Island Lefkada

THE PROFILE OF THE ISLAND
Location Part of the Ionic Islands in the West of Greece
Area 334 km²
Number of inhabitants 22.652
Climate Mediterranean, with mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers
Port of Lefkada ©see Imprint

Island’s energy mix and energy agenda

Lefkada is connected to the national transmission network and therefore its energy mix is identical with the international mix. In 2019, the Greek electricity generation mix was dominated by natural gas (36%) and coal (21.8%) while wind power served 15.2%, oil 9.6%, solar PV 8.3%, hydropower 8.3% and biomass 0.8% of the total generation.

The Municipality of Lefkada (MoL) is developing a long-term green agenda. In particular, the construction of smart, clean, and green marinas on neighboring islands of Kastos and Kalamos which are administratively managed by MoL will be studied. Based on the examined concept the marinas’ infrastructures will be served by smart microgrids, properly orchestrated by a smart management platform comprised of PV stations coupled with a Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), water production, management and storage via small desalination plants and land and sea electromobility. The project will be replicated in all port facilities of Lefkada, paving a way towards islands’ decarbonisation while promoting sustainable tourism, fighting energy poverty, and achieving multiple environmental and financial benefits under a cooperative scheme.

A new waste management facility will be constructed equipped with a waste pretreatment unit and a refinery and compost unit to improve the environmental conditions of the island. Regarding the water management system, new smart devices and automized systems are being installed in the pumping stations with the aid of EU project SAVE WATER. 

Past and current projects/initiatives in the field of energy

Besides projects and activities related to the implementation of its green agenda, MoL has recently joined the “Clean Energy 4 EU Islands” initiative demonstrating the commitment of developing an integrated sustainable plan to mitigate climate change and adapt to its effects, including local stakeholders in the process. The initiative supports the energy transitions of EU islands using a quadruple helix support helping citizens, local authorities, local businesses, and academic institutions to work together to advance the clean energy transition on their island.

Island’s energy infrastructure

The island of Lefkada is connected to the mainland transmission network via a 150 kV power line while Lefkada is connected with neighboring island Kefalonia through a connector of 125 MW capacity. A small part of Lefkada’s annual demand totaling 128 GWh is covered by locally generated renewable electricity deriving from the 412 kW of utility and commercial solar PV installations, 776 kW of residential solar PV and 138 kW of solar PV benefiting from the net metering system. Peak load of about 36 MW is observed during summer season owing to high tourism activity and increased needs for cooling.

ISLANDER related activities

Lefkada, represented by partner DAFNI, develops a replication plan to adapt the ISLANDER solutions tested on Borkum to the local context of the Ionic islands. A small-scale physical replication project related to e-mobility will also be implemented on Lefkada.

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