Greek cable maker joins EU’s ‘decarbonizing one-stop shop for small islands’ project

Greek cable manufacturer Hellenic Cables has joined a Horizon 2020 EU-funded project that aims to develop a one-stop solution in a multi-use platform (MUP) that will produce electricity and freshwater using wind and wave power for small islands.

The MUSICA project will provide a full suite of Blue Growth solutions for a small Greek island including three forms of renewable energy: wind, photovoltaic (PV) and wave for a total of 870 kW, innovative energy storage systems on the MUP, smart energy system for the island, desalinated water and green support services for island’s aquaculture.

The overall aim of the project is to accelerate the roadmap to commercialization of the MUP and multi-use of space (MUS) combination for the small island market, and de-risk for future operators and investors, by validation to TRL7 and providing real plans to move to mass market commercialization.

MUSICA, seen as a decarbonizing one-stop shop for small islands, including their marine initiatives and ecosystems, will advance the existing FP7-funded MUP concept developed by the University of the Aegean (UoAeg) and EcoWindWater (EWW). The EWW floating platform was trialed in Heraclea in 2010 for two years.

The solution will be demonstrated on Innousses island, Aegean Sea, which has a population of 800 and is a sister island to its larger neighbor Chios.

According to the consortium behind the project, Innousses needs the concept for several key reasons, with the first being that it has 0% renewable energy and the islanders pay three times the land rate for grid electricity. Moreover, the quality and reliability of the electricity are poor (20kV grid connection to Chios island), as well as that Innousses has no local water source and 30% of the island water is produced by a desalination plant powered by diesel.

“Through its participation in the MUSICA project, Hellenic Cables reaffirms its commitment to driving innovation and fostering sustainable growth in the renewable energy sector. This partnership is a significant step towards a greener future, where small islands can prosper economically while preserving the environment for future generations,” Hellenic Cables said on social media.

A multi-disciplinary consortium made up of 19 players both from the public and private sectors is behind the MUSICA project.