and communities worldwide. This energy transition holds a specific meaning on the Greek island of Ikaria. Renowned for its natural beauty, history and culture, Ikaria strives to become fully reliant on renewable energy by 2030 (Clean Energy for Islands Initiative, 2018). Importantly, this ambitious plan is billed as a meaningful change, demonstrating the vital role that an energy transition can play in achieving a good life for the islanders and illustrating to the world that such an alternative is possible. The environmental and energy transition of this scale requires a change in the underlying assumptions about what energy is and what it is for. The consequences of such a transition go far beyond the energy dimension and into the economic, environmental and social spheres that affect the ways of living of Ikarians.

This literature review describes the many struggles of Ikaria’s Green energy and other environmental challenges. It targets the financial, environmental, and educational changes, which are essential and considered to be the pillars of the structure of the green energy transition. Academic papers, periodic government reports, and case studies were reviewed to analyze the challenges of this transformative project. Various options that are already in motion and coordinated by NESOI, the leading platform that oversees the project, were included. By combining insights from diverse sources and perspectives, we hope this literature review can contribute to ongoing discussions on sustainable energy transitions and inform policymakers, researchers, and practitioners working towards a more sustainable future.

Methodology

Desktop research was conducted on scholarly articles, government reports, policy papers, and case studies on the sustainability of energy transitions and the corresponding challenges that islands face. Strategic documents from European institutions and national governments, documents from the island's representative bodies, and technical reports were reviewed to understand the regulatory frameworks, existing initiatives, and available resources.  

Local Context

Ikaria remains dependent on fossil fuel use, but recently, the island has seen an even more rapid transition to renewable energy. This follows the global trend to limit climate change and facilitate green development, which is not only locally important but also part of a broad move toward more ecological energy use and self-sufficiency (Energy Sustainable Island for Real Life Community, 2022).

Topography

Ikaria is located on the eastern side of the Aegean Sea, in the North Aegean islands. The island covers an area of 254.6 km2, with a coastline that is approximately 100 km2. It is an elongated island shaped like the letter S and has a diverse topography. The island's northern part is relatively mild and is covered in wooded areas, while the southern part is rough and steep. There are many morphological mountain slopes, such as the Atheras mountain, where the highest peak in Ikaria (1070 m) can be found, connecting the entire length of the island. Therefore, Ikaria is divided into two distinct sections: a southern part with steep slopes and a mildly undulating northern part. Its landscape is hilly. The ground only forms a few plain surfaces, except for some valleys created by rivers, namely the Chalkeas and Kambos streams (Axon Envirogroup, 2018).

Water resources

Ikaria has abundant and sufficient water resources, as the island receives high precipitation, which is trapped and stored by impervious geomorphologic formations. Almost every village on the island uses at least one spring and many boreholes (Visit Ikaria, 2023). Although the volume of stored water is sufficient, shortages may emerge during peak hours of domestic water demand because more infrastructure is needed to convey water where it is most needed.

Road Network

Ikaria's road network is mostly inadequate and must be upgraded considerably. Paved provincial roads of good standard are present only in the north and northeast of the island, connecting the peripheral settlements of Armenistis and Evdilos with the southeast coast and the main port, Agios Kirikos. Southwest Ikaria needs more road infrastructure, where settlements relate to unpaved roads (Axon Envirogroup, 2018).

Economy

The main sectors of Ikaria's economy are the tertiary sector, including wholesale and retail trade and services to visitors (HORECA), measured at the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS-2) level in which the islands of Samos, Ikaria and Fournoi participate. The population-weighted proportion of Ikaria to the total population of the NUTS-2 totals 20 percent. In 2021, Ikaria and Samos had a GDP of €10,535 per capita (Statistical Service of Greece, ELSTAT, 2024). 

Important nearby island connections include Samos, Mykonos, Fournoi, Patmos, Leros, and Kalymnos. During summer, there are direct daily ferries between the port of Piraeus at Athens and the ports of Agios Kirikos and Evdilos on Ikaria. Year-round direct flights from Athens to Ikaria are available, as are return flights one day a week from Ikaria to Lemnos.

Current Energy Landscape in Ikaria

Before those initial steps, Ikaria’s energy grid used a lot of fossil fuels to produce relatively little energy, meaning the island used to import a high quantity of non-renewable resources. Thus, the differential energy imports placed an environmental burden on the island and left it dependent on the volatility of global energy markets. The switch to renewables is supposed to reduce those dependencies and deliver an era of improved self-sufficiency and resilience for the island.

European Commission's Program “30 Renewable Islands for 2030”

Thanks to the contribution of technical consultants and the financial support of the NESOI European mechanism, the Municipality of Ikaria received €40.000 to develop an Energy Transition Strategic Roadmap for their island’s RES-based energy production. The plan outlines the design of Ikaria’s energy future, with the ambition to provide all the island’s and its residents’ energy needs exclusively from renewable energy (NESOI, 2022). 

Ikaria's Renewable Energy Goals and Objectives

Seeking to secure a low-carbon, decentralized and sustainable path towards the future, the renewable energy development objectives set by Ikaria are ambitious: the island strives to become energy independent by 2030, primarily due to the utilization of renewable energy sources (RES) such as wind, solar and wave kinetic energy. Behind these goals are environmental concerns and economic and resilience considerations, which are part of a concerted effort to build a low-carbon energy framework that is prosperous economically. (NESOI, 2022) 

Initial Steps and Milestones Achieved

Considerable progress in Ikaria can be seen as it transitions toward renewable energy. The island has explored wind energy projects, solar panels, and wave kinetic energy, which promise to reduce its ecological footprint, increase economic prosperity, kickstart new local industries, and improve energy security (Greek Islands’ Energy Transition – TU Delft Research Portal, 2022).

Funding Strategies and Opportunities for Ikaria

The islands' economic challenges stem primarily from a lack of means—in terms of both material and human factors—essential for achieving the critical mass, investor base, and economies of scale needed to create a solid economic base. 

Notably, a report written by the European Observation Network for Territorial Development and Cohesion (ESPON) titled BRIDGES: Territories with Geographical Specificities (2019) addresses the challenges. It notes that due to limited land resources, islands’ economies must be more focused on conservation than on economic exploitation. Since the island effect implies that everything happens on a smaller scale, it is challenging to diversify, reducing competitiveness, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) trying to leverage economies of scale. Consequently, fragile islands tend to focus on a few specialized sectors to be competitive. This specialization and the concentration into a ‘single sector’ (such as tourism or fisheries) result in seasonal vulnerabilities, in which winter financial deficits follow problems of summer's overtourism (ESPON BRIDGES, 2019)

Furthermore, the Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 report suggests that islands compete with the mainland in the long term due to the additional input costs associated with their insularity, especially in specific branches of activity that can scarcely respond to the higher investment required by geographic accessibility to markets (Carbone, 2018). Seasons also play a pivotal role in many islands’ economies, as in winter, activities may dramatically fall, leading to business closures and elevated levels of unemployment, along with a shortage of human capital to evolve towards an intelligent economy (EPRS, 2016). The COVID-19 pandemic has sharpened awareness of the extreme difficulties these island territories face, which depend on tourism, and the weaknesses of their fragile agri-food systems (European Committee of the Regions, 2020).

Regulatory demands

The Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan for Greece for the period 2021-2030 set the objective that the share of RES in the country’s total final energy consumption reaches 35 percent in 2030; the share of renewables in the electricity sector is explicitly set at a minimum 60 percent by 2030. Among its energy targets in its Ten-Year Development Plan (ADMIE, 2021), Greece explicitly mentions the critical role of islands in the energy transition and the future of the national economy and begins its presentation with two sections that are explicitly focused on the challenges of islands (Tsagkari, Marula É Jusmet, Jordi, 2020).

The Climate Act (L.4936/22), formulated in May 2022, contained legislation that required every municipality, including those in the islands, to develop local Emissions Reduction Plans by 31 March 2023 in line with the National Energy and Climate Plan. Additionally, the use of oil to generate power on islands will be prohibited as of 1 January 2030 (with some exceptions for energy security of the supply). 

Availability of Funding

The biggest challenge regarding energy transition has always been the availability of monetary resources. Different public funding instruments have been used or could be used to tackle these economic and regulatory challenges to support Ikaria’s green development path and energy transition. 

Greek Green Funds

As part of a strategy to attract investment to Greece, the Hellenic Development Bank of Investments (HDBI, formerly TANEO) has introduced ‘Greek Green Funds’, with an initial budget of 400 million euros in public funding. This program aims to identify private sector entities with the capacity to set up and administer investment schemes such as venture capital or private equity funds that aim to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or Special Purpose-Project Companies operating in Greece to encourage investment in Greece within the framework of energy conservation; the circular economy. Hellenic Development Bank of Investments will contribute up to 50 percent and a maximum of 100 million euros for investment schemes exceeding 100 million euros in 15 years. For projects that will fall short of 100 million euros, HDBI’s participation will range from 30 to 70 percent, with maximum available contributions ranging from 21 to 51 million euros. (HDBI, 2020) 

REPowerEU 

Due to the disruption of the global energy supply chains in 2022, the European Commission came up with its REPowerEU Plan to gradually phase out the fossil fuel import from Russia and replace it with energy savings, diversification of energy sources and clean energy production across the European Union overall. The Commission is spending almost €300 billion for the REPowerEU Plan, financed through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). According to the new rules in the RRF regulation, the Innovation Fund will be allowed an additional €20 billion in grants. Another source of around €10 billion in grants will come through the sale of Emissions Trading System (ETS) allowances. Member States can use the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) – worth €5.4 billion – to complement their REPowerEU efforts. According to the European Commission, proposals are being put forward to scale up the deployment of geothermal heat pumps to 10 million units per year to double current rates over the next five years (Financing REPowerEU, 2022). This includes increasing production and boosting access to financing as needed. Additionally, the EU aims to increase climate action and behavioral changes to reduce natural gas and oil use by 5 percent. That would allow for increased flexibility for suppliers and partnering with vulnerable geographical areas to diversify their supply in international energy markets through joint markets for natural gas, liquefied natural gas and hydrogen underpinned by a ‘common market mechanism.' Poorer islands, such as Ikaria, have limited energy diversity as they are geographically disconnected from the mainland, making them perfect candidates to utilize the funds from REPowerEU (REPowerEU Actions, 2022).

InvestEU

The InvestEU program is vital to the European Union’s long-term financing strategy. It will help mobilize private capital and attract public investments in support of Europe’s green and digital transitions and innovation and social investments. It will also support the REPowerEU plan to address current disruptions in the global energy market due to geopolitical tensions. InvestEU will bring simplicity and flexibility to access to finance by consolidating the last 27 financial instruments into three main pillars: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. A €26.2 billion EU budget guarantee will increase the risk-taking capacity of financial partners, unlocking more than €372 billion in additional investments. Funds under the program will benefit from simplified procedures, access, and an improved investment environment in Europe. Public-funded projects will also benefit from faster and more lenient access to capital and capital markets. They will be able to exploit their own resources and attract diversified investors to maximize the impact of EU investments across the EU.

The European Investment Bank’s InvestEU program details the Greek financial partners managing European funds and ready-to-spend capital, which support small and medium-sized investments through loans, guarantees and equity investment. These partners offer business and management advice through the InvestEU Advisory Hub. The technical, economic, and legal viability of each independent project launched on the island of Ikaria, before applying to InvestEU funding, should be subjected to the most rigorous technical and fiscal management analysis to demonstrate its potential profitability (InvestEU Risk Methodological Framework, 2021).

European Investment Bank

Over the past decade, the European Investment Bank has invested more than €3 billion in the energy sector across Greece. It is now backing a €85-million investment program by PPC Renewables to improve the potential of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) on the Greek islands and the mainland. This is the most significant direct development finance from the EIB in the country’s renewable energy sector to date. Funding will be invested in upgrading its existing wind parks and small hydroelectric stations and in the construction of new hydroelectric plants and wind farms across Greece. By contributing to upgrading the country’s RES generation potential and supporting its further development, the operation will also assist Greece by making energy systems more sustainable, lowering carbon emissions, and improving energy security while contributing to the adoption of clean energy sources. The initiative aims to strengthen the island’s renewable energy infrastructure, repower existing wind farms, and generate new small-scale wind energy. The projects are part of a broader effort to increase Greece’s renewable energy capacity by 90 MW. The EIB supports advancing renewable energy on the Greek islands including the island of Ikaria (EIB, 2016). 

Regional Operational Program "Northern Aegean 2021-2027"

With a total budget of €226 billion, distributed over the years 2021-2027 for European regional programs, the ERDF and the CF operate the regional component of the European budget for investments (as a rule at the implementation phase) on a regional scale, more specifically in rural and regional areas of EU member states. These two funds represent €48 billion for the Greek regions. The officially named plan is the Regional Operational Program "Northern Aegean 2021-2027". The North Aegean Region is the lead beneficiary. This alliance of local authorities will coordinate the actions assigned to the Regional Unit of Lemnos – Agios Efstratios, the Regional Unit of Samos and the Regional Unit of Ikaria – Fournoi Korseon by the project “Decentralized Food Supply and Basic Material Assistance, Administrative Expenses, and Provision Of Support Measures 2015 – 2016 and 2018 – 2019 / Social Cooperations P.V.A. Lemnos – Samos – Ikaria” made from the European Aid Fund. The budget for the 2018-2019 program period was €815.266,88. Third of it was distributed to the Municipality of Ikaria, and 710 beneficiaries received specific amounts through the three distributions scheduled for January, March, and May of 2022.

GO ELECTRIC 

Transportation accounted for roughly a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions in the EU in 2019, with 72 percent produced by road transport. The European Environment Agency reports that the Commission published a revised proposal in July 2021 within the Fit for 55 packages to change rules and cut emissions objectives to 55 percent for cars and 50 percent for vans, compared with 2021, hoping to cut them to zero by 2035 for both cars and vans (Fit for 55, 2019). To boost national e-mobility, a subsidy program, GO ELECTRIC (Ministry of Environment and Energy, Ministerial Decision 77472/52024), was implemented to subsidize the acquisition of EVs, electric motorcycles, e-bikes, and electric scooters, as well as home chargers. The scheme was renewed in July 2022 with GO ELECTRIC 2. It offers even more significant benefits. Legal persons can buy up to 6 (instead of 3) vehicles and get increased tax benefits. First, there are more substantial reductions in taxable income for participating legal entities located in the islands. Secondly, the grant award amounts to €500 per smart home wall box for charging infrastructure. Finally, large families and people with disabilities get a €1.000 discount in addition to the discount under the standard scheme. Depending on the vehicle subcategory (electric and fuel-cell passenger cars and heavy commercial vehicles), the subsidy varies within the pre-tax retail price range of €15.000-35.000. It cannot exceed €8.000 for passenger cars. Businesses can claim subsidies for the number of vehicles, with different subsidy rates for up to 20 and over 20 cars.

Environmental challenges: harnessing the energy

It is worth noting that the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator (DEDDIE) considers that there is no immediate need to extend Ikaria’s electricity production capacity. Given the assessments regarding peak demand and its projected evolution in the immediate future, there is no foreseen electricity shortage in Ikaria during the period 2021-2027. Ikaria’s interconnection is included in Greece’s Ten-Year Development Plan for the Transmission System (2021-2030), which is the Northeastern Aegean Island interconnection (DEDDIE, 2021).

“NAERAS” - Ikaria’s pioneering attempt towards clean energy independence

The most notable initiative of Ikaria towards decarbonization is “NAERAS.” This hydroelectric power project combines a 2.7 MW wind park featuring three 900 kW turbines, along with two hydroelectric plants positioned at different elevations: one at 554 m with a 1.05 MW turbine and another at 49 m with a 3.1 MW turbine (NRF, 2018). Additionally, a pump station houses 12 pumps, each rated at 250 kW nominal power. In the northeastern part of Ikaria, there are two wind turbines with a total capacity of 0.985 MW. 

The project uses surplus clean water drawn from an existing irrigation reservoir constructed at 721 m elevation and piped to the upper hydro plant at 554 m elevation. In the summer—irrigation season—the water delivered from the uppermost reservoir is used only for irrigation. At the same time, the two additional reservoirs are filled over the winter and operate in a standard cycle in the PHS plant.

Although Ikaria has yet to implement climate action projects (i.e., energy efficiency, solar thermal collectors, etc.) or achieve support from the local community, apart from this project, Ikaria Island is a front-runner in the energy transition journey. Another project similar to NAERAS but smaller in scale can be found on the island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands archipelago of Spain (FEDARENE, 2024). So, the Hydroelectric Power Project “NAERAS” in Ikaria is a one-of-a-kind climate action project in Greece and worldwide. 

Photovoltaics on the Roof Programme

A considerable ally towards Ikaria’s decarbonisation efforts is the programme ‘Roof Photovoltaics’. The initiative is promoted for individuals and farmers, so photovoltaic systems with or without storage and the consequent energy self-consumption through the aggregation of energy are subsidized to improve energy saving, reduce living costs, and convert building stocks to those close to zero-energy consumption standards for 2050. For vulnerable households, the subsidy can reach 65 percent for residential installations, while for farmers, the subsidies can reach 40 percent. For battery systems, the subsidies range from 90% to 100%. There is an extra 10% in the subsidies for persons with disabilities, spouses of persons with disabilities, dependents of persons with disabilities, single-parent families, and large families. The total expenditure for the program available to Ikaria is from a pool of € 208 million, broken down among the following categories: € 45 million for installations in households considered at risk; € 100 million for households whose annual income is ≤ € 20,000 or family income is ≤ € 40,000; € 63 million for households whose annual income is > € 20,000 or family income is > € 40,000; and € 30 million for farmers (Balkan Green Energy News, 2023).

Connection to the primary grid

One of the main actions for electrical integration of the Aegean islands is to overcome the electric isolation by improving the reliability of the supply, reducing the production costs, reducing the expenses of public utilities, protecting the environment, and developing renewable energy sources, which is quite problematic in the NII (Karystianos et al., 2021). The following beneficiaries are the islands constituting the North-East Aegean Islands Group, which will be interconnected with the ESMIE (i.e., the electrical systems of the Independent System Operator): (a) the island of Limnos, (b) the island of Agios Efstratios, (c) the island of Skyros, (d) the islands of Lesvos, Chios (including the island of Psara), and Samos (including the islands of Ikaria and Agathonisi). The Dodecanese and the North-East Aegean interconnection projects are planned in three sub-phases, the completion of which is expected around 2029.

Navigating Educational Challenges in Island Communities during the Clean Energy Transition

As with every significant change, radical decarbonization efforts have been met with skepticism by a part of the island's local communities. These seem to originate from concerns regarding the environmental impact of the efforts (especially regarding any suggested wind farms) and the overall Euroscepticism that the current municipality leadership is expressing (LAS IKARIAS, 2023). Consequently, educational initiatives are necessary to ensure a vision and direction at the most local levels, the need for political commitment and subsidy, and authentic partnerships involving producers, local authorities, municipalities, and the scientific community. A key feature of islands is that the social challenges relating to education and lifelong learning are more acute in lower-populated islands than in higher-populated ones. 

Only some islands have developed tertiary education facilities or access to courses for up- or re-skilling, nor have they invested in workforce development, which are all essential for creating jobs to support the just transition to a clean energy economy (ESPON BRIDGES, 2019). Lifelong learning options, essential for re-skilling to exploit the potential of professional diversification and utilization of modern technologies, are not sufficiently available for island populations (EPRS, 2016). This creates an additional barrier to training and preparing the island people for participating in renewable energy projects or initiatives. Ikaria tested one such service and is contemplating another.

The Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH)

Network of Sustainable Greek Islands (DAFNI) has partnered with the Municipality of Ikaria to participate in a new European program against energy poverty. It is one of 12 island municipalities provisionally endorsed to receive technical support through a new European instrument, the "Energy Poverty Advisory Hub" (EPAH) of the European Commission. Key elements of this nine-month project were as follows: a) undertaking located area-specific assessments of food gaps in terms of energy poverty levels; b) setting up a One-Stop-Shop (OSS) where citizens can have access to relevant technical information and services; c) ensuring the OSS supply chain is identified as part of the development and updating of local climate action plans considering energy poverty; d) local staff are built up on project activities and methodologies in a way to ensure the project’s long-term sustainability; and e) a communication strategy in terms of reaching out to beneficiaries and regional stakeholders to understand how to increase OSS usage and to raise awareness on energy poverty (EPAH, 2023).

ELENA – European Local ENergy Assistance

A unique European Investment Bank (EIB) initiative, the ELENA program, can cover up to 90 percent of the project costs related to technical assistance. Energy efficiency measures in residential and commercial buildings are eligible for support. Activities include technical studies, energy audits and diagnostics, business planning, legal and financial studies, tendering processes, project bundling, and management. These support measures can benefit regions, provinces, municipalities, and public corporations.

For projects funded under ELENA, the typical limit is an upper threshold of €30 million for an individual intervention or €50 million when aggregated initiatives are considered (for a standard three-year implementation period). Under this program, multiple sources of funds can be integrated if there is no overlap in funding investments. A minimal requirement is that the project development assistance be linked to an advanced investment program of at least €20 million over two to three years. Still, the program allows some wiggle room: the final beneficiary of the investment need not be the one who is responsible for implementation. 

ELENA covers the costs of feasibility studies, market analysis, program design, energy audits, and tender preparation, but beneficiaries are required to cofinance 10 percent of the costs, with pre-financing starting at 40 percent at the start of a project (ELENA, 2010). Ikaria can benefit from ELENA's support for energy-efficiency upgrades and renewable energy projects.

Agenda for Future Research 

The past seven years of the energy transition of the Greek islands have shown true potential. Ikaria has demonstrated exemplary progress in that direction. However, many unexplored challenges and opportunities would benefit from future research. Part of the effort should concentrate on smart energy system integration advances—smart electricity, thermal, and gas networks knitted together to identify synergies and optimal solutions. The above options have only been explored on a rudimentary level. There has been strong public resistance to these projects on all the islands due to little or no prior consultation or participatory co-design processes with local communities that could address their interests and concerns. The Greek State is leading by example, as illustrated by the ‘GR-eco Islands’ program announcements (PwC, 2022). Other national projects could offer just the boost Ikaria needs. 

Conclusion

Through this literature review, we explored the economic, political, social, technical, and other dimensions of energy transitions in Ikaria. This complex and persistent structural issue will be resolved through cooperation among all financial, numerical, social, or political actors. It is possible through EU funding programs for green innovation, such as NESOI (funded by the European Regional Development Fund) and REPowerEU. Projects such as the Hydroelectric Power Project ‘NAERAS’ show how Ikaria is moving forward into a new energy environment and how to combine innovative and sustainable energy sources: solar power is due to be installed shortly, and intelligent grid connection and communication systems serve to improve both energy security and sustainability.

To achieve this vision, there are initiatives that tackle educational dimensions of the clean energy transition, such as the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH), which carries out tailor-made assessments and sets up One-Stop Shops (OSS) to supply technical information and services. The ELENA program aims to address educational needs through financial support to projects of energy efficiency upgrading, involving the implementation of appropriate skills and infrastructure to facilitate the shift to clean energy.

In sum, Ikaria’s commitment to developing 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 is an example of a sustainable and economically viable vision that other island communities can adopt. This vision is gaining momentum through regional and European partnerships, with the NESOI and REPowerEU initiatives funded by the European Union providing a pathway to keeping the lights on in Ikaria. 

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