On Sunday, 23 November, the General Assemblies of Minoan Energy and its subsidiaries Aiolos, Phoebus, and Aroania were held at the welcoming venue of the Cultural Center of the Holy Metropolis of Arkalochori, Kastelli and Viannos, in Arkalochori.<\/p>\n
Members who attended in person, as well as those who joined online, had the opportunity to be briefed by the President, Mr. Giannopoulos, on current Community matters, the progress of ongoing projects, and the long\u2011term strategy that Minoan Energy will follow.<\/p>\n
Mr. Giannopoulos began his address by referring to the energy net\u2011metering projects implemented by Minoan\u2019s Communities, with a total capacity of 3.5 MW. He emphasized that although this number is clearly below the Community\u2019s true potential, it remains a significant achievement given the challenges faced by Energy Communities in Greece. Notably, while nearly 90% of Minoan\u2019s members are based in Crete, most projects\u2014both in number and capacity\u2014are located outside Crete due to the well\u2011known issue of limited electrical capacity on the island, a matter repeatedly highlighted by our Community.<\/p>\n
He then presented an overview of the European projects in which the Community participates, stressing both the legislative difficulties and the benefits for local society, participating municipalities, and specific social groups such as large families and energy\u2011vulnerable households.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have created knowledge, networks, experience, and capabilities\u2014and we have laid the foundations for the future,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cThere are enormous deficiencies in the system, and our country is on the wrong side of history. While Europe passionately supports self\u2011producers, Energy Communities, and Energy Democracy, in Greece we face indifference, reluctance, and downgrading. The result? Bureaucratic obstacles, confusion, and financial traps. The only real way to reduce energy costs and avoid the deception of colored tariffs is self\u2011production. But since 70% of the population lives in cities and cannot install production units on rooftops, Energy Communities remain the only solution\u2014and the most economical and flexible way for citizens to access the energy they need. What we ask is simple: not to be obstructed, not to be deprived of the ability to implement the projects we are capable of delivering ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regarding the current context, he stressed that we are in a favorable phase: technology is mature and accessible, European funds are available, programs supporting self\u2011production are being designed (albeit slowly in Greece), social demand is rising, and the climate crisis makes action imperative. On the other hand, the national framework remains hesitant, bureaucratic barriers are increasing, profits are concentrated among a few powerful players, and citizens are being excluded.<\/p>\n
He emphasized that Energy Communities are the only mechanism capable of countering speculation, freeing the energy landscape, and transferring benefits to citizens\u2014who deserve them and must be informed and empowered to claim them.<\/p>\n
He defined the Community\u2019s short\u2011term goal as energy autonomy\u2014the ability to manage different energy systems using our technical expertise, enabling an entire settlement to become autonomous. This is the only way to reduce dependence on large private interests and shifting government policies.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49 Short\u2011term expectations
\n\ud83d\udd38 Continuation of an unfavorable legislative framework
\n\ud83d\udd38 Increasing difficulties for Energy Communities
\n\ud83d\udd38 Pressure toward production centralization
\n\ud83d\udd38 Strengthening autonomy\u2011oriented projects
\n\ud83d\udd38 Intensification of European programs
\n\ud83d\udd38 New collaborations with municipalities and the Region
\n\ud83d\udd38 Citizen training, especially farmers<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49 Medium\u2011term expectations
\n\ud83d\udd38 EU pressure forcing Greece to amend its legislative framework
\n\ud83d\udd38 New energy and economic crises accelerating reforms
\n\ud83d\udd38 More affordable storage technologies enabling autonomous homes<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49 Long\u2011term goals
\n\ud83d\udd38 Thousands of energy\u2011autonomous homes
\n\ud83d\udd38 Dozens of energy\u2011autonomous municipalities
\n\ud83d\udd38 Hundreds of resilient, socially supportive Energy Communities<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49 Strategic pillars
\n\ud83d\udd38 Energy autonomy through integrated systems
\n\ud83d\udd38 Building energy upgrades
\n\ud83d\udd38 Real\u2011time smart energy management
\n\ud83d\udd38 Technical support
\n\ud83d\udd38 Citizen education
\n\ud83d\udd38 Utilization of European funds
\n\ud83d\udd38 Pursuit of partnerships
\n\ud83d\udd38 Knowledge transfer
\n\ud83d\udd38 Social organization<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49 He concluded by contrasting Minoan Energy\u2019s values with prevailing market trends:
\n\ud83d\udd38 When others seek profit, we speak of social solidarity.
\n\ud83d\udd38 When others promote centralization, we fight for decentralization.
\n\ud83d\udd38 When others pursue exploitation, we work for fair utilization.
\n\ud83d\udd38 When others defend the privileges of the few, we defend the rights of the many.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany believe that the role of Energy Communities is simply to provide free electricity to their members. But that is merely the outcome of a well\u2011functioning Energy Community. In reality, Energy Communities do much more\u2014above all, they activate citizens to believe they can solve serious problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the Assembly, many members took the floor, including the Metropolitan of Arkalochori, Kastelli and Viannos, Mr. Andreas, and the Mayor of Minoa Pediadas, Mr. Kegeroglou. The former spoke of the \u201cservice\u201d offered by Minoan Energy, while the latter proposed a new collaboration for the development of a pilot autonomous energy system for water pumping. The session concluded with the presentation of the financial reports of Minoan\u2019s Energy Communities, followed by the vote approving them and discharging the Boards of Directors for the 2024 management year.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49 The related video is available on Minoan Energy\u2019s YouTube channel: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mkbZI2-A8Cc<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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