Hope, Kerin. Financial Times. (2021, February 12). The Greek island where renewable energy and hybrid cars rule. Retrieved February 14, 2020, from https://www.ft.com/content/2dff3e85-2fb7-4a95-83cc-a38e1558a111

Tilos, a small island in Greece, is now running entirely on a hybrid system of wind and solar and has continued to invest in more clean projects. The island has built free electric car charging stations for all citizens to use. Most permanent residents fish and raise goats as occupations but the population increases in the summer with the arrival of workers and tourists. Mayor Maria Kamma-Aliferi said that switching to renewable energy has made power outages less frequent and keeps the tourists happier. The project has also caused the permanent population to increase since its completion. She hopes that other islands follow her lead and that the island can switch to an electric ferry, the only connection between Tilos and Rhodes. Another island, Lemnos, is planning to create a similar project this year, hoping that it will bring expats back to the island. Greece has continued to invest in greening the country, planning to shut down all coal plants by 2028. However, some protestors do exist, fearful that new wind and solar technology will take away from the natural beauty of Greece and its islands. However, these projects continue to be developed, decreasing the price of energy on Greece’s remotest islands and the country’s reliance on fossil fuels.

I find this development to be encouraging. While I applaud the development of this island and its ability to be a symbol of what could be, this news is not as significant on a global scale and can be viewed as simply a case study of the potential widespread implementation of renewable energy. This shows that in some cases, switching to renewable energy may not only be immediately environmentally beneficial but economically as well. While the case of Tilos is very specific, it is a success story of wind and solar energy as the global shift towards renewable energy progresses. I am hopeful that the success of Tilos and other cases can help influence more communities to advance renewable energy such as with Lemnos. Finding innovative and community-specific ways of establishing clean energy is going to be important when considering how we as a society implement this technology.