Press Release
The emblematic project "Crete Valley" has begun, which turns Crete into a Valley of Renewable Energy
On Tuesday, December 12, the kickoff meeting of the partners of the "Crete Valley" project took place in Athens, in which the Minoan Energy Community participates with its scientific team.
This new project, financed by the European Union, aims to create the first pilot applications by 2028, for the transformation of Crete into a sustainable, decentralized energy system. Through a combination of renewable energy plants, the "Crete Valley" project will demonstrate, in real-world conditions, the sustainable and cost-effective production of electricity and thermal energy from renewable sources and its storage and management, to meet annual energy needs Island's.
The project consortium includes 41 partners from all over Europe, coordinated by the Institute of Communications & Computer Systems of the National Technical University of Athens (ICCS). Minoan Energy, as the main beneficiary of the project, participates in the implementation of four community energy workshops located in the same number of locations in Crete: in Arvi, Lasithi Plateau, Arkalochori and Atherinolakos. Each region utilizes a different mix of renewable energy sources, depending on the specific geographical and climatic conditions of each. The local communities that will benefit from the production and storage of the generated electrical and thermal energy will include approximately 150 commercial and industrial infrastructures and 175 households.
Beyond the core energy production and conservation projects, the Cretan Renewable Energy Valley will seamlessly integrate innovative IT and Communication Technology systems, open digital solutions, social innovation processes and strong business models.
A key feature of the project is its emphasis on the participation of the local population. The project considers that local communities should be actively involved in energy transition projects as a way to achieve both energy independence and energy democracy.
In the following link, you can find the relevant Press Release, which, among others, hosts the statements of Mr. Elissaios Sarmas, project coordinator, Charalambos Giannopoulos, president of Minoan Energy and Dimitris Katsaprakakis, scientific advisor and founding member of the Community.
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