Lignite As Contributory Factor to Regional Development of Greece

Lignite (brown coal) is Greece's most important energy mineral raw material. Lignite exploitation has made a highly significant contribution to the development of energy sector of Greece on past 50 years, and will, according to estimations, continue to supply energy for another 40 years. Greece is very rich in Lignite resources. The two main basins - from where Lignite is extracted by opencast mining - are a) in Western Macedonia (northen Greece) where is generated the 70% of the whole electricity of Greece and b) in Central Peloponese (Southern Greece) where is generated the 10% of the whole electricity of Greece. In this respect, Public Power Corporation of Greece cooperates with the local administrative authorities and finances or undertakes social "compensation" projects for life improvement, and social and financial support of the residential areas near mines. Also provides technical services and contributes to the carrying out of small projects in municipalities and communities. Finaly provides thermal energy from the power stations for the district teleheating of the towns of Kozani, Ptolemais and Megalopolis and surrounting settlements. In addition to the works of social regeneration and the duty for the development of industrial areas, for the redevelopment works and environmental protection of the new ground at the lignite mines, more than 500.000 Euros are spent on a yearly basis (350.000 Euros at West Macedonia and 150.000 Euros at Central Peloponese). Moreover, according to data taken from the statement of accounts regarding only the operation of the mines (salaries, commossions, contracts assigned etc) the amount of 367.000.000 Euros is spent in the local societies of Kozani and Florina Prefectures. As a result, Lignite contributes to the regional Development of the country. Lignite mining and the generation of electric power take place in less developed areas, ensuring employment for a large number of scientific and labor personel, reducing unemployment and urban attraction and increasing the per capita local income in these areas.

Energy Scenarios for South Eastern Europe: A close look into the Western Balkans

"The Energy Scenarios for South East Europe" thematic seminar took place on the 15th of December 2015 in Vienna, Austria. The workshop was organized by Institute of Energy and Transport of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC-IET), hosted by the Energy Community Secretariat (ECS) and sponsored by the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG-NEAR) in the framework of the Travel Accommodation and Conference facility for Western Balkans and Turkey, a programme of dissemination activities organised by the Commission in the EU or the beneficiary country in connection with the enlargement process and the pre-accession strategy. The aim of the workshop was to bring together representatives from think tanks, scientific institutes, the academia and the private sector with government officials, the national statistical agencies and the local TSO representatives from the Western Balkan region to exchange views on potential energy technology deployment scenarios that could facilitate a low carbon development pathway for the enlargement countries, but also exchange on the methodologies utilized and identify challenges as well as potential pitfalls in this process. The workshop included three sessions of specific thematic focus. The first session provided the "regional picture" with forecasts on the development of the energy and power systems in the western Balkans. The second session discussed case studies on low carbon development trajectories for specific countries in the region; and the third session explored the role of particular technologies in this context. This report comprises of long abstracts from the workshop presentations and closes with a chapter on conclusions and recommendations that resulted from the discussion sessions

World Small Hydropower Development Report 2019

The World Small Hydropower Development Report (WSHPDR) 2019 is the result of an enormous collaborative effort between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Center on Small Hydro Power (ICSHP) and over 230 local and regional small hydropower (SHP) experts, organizations, engineers, academics and government officials across the globe. Prior to the World Small Hydropower Development Report (WSHPDR) 2013, it was clear that a comprehensive reference publication for decision makers, stakeholders and potential investors was needed to promote SHP as a renewable and rural energy source for sustainable development more effectively and to overcome the existing barriers to development. The 2019 edition aims to not only provide an update but also to greatly expand on the 2013 and 2016 edition by providing improvements on data accuracy with enhanced analysis and a more comprehensive overview of the policy landscapes compiled from a larger number of countries. Energy remains one of the most critical economic, environmental and development issues facing the world today. It is estimated that 1.06 billion people (13 per cent) worldwide, a predominantly rural population, still do not have access to electricity. Access to reliable and affordable electricity has an immediate and transformative impact on quality of life, access to basic services (e.g., health, education) and livelihoods. Small hydropower is a key building block towards the broader development goals associated with environmental sustainability, delivery of public services and poverty eradication. Despite the appeal and benefits of small hydropower (SHP) solutions, much of the world’s SHP potential remains untapped (66 per cent). The global installed SHP capacity for plants up to 10 MW is estimated at 78 GW according to the World Small Hydropower Development Report (WSHPDR) 2019, an increase of approximately 10 per cent compared to data from the WSHPDR 2013. SHP represents only approximately 1.5 per cent of the world’s total electricity installed capacity, 4.5 per cent of the total renewable energy capacity and 7.5 per cent (< 10 MW) of the total hydropower capacity. Nonetheless, it plays a major role in improving many lives. This impact is shown in the WSHPDR 2019 case studies. The case study section is a new addition to the WSHPDR. It is comprised of 18 case studies of successful SHP implementation in a range of communities. The case studies add a more detailed, practical perspective on the transformative potential of SHP and the best practices. Case studies give specific examples of communities that are using SHP for productive purposes to meet their needs and improve quality of life. The purpose of this new section is to provide easy access to the learnings drawn from such experience, thus forming a knowledge base that can benefit communities, decision-makers and developers elsewhere

Workshop Data Gathering on Renewable Energies for New Member States and Candidate Countries

The present Proceedings include the presentations made at the Workshop Data Gathering on Renewable Energies for New Member States and Candidate Countries, which was held on 15-16 November 2006 in Cavtat-Dubrovnik, Croatia. The workshop was organised by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission - Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Renewable Energies Unit Action: Scientific Technical Reference System on Renewable Energy and Energy End-use Efficiency, in cooperation with the Energy Institute Hrvoje Pozar, Croatia. The primary aim of workshop was the collection of the data on the latest achievements in the field of Renewable Energy in the New Member States and Candidate Countries. The governmental and institutional specialists and scientists in the field of sustainable energy development presented the latest information and on RES development at EU level and market developments in their own countries. The presence, for the first time of the specialists from West Balkan Countries at a workshop organised by JRC for RES was an important extra added value. The key note speeches of the experts from European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and International Energy Agency (IEA) provided a general view on the latest data on the trends and developments of RES at international level. The completeness of presentations, the wealth of newest, updated and complementary information on RES brought together by the workshop participants, contributed to the achievements of the meeting objectives and represents a great success.JRC.H.8-Renewable energie

The Future of Power Storage in South Eastern Europe

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Ministry of Energy and Industry of Albania held a joint workshop on the future role of energy storage in South Eastern Europe on 21 -22 October in Tirana. The workshop was attended by 40 specialists from academia, government, regulatory bodies, power industry and consultancies from both EU accession and candidate countries as well as from EU Member States. The participants actively discussed the technical, financial and regulatory challenges of the energy systems of the Western Balkans, and options of how these could be overcome. The event served as a forum for sharing and critically reflecting experience gained in Western Europe during the last decade. The workshop held in Tirana was part of the Enlargement and Integration Action. The present report summarizes the interventions of the participants, the discussions and conclusions of the workshop.JRC.F.6-Energy Technology Policy Outloo

A Greek Green Deal: building energy democracy and fighting energy poverty

While implementing the New Green Deal, the European Union is faced with major energy challenges and dilemmas. Energy poverty is an issue of critical importance affecting many Europeans. Since Greece has experienced a prolonged period of crises, the strengthening of energy democracy and the fight against energy poverty must be among the top national priorities. Collective energy actions can pave the way towards the uptake of renewable energy, enabling and incentivizing consumers to become prosumers. This study first outlines the main theoretical perspectives on the politics of energy and proposes a new approach to understand renewable energy. Then it describes the EU energy policy and the transition to a climate-neutral economy. It briefly explains the concept of energy communities before focusing on the case of Greece. The study examines the rise of the country’s energy communities, including the Agrinio and Minoan communities. It also explains the measures taken in Greece during the last decade to tackle energy poverty by offering incentives for energy savings. Moreover, the study describes the national energy and climate plan by examining the case of Tilos. Finally, the study summarises the main findings and offer some policy recommendations

Smart strategies for the transition in coal intensive regions

The TRACER project supports a number of coal-intensive regions around Europe to design (or re-design) their Research and Innovation (R&I) strategies in order to facilitate their transition towards a sustainable energy system. The TRACER consortium consists of different target regions: South East Bulgaria, North West Bohemia - Czech Republic, Lusatian Lignite District - Germany, Western Macedonia - Greece, Upper Silesian Coalfield - Poland, West Region, Jiu Valley - Romania, Wales – UK, Kolubara - Serbia, Donetsk - Ukraine. Core activities of TRACER include the implementation of an EDP (Entrepreneurial Discovery Process) to mobilise a wide range of stakeholders in each target region to develop an appropriate governance structure and to bring regional stakeholders together to discuss and agree on a shared vision and priorities for coal transition. R&I strategies, industrial roadmaps and decision support tools will be developed jointly with key stakeholders of the TRACER target regions. Further TRACER activities include the identification and analysis of best practice examples of successful and ambitious transition processes in coal intensive regions, a detailed assessment of social, environmental and technological challenges, the elaboration of guidelines on how to mobilise investment as well as dedicated activities to stimulate R&I cooperation among coal intensive regions in Europe and beyond