Following the event on Crete’s energy challenges, held on Saturday 30 March at the Technical Chamber of Greece, Professor Dimitris Katsaprakakis of the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) and founding member of the Minoan Energy Community, was invited by journalist Ms. Mirka Oikonomopoulou to the main news bulletin of TV Creta, after an invitation extended by Mr. Sotiris Metaxas.
In his calm and well‑documented intervention, Professor Katsaprakakis highlighted the risks posed by the exclusion of citizens from the upcoming Energy Transition and proposed concrete solutions to prevent this outcome.
As he characteristically noted, it is highly encouraging that all institutional actors in Crete now seem to recognize the threat of citizens being left out of the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. For the first time, during the meeting of 30 March, they collectively discussed how the island’s energy resources can become a lever for development for everyone.
He emphasized that Crete’s renewable‑energy potential is so significant that it places the island among the most energy‑rich regions of the planet. The key question, therefore, is how this potential will be harnessed in a way that maximizes the social and economic benefits for all residents of the island.
According to Professor Katsaprakakis, the most effective and equitable way to utilize this valuable resource is through broad‑based Energy Communities, with the participation of citizens and local authorities.
Crete, with its Technical University, its two Universities, and the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), possesses the scientific expertise required to identify suitable locations, technical specifications, and the types of projects needed to harness its energy wealth and achieve energy autonomy, with full respect for both the environment and human well‑being.
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