Green islands, powered by diesel

You’ve likely heard about the Aegean island of Astypalea and its electric cars, but what about Kythnos? Kythnos is also a “Smart Island,” if you weren’t aware. This designation comes from a recently completed four-year project, which included various initiatives aimed at boosting the island’s “resilience,” “sustainability” and other Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-friendly features. To clarify the tone and use of quotation marks: These projects are impressive. It’s great that they were carried out, and credit goes to the DAFNI Network of Sustainable Greek Islands, the scientists from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), and the Municipality of Kythnos for implementing them. These initiatives include, among other things, converting the Merichas high school building into the island’s first “green” building, replacing old streetlights with new LED ones, a major upgrade in waste management, and the installation of two desalination units.

However, the most visible and widely recognized intervention is the network of charging stations for electric vehicles. Every visitor notices it: While the island may lack safe, two-way asphalt roads across its aging road network, it does have around 20 dual electric vehicle chargers, conveniently located in public and private areas across all settlements.

Now, do you know what we use to charge the batteries of electric cars? That’s right, electricity. But how is that electricity generated? In Norway, for example, where nine out of 10 new cars sold are electric, most electricity comes from hydroelectric plants, with almost zero greenhouse gas emissions. So, you could say that electric cars in Norway are powered by hydroelectric energy. In France, electricity is primarily generated by nuclear power plants, which also produce almost no greenhouse gas emissions. So, in France, electric cars are essentially powered by nuclear energy, and so on.

But what about Greece? The answer is: It depends. On sunny summer days, electric cars are mostly charged with energy from solar panels or wind turbines – there have been days when the entire electricity supply came from renewable sources. On other days, electricity is primarily generated from burning natural gas. It varies. But this applies to mainland Greece. What many people don’t realize is that most Aegean islands are not connected to the mainland power grid and must generate the electricity they need independently, using different methods.

How does Kythnos generate the electricity it needs? Currently, 97% of its energy comes from diesel. So, on this so-called “Smart Island,” electric cars are essentially being charged with diesel power.

The most important takeaway from programs like “Kythnos Smart Island” or “Astypalea: Smart and Sustainable Island,” in my opinion, is not that “something is happening” or that our islands are “going green,” but that fragmented interventions without fundamental institutional changes are unlikely to succeed. It’s not just about installing chargers on islands that still rely on diesel and heavy fuel oil because connecting them to the mainland grid would affect the financial interests of Greek petroleum companies. It’s that, overall, even well-intentioned interventions are being implemented in a piecemeal, opportunistic manner.

Do you know how the “Kythnos Smart Island” program was funded? With 8 million euros that the Greek state received as compensation from Germany’s Siemens for the well-known corruption case. When the program ended, so did the funding. The initiatives were wonderful but remained isolated and fragmented, likely without any follow-up. This is how things often work.

Actions start with a politician’s idea, an initiative by a collective, some EU funds secured by a savvy local official, or a court settlement with a private company. But institutions don’t keep pace. These initiatives aren’t integrated into a broader, long-term framework.

Volkswagen may be introducing electric cars on Astypalea, and PPC Renewables may be building infrastructure so that, in the near future, these cars won’t need to charge with diesel. But at the same time, another ministry approves a massive tourism project with 250 homes on the island – the exact opposite of “sustainability” and “long-term viability.” These “Smart Islands” may be outfitted to welcome electric cars, yet another ministry issues a circular discouraging drivers from bringing them on ferries to these very islands, placing restrictions on how charged the cars can be (meanwhile, ferries in Scandinavia offer chargers so cars can charge en route).

This isn’t a way to make real progress. Without cohesive planning, collaboration among the relevant bodies, clear communication, consensus, and, most importantly, a shared understanding of what “sustainability” actually means in practice, we’re left with good intentions, isolated “green” buildings, and chargers that run on diesel.