The Greek island of Ikaria, (or Icaria, after Icarus) is famously one of the planet's 5 blue zones, with one of the world’s greatest life expectancy, and the lowest rates of middle-age mortality and dementia. Less known outside Greece is the fact that it combines its healthy and leisurely lifestyle with being a red fortress (or vestige) where the communists are the dominant force, although the communist candidate unexpectedly lost with "just" 42% in the May 2019 municipal elections. And it is now turning Green and able to cover 50% of its energy needs with renewable energy through an innovative Euros 50m development, inaugurated by the Greek Public Power Corporation (DEH) on World Environment Day 2019: a pumped storage clean energy plant that combines wind and hydraulic energy, named "Naeras" from "Nero-Water" and "Aeras-Wind". Essentially wind energy from a wind park, is "stored" by pumping water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir, both of 80,000 cubic metres capacity. The water then returns to the lower reservoir passing through two hydro turbines in the pumped water and the circle is repeated in perpetuity. The new facility is expected to produce a total net clean energy of 9.8 GWh each year and reduce CO2 emissions by 13,800 tons per annum by drastically limiting the operation of a local fuel oil power station.

For more details, pictures and video please visit http://www.e-mc2.gr/el/news/naeras-pumped-storage-clean-energy-plant-island-ikaria-greece.