Astypalea Island, located in the southeastern part of the Aegean Sea, will soon become the “Green Island of Europe”. The Greek authorities and the German concern Volkswagen have embarked on the implementation of a unique project to create it.
The main goal of the project is to switch the life of the island to renewable energy sources. The plans are grandiose! To begin with, 2/3 of the cars available on the island, and there are 1,500 of them, will be immediately replaced with electric cars – the first 6 charging stations have already been installed. At the same time, residents will receive attractive grants from the government to switch to environmentally friendly vehicles – bicycles and electric cars.
The German car manufacturer Volkswagen made an important contribution to the project by providing new electric vehicles to the main services of the island – the municipality, the police, the civil aviation service, the coast guard.
Five years, until 2026, is set aside by the government for unmanned buses to run around the island. It is not so easy, but quite achievable – it is necessary to create a new infrastructure that will support 5G technologies.
The project also provides for the creation of a hybrid power plant based on renewable energy sources, a wind turbine, a photovoltaic park and storage batteries, which provide electricity around the clock.
In 2015, when the Volkswagen (Dieselgate) emissions scandal erupted, Greece was among those EU countries that did not ask for a reward. The current government claims that there was no provision for this in national legislation.
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