The Solar Park: a source of energy for the operational needs of the Monastery

The Vatopedi Monastery is now "greener" as it has recently hopefully turned to a less polluting solution for its energy needs, with a hybrid project. The project aims to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of the Monastery, which until recently consumed approximately 450.000 liters of oil annually.

At this point it is worth noting that the Autonomous Monastic State of Mount Athos as a whole is not supplied by the interconnected system, making the Athos peninsula yet another isolated energy system. The goal seems to be achieved even with the above, as, according to measurements, daily oil consumption has fallen by less than half with 12 hours of “clean” energy every day but also with a more reliable electricity supply system, without interruptions and voltage fluctuations.

The monastery has acquired an innovative hybrid micro-grid which includes 462 kW photovoltaics for electricity production, 6 lithium-ion battery arrays with a cumulative storage capacity of 553,8 kWh of direct current, 4 diesel generators, transformers as well as a 20 kV transmission line, 2 km long.

According to the plan, what follows is the upgrade of the ability to recover surplus energy and the expansion of the micro-grid infrastructure, to which a biomass unit will be added - which will be powered by organic matter recovered from the area's forests -, more solar panels and batteries, thus creating the conditions for fully covering the needs of the Monastery - and therefore zeroing the use of fossil fuels - which last year reached 1,45 GWh.