Community energyAbout
Only 18 km away from Athen’s city centre lies the little town of Fyli. Travelling there is not only a good way to escape from the noise and strain of the capital city. It is also a trip to a place where the energy transition is in many hands. The Municipality of Fyli with its Mayor Christos Pappous, is highly attentive and committed to issues related to sustainable development and energy. This commitment has become concrete when, in 2021, Fylis has established the first Municipal energy community in Greece, the “Faethon Energy Community”. Its mission is to promote energy autonomy and sustainability in the Fyli area. The Municipality of Fyli is the primary and largest shareholder, ensuring strong local involvement and commitment. The community’s goal is to enhance the use of renewable energy sources and promote energy efficiency. We’ve asked Mr. Pappous why, being already a pioneer, they decided to join and to complete the LIFE LOOP community energy accreditation scheme.
For the municipality, the biggest benefit was enhancing our capacity to manage existing projects and to develop new initiatives. This will help us engage the community more actively in energy-saving practices and renewable energy usage.
Congratulations for being the very first municipality having successfully gone through all the steps of the accreditation scheme! Would you recommend it to other municipalities, and why?
Τhe scheme with its tracker, training and asset match-making tool was incredibly helpful, providing us with the knowledge and tools we needed to better understand the technical, legal, and financial aspects of community energy. The Espresso training allowed us to learn much more about how to effectively manage and expand our initiatives. We would absolutely recommend this scheme to other municipalities because it offers valuable information and practical capacity-building, through assignments, that can support the development of a sustainable culture in the community.
Did the scheme meet your expectations? What would you say is the most important thing your municipality and you personally have gained through your participation in the scheme?
Yes, the accreditation scheme met our expectations. We are already working within the Faethon Energy Community, and the knowledge we gained from the program helped us improve our efforts. The most important takeaway, is that we now have a clearer understanding of how to implement energy projects effectively.
For the municipality, the biggest benefit was enhancing our capacity to manage existing projects and to develop new initiatives. This will help us engage the community more actively in energy-saving practices and renewable energy usage.
How are you planning to utilize the knowledge gained from the scheme? Who are your local partners for community energy, and how do you (plan to) collaborate?
One of our most ambitious projects, dating back to 2017, was the creation of an Energy Community. This was brought to life through our municipality’s own resources and efforts with the establishment of the first municipal energy community Faethon in 2021. The goal of Deputy Mayor Chrisoula Kourasi and myself was to provide free electricity, generated from these solar systems, to vulnerable households and public buildings. We are already pleased to announce that the Faethon Energy Community is providing 300 kWh of free electricity per month to 800 vulnerable households. Additionally, we will use the knowledge gained from the program to improve the efficiency of existing systems and raise awareness among local residents about energy-saving practices.
We are already pleased to announce that the Faethon Energy Community is providing 300 kWh of free electricity per month to 800 vulnerable households. Additionally, we will use the knowledge gained from the program to improve the efficiency of existing systems and raise awareness among local residents about energy-saving practices.
