Following the path of nature, the cycle of Water and Air, a pioneering energy project was created at national and European level: the Naeras.
Naera in Ikaria is one of the two hybrid energy projects in Europe, combining wind and hydraulic energy.
The idea for its implementation belongs to the Development Company of the former Municipality of Rakhine Island and the Hydroelectric Energy Development Division of PPC SA, which prepared the final study.
Amounts of €50.000.000 were invested. The main purpose of the project is to increase the penetration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in the electricity network of Ikaria and the corresponding reduction of the amount of conventional energy produced from oil at the Local Production Station in Agios Kirykos.
The successful operation of the project will be a guide for achieving energy autonomy for non-interconnected islands and island clusters using exclusively RES.
The Project
The Naera consists of the following subdivisions:
- The Wind Farm (A/P) in the area of the Stravokoundoura hill, with three wind turbines of 900 kW each.
The Small Hydroelectric Power Plant (SHPP) Proesperas, with a 1.05 MW hydro turbine, which utilises only the excess water from the reservoir of the dam at Pezi (after meeting the obligations for water supply, ecological supply and irrigation).
The Kato Proesperas HPP, with two hydroturbines with a total capacity of 3.1 MW, which utilises both the excess water from the reservoir and the water from pumped storage (hybrid energy).
Two water reservoirs with a capacity of 80,000 m3 each in the areas of Proesperas and Kato Proesperas, which will serve the needs of pumped storage for the absorption of wind energy and a water reservoir with a total volume of approximately 910,000 m3 in Pezi.
The Kato Proesperas Pumping Station, with 12 pumps of nominal power 250 kW each, of which 4 are variable speed pumps.
The Energy Control and Load Sharing Centres of Nera and Ikaria, which will be installed in a space within the Local Generation Station in Agios Kirikos, ensuring both the communication between the individual parts of the project and the energy security of the island and the reliability of the electricity system.
Hybrid energy
MYES Proesperas produces energy from the overflow of the old dam at Pesi. It operates only during the non-irrigation season (October-April). Throughout the year, water circulates between the Upper and Lower Reservoirs through 12 pumps and 2 pipelines (intake and discharge) and hydroelectricity is produced by the Kato Proesperas WWTP, which is fed into the island's grid.
The basic hybrid energy production of the project results from the fact that the wind energy produced by the wind farm in Stravokoundura is used for the operation of the pumping station. The energy supply of the Pump Station constitutes energy storage (battery), because the wind energy of the Wind Farm is not absorbed by the Project, but, being «stored» in the water transferred from the Lower to the Upper Reservoir, will finally be fed into the island's electricity grid through the Kato Proespera WWTP in the form of hydroelectric energy. This is therefore a successful combination of two main RES - wind and hydro - creating hybrid energy.
In this way, it is estimated that Naera will produce a total clean energy of 9.8 GWh/year, covering a large part of the island's annual energy needs, especially during the winter months.
Contribution to the local community
Naera will directly and indirectly provide significant economic, social and environmental benefits to the island of Ikaria:
- Reduction of C0 emissions2 of 13,800 tonnes per year, from the minimisation of the operation of the oil Local Production Station.
- Strengthen the island's energy sufficiency, during most of the year, and reduce its dependence on oil.
- Construction of a reinforced double 20 kV medium voltage line, which connects the eastern and western sides of the island. Its operation will increase the stability and reliability of the electricity system of Ikaria, drastically reducing power outages due to faults.
- Reversal of environmental impacts from the construction of the project through the implementation of environmental restoration measures (e.g. tree planting).
- Economic empowerment of the local community through reservations - amounting to 3% of the revenues - that will be generated from the operation of the project.
- Upgrading of Ikaria in the tourism sector, as it is expected to become an attraction for students, scientists and environmentally aware citizens, due to the innovations and the «green» character of the project.
In particular, within the framework of the social responsibility of PPC S.A. and with its own funding, the following were carried out:
- The construction of a new Medium Voltage electricity network for the settlement of Pezi, at a cost of approximately €190,000.
- The new Municipal Road, 7.2 km long, from the junction of Gemellia - Vrakades to Proespera and up to Kato Proespera, at a cost of approximately €5.000.000.
- The reconstruction of the bridge in the area of Gemellia, at a cost of €70,000.
