- The technological achievement in homes and businesses on Tilos, the first green island, with “Aftonomo by Eunice”
- Development of large-scale projects for SAI and GAP energy interconnections
- Ptolemaida BESS & Arcadia BESS Energy storage projects in Ptolemaida and Megalopolis
The innovative energy projects were presented and the decisive and practical contribution of the investments made by the Hellenic Energy Group Eunice were highlighted at international energy events organized in the context of the 85th Thessaloniki International Fair with regard to implementation of European and national policy on decarbonization of the economy and ushering in a new energy age for the country with sustainable results for society and citizens. More specifically, the following was presented:
- The technological achievement of renewable energy generation, storage and self-management on Tilos, the first green island in Greece and Europe, whose application is evolving through “Aftonomo by Eunice”, in systems providing autonomy and independence at all power scales , especially in systems offering autonomy for homes and businesses.
- The development and self-sufficiency of two large-scale energy interconnection projects the, Southern Aegean Interconnector (SAI) and the intercontinental Greece Africa Power Interconnector (GAP). And
- Eunice Groups’ major energy storage projects, Ptolemaida BESS & Arcadia BESS, in Ptolemaida and Megalopolis respectively, with a total power of 500MW and a total capacity of 2GWh.
In speeches made by Dr. George Pechlivanoglou, Vice President of the Eunice Group, at the “2021 Southeast Europe Energy Forum” and the “Economist Event”, the latter stressed that:
– “The new order of things in energy generation, management and transport during the era of delignitization and of the mass infiltration and use of renewable energy sources requires technological and organizational leaps to be made. The overall proposal by the Eunice Group regarding interconnections in the new energy era, RES projects and storage, truly constitutes a paradigm shift in the way that the energy systems of the future are being designed and implemented”.
Among his main points, Eunice Group’s Vice President stressed that:
Τilos, the first green island
Speaking about the importance of storage in RES projects, Mr. Pechlivanoglou made reference to Tilos, Greece’s first green island, focusing on the way in which the first hybrid power plant can serve as an example and an application of the safe and economical development of RES electricity generation, energy independence and autonomy for citizens and businesses, large-scale storage projects, as well as support for the country’s energy security and self-sufficiency.
The Hybrid power plant on Tilos, realized and operated by Eunice Group, is Greece’s first hybrid power plant as well as Europe’s first hybrid power plant to be connected to the grid and to sign a power supply contract.
By applying innovative technologies and with the support of Eunice’s research and development department, for the last three years, Tilos has been utilizing the invaluable know-how, the real and quantifiable results from the implementation, operation and management of the S4S system and the hybrid power plant, which enables the island and its citizens to become Netprosumers instead of ordinary energy consumers, in other words producers, consumers, and part of the energy network.
At the same time, the hybrid power plant is adopting smart energy management, predicted production, predicted consumption, and predictive maintenance technologies, forging a new path in the manner in which RES will operate in the near future.
The integration of smart technical management algorithms is a key advantage of the new generation of hybrid power plants such as the Tilos plant, making the rapid and remote operation of the plant possible with low maintenance costs and a high degree of reliability.
Aftonomo by Eunice
Basing itself on the technology of the Tilos Hybrid Power Plant, Eunice is developing systems that provide autonomy at all power scales, starting with home systems that provide autonomy and independence for homes and businesses. Eunice’s autonomy systems save money and provide security at the same time , allowing citizens to enjoy uninterrupted power supply, autonomy and independence, such as the popular system “Aftonomo by Eunice.”
By promoting diffusion of the know-how related to the Tilos project and reproducing the S4S model, Eunice is developing similar S4S systems that ensure interconnected operation on the network and provide the possibility of autonomous operation at all power levels. Thus, requirements are met on larger scale systems such as in the field of commerce and industry. n this way, such systems function as an intermediate solution between systems of the Tilos type and the residential systems that provide autonomy and independence.
New green islands
At the same time, Eunice is developing new hybrid power plants for green islands, – issuing of licenses for power generation by Hybrid Power Plants (HPP) on the islands of Anafi, Donoussa, Leros in the South Aegean Region, and in Fournoi Korseon in the North Aegean Region, has been approved by the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) with 2MW of total guaranteed power – which will implement the novel technologies as well as the lessons and experiences gained from the successful operation of the hybrid power plant on Tilos, Greece’s first green island.
Energy interconnections
Eunice Group’s proposal pertains to the development of two large-scale interconnection projects, the Southern Aegean Interconnector (SAI) and the intercontinental Greece Africa Power Interconnector (GAP), proposing the international interconnection of Greece and Egypt, with multiple technical advantages, due to the geographic scale of this project, as well as the physical interconnection of two very large networks, the European one and the African one. These two projects can be the crowning achievement of technological investments in the field of energy in terms of interconnections in Greece since they will increase network stability while reducing the volume of energy storage.
More specifically, also integrating the Greece Africa Interconnection national interconnection project (GAP) in the design allows for optimal energy transport between Greece and Egypt and, therefore, between Europe and Africa, reducing the probability of synthesis of the critical interconnection lines between Crete and Mainland Greece.
A vital factor with regard to network stability is the increase of interconnections at the national and supranational level. The electrical interconnections of the systems are among the most important changes that should be made in traditional high voltage power supply systems, so that the new electrical networks can increase their resistance to RES variability and perform reliably and efficiently.
International connections at European level have been growing rapidly in recent years with the European operator ENTSO-E constantly enriching its ten-year plan with new projects.
However, in the region of the Southeastern Mediterranean, and especially in Greece, a relative “electrical isolation” is observed which is hindering the development of RES and moving our country away from the goal of being an energy hub.
Energy storage projects
At the same time, Eunice’s technological innovations in storage systems, autonomy, and independence find application in very large-scale projects such as the storage projects developed by the Group in Western Macedonia and Arcadia, projects which are key in supporting the electricity network in an era of de-lignitization.
The development of large-scale storage systems is necessary and imperative, as such systems are now the main technological tool for grid stabilization, replacing traditional stabilization solutions utilizing conventional gas or lignite power plants.
The Ptolemaida BESS & Arcadia BESS, important energy storage projects, with a total power of 500MW and a total capacity of 2GWh by the Eunice Group, create a significantly sized energy buffer, which allows the increased deferral of power generation and distribution through the interconnections, achieving optimal financial results in buying and selling energy products on international markets.
It should be noted that the conference “2021 Southeast Europe Energy Forum”, organized by the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce, and the Economist Event entitled “THE THESSALONIKI METROPOLITAN SUMMIT – Northern Greece’s potential as an inter-regional hub”, took place on Friday 10 September 2021 in the context of the Thessaloniki International Fair.