Alternative energy questions answered
Answers to questions about the authenticity and benefits of a range of environmentally friendly products and services will be provided at the third annual Ecolife exhibition which opens today at the old Hellenikon airport with five sections of exhibits – Services & Organizations, Organic Food Products, Health, Wellness and Beauty, Clean & Renewable Energy and Eco-Building. Just a few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine the choice of organic food and other eco-friendly products and services available in Greece today. Ecolife is one of several annual fairs giving the public a broader perspective of what is available on the market – everything from chlorine-free disinfection systems to recycling systems, environmentally friendly cleaning products and paints to floorings and other building materials that do not harm people or their environment. The fair itself is practicing what it preaches – according to the organizers, the lighting in the exhibition hall uses only 50 percent of the energy consumed by conventional lighting systems. Wind power One of the displays at the fair is from the Hellenic Wind Energy Association, a non-profit NGO formed in 1990 to promote a renewable energy source that is not without its opponents. Replies to some of the detractors’ reservations have been given on the HWEA’s website (www. eletaen. gr), but HWEA president Ioannis Tsipouridis told Kathimerini English Edition that experts would be on hand throughout the fair to answer questions from the public. Ahead of the first European Wind Day, being held simultaneously in countries across the continent on June 15, the HWEA is holding a series of events with the sole aim of actively promoting wind energy development in Greece. «Complaints about wind farms come from only a very small minority. Greek law stipulates that wind generators must be at least 150 meters from homes; a new legislative proposal is for 500 meters,» he said. A recent extensive report in The Guardian («Hard wind» by Stephen Moss, May 24) on communities situated close to these farms in Britain, found that «the row over wind power rages more fiercely than ever.» Some communities Moss visited were divided over the issue. Those against the farms cite various problems such as «a whooshing sound when the wind is blowing toward them or when the turbines combine and amplify the sound, low-frequency soundwaves that cause vibrations and induce headaches and nausea,» as well as «’shadow flicker’ that occurs when the sun is low and a shadow from the rotating blades is cast on their homes, and of interference with their television signal.» However, there appear to be as many arguments in favor. The journalist had taken along his own decibel counter. «Stand right next to the turbines and it shows about 55 decibels, no more than an average ambient noise level; retreat 20 meters and it’s 45; from 400 meters, it’s 35 decibels, a distant whirring and rumbling, less prominent than the intermittent birdsong,» wrote Moss. Finance is also a major consideration for an increasingly depopulated countryside. «Developers rent land from a farmer for 25 years – a guaranteed long-term underpinning of their farms – and in some cases farms would no longer be viable without income from turbine rentals,» reported Moss. Wind farms in Greece are situated both on state land and private property that has either been leased or bought from the owners. The Public Power Corporation (PPC) built its first wind installation as early as 1983 on the island of Kythnos, one of the first (if not the first) wind parks in the world, according to the HWEA. Today, almost 25 years after that first 5×20 kW MAN wind park on Kythnos, the total operating capacity stands at 750 MW, extending from Rhodope in the north to Crete in the south, but the output is still only 2 percent of the total. «However, with enough wind potential to power far more than Greece, specialized and experienced personnel, a satisfactory feed-in tariff system and investors queuing up, we can certainly aim much higher,» says Tsipouridis. «We are hoping to see Greece become the next developing European wind energy market and in the process help the global effort to reduce greenhouse gases and combat climate change.» Ecolife has the support of Greenpeace, the Mediterranean SOS Network, the Ecological Recycling Society, the Greek Solar Industry Association (EBHE), the Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies (HELAPCO) and other groups. It is sponsored by Osram and Skai Radio, Kathimerini and its magazine Eco. Opening hours Friday, June 1, 17.00-22.00 Saturday, June 2, 10.00-22.00 Sunday, June 3,10.00-22.00 Monday, June 4, 10.00-22.00 In the Olympic Fencing Hall at the old airport on Poseidonos Avenue, Hellenikon. World Environment Day The Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Environment and Cultural Heritage is marking World Environment Day (June 5) with events on the theme of climate change. On Sunday evening, June 3, at 7 p.m., there will be a demonstration at Hadrian’s Arch in central Athens, a monument that has been eroded by atmospheric pollution, exhaust fumes and acid rain. The society suggests: * Using a shopping bag rather than the plastic bags provided by stores. * Using public transport rather than your car. * Turning off power to electric appliances when not in use, rather than simply switching them to hold, and turning off unnecessary lights. * Using water wisely.
