Renewable Malevizi Energy Future (RENEWME) is a project supported by NESOI European Islands Facility, managed by our partners from CERTH, and promoted by EDIFICE G.P. and the Municipality of Malevizi.

What is RENEWME?

According to the Municipality's Sustainable Energy Action Plan and the newly passed National Climate Law, the project was created to assist the Malevizi Municipality's energy transformation. The Municipality and the business Edifice worked together to launch the project.

The RenewME project wants to establish a local energy community by way of clean energy production through renewables, electrification of the transportation fleet, energy efficiency in public lighting systems, and energy efficiency in Malevizi Town Hall. The expected impact of their implementation would be a major step towards an Energy efficient and Green Municipality.

More specifically, RenewME wants to carry out a technical-feasibility study for the acquisition of an electric minibus and bicycles for intra-municipal routes, as well as technical studies for the installation of a 1 MW photovoltaic park, the acquisition of effective street lighting for a particular main avenue, and the energy-efficient renovation of the Town Hall. 

The creation of an integrated Energy Community

The fundamental tenet is that the collective efforts of the energy communities will support the shift to more sustainable and democratically controlled energy supply services. Leading the development of an energy community that will bring together local businesses, residents, and municipal organizations is the Municipality of Malevizi in Crete.

The implementation of the suggested activities will involve local businesses and the workforce, and state-of-the-art technology will be implemented and made available to the community, regional service providers, and the wider public. Local enterprises will become more competitive as a result. Finally, a reduction in GHG emissions will significantly enhance the quality of life in the Linoperamata area, home to the largest thermal power plants in Crete.

Moreover, the use of some of the suggested projects—such as the energy-efficient refurbishment of Town Hall and green vehicles—will serve as striking illustrations of civic engagement. The Municipality has a sizable volunteer force and intends to form a special energy-related organization to promote project operations. The Energy Community will expand the energy market by fostering collaboration between regional communities, local businesses, and direct participation from citizens. Additionally, it will fight local energy poverty.

Furthermore, the feasibility of the proposed actions of RenewME allows for easy replication to most islands in the Aegean Sea, especially in those islands in the Aegean Sea that are facing a similar situation to the Municipality of Malevizi such as not being interconnected to the main grid, very low renewable energy share and limited implementation of energy efficiency techniques.

Expected energy savings and renewables share

The 1 MW PV plant will produce 1460 MWh/year or 36500 MWh for 25 years. The total annual GHG savings from the electrification of the transportation fleet are 58 tons C O 2 of oil equivalent. The energy savings from the energy upgrade of the Town Hall are expected to be 310 MWh annually Substituting existing lighting (current capacity is 4 MW) with LED lamps will save 372 MWh annually. The installation of the proposed 1 MV photovoltaic park will be the first renewable installation owned by the Malevizi Municipality and operated by its Energy Community and thus it will increase its RES share by 100%.

How does NESOI Support this project?

The European Islands Facility (NESOI) aims to unlock the potential of EU islands to become the locomotives of the European Energy Transition. To do so, NESOI aims to mobilize more than €100 Million of investment in sustainable energy projects to give EU islands the opportunity to implement energy technologies and innovative approaches, in a cost-competitive way.

More in specific, NESOI has provided the following backing:

• Identification of suitable technological options given existing project sizing requirements
• Cost Benefit analysis and socio-economic and environmental impact evaluation
• Definition of the required environmental permitting procedures
• Assessment of the key project sizing drivers
• Definition of the technical, economic, and financial fiscal project inputs
• Risk analysis and identification of available mitigation strategies
• Assessment of existing procurement options (e.g., tender, PPP, etc.
• Financial modeling and identification of target scenario
• Identification of financing/funding options

READ MORE INFORMATION ON THE DEDICATED BROCHURE.

Regulatory analysis and governance recommendations on the energy community