NTUA scientific team takes on Cretan energy plan for 2050

A National Technical University (NTUA) team, the Energy-Economy-Environment laboratory, dubbed the E3MLab, has been commissioned a study by Crete’s local government for the island’s energy strategy up to 2050, according to energypress sources.

The scientific team, headed by Professor Pantelis Kapros, has signed an agreement with the local government to deliver a scientific study that may be used to guide officials at a political level.

The research to be carried out is expected to include an analysis of Cretan energy production and consumption patterns, local penetration of renewable energy source (RES) technology, natural gas, CO2 emissions, and other issues.

Efforts by other institutions, such as Crete’s Technical University, related ministries, and the country’s statistical authority, will be incorporated into the study.

The current legal framework concerning environmental issues, townplanning, and estimates of regional hydrocarbon potential will all be taken into account as part of the NTUA team’s effort to deliver an energy plan for Crete.

Apart from the study’s 2050 target, intermediate target levels will be set for 2020, 2030, ans 2040, on RES penetration, CO2 emission reductions, and energy efficiency improvement.

The study’s target figures will take into account economic, environmental, and social factors, current political plans for electricity infrastructure project development, natural gas imports, as well as wider geopolitical developments in the southeast Mediterranean, including the Euro Asia Interconnector plan, and hydrocarbon deposits.

The agreement between the Cretan local government and NTUA also foresees the establishment of a committee to be comprised of experts representing IPTO, the power grid operator, DESFA, the natural gas grid operator, RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, and TEE, the Greek Technical Chamber.

At present, Crete’s electricity needs are primarily covered by high-cost conventional power stations running on mazut and diesel, and, to a lesser extent, the RES sector, contributing about 23 percent of the island’s power supply.