Tremendous success for the Minoan Energy Community! The European Commission approved the proposal "Crete Valley", which was submitted under the call "Energy Valleys" of the Horizon 2020 framework!
The project has a duration of 5 years and a budget of 20 million euros, of which about 13 million concern the implementation of projects in the areas of the Lasithi Plateau, Arvi and Arkalochori.
For the first time in Crete, district cooling networks will be implemented that will be powered by a co-generation unit with biogas and solid biomass (eg olive tree branches).
In Lasithi, 50 windmills of traditional type are planned to be installed for electricity generation, a model that has been developed by Dimitris Christakis, Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineers of the Hellenic Mediterranean University.
Also, stations of small wind turbines with a power of 120 kW each, photovoltaics for net metering, decentralized storage units will be installed, a smart network of decentralized management of electrical energy will be developed, while in Arvi the first district cooling network with geo-exchange open loop will be set up.
The Consortium of the project consists of about 40 partners, its duration will be 5 years and its start is expected next October.
This success, of unimaginable magnitude, is due to the coordinator of the project, which is the Decision Making Laboratory of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of NTUA, with Director Professor Haris Doukas, and to the member of the same laboratory Professor Vangelis Marinakis, who took on the difficult burden of setting up and writing the proposal.
Dear Haris and Vangelis, we really have no words ... We also warmly thank the European Commission for the positive evaluation of the proposal and its confidence in our effort, the Region of Crete for its steady support and of course the scientific team of Minoan Energy, which with its tireless efforts, passion and scientific competence, placed our Community at the center of European developments in terms of energy!
The challenge for the successful completion of this project is huge, but we move forward with faith, methodicalness and dedication for a Crete truly energy independent and energy democratic!!!
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