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The island of Agios Efstratios, or Ai Stratis, will be the first island in the country (Greece Islands) and the Aegean to be entirely powered by renewable sources, including solar and wind energy.

Located in the northern Aegean Sea near Lemnos and Lesbos, Ai Stratis (map) was selected because of its small area (42 square km) and population, as it currently has only 260 inhabitants.

"Ai Stratis is ideal for such an undertaking […] and since the daily consumption of electrical energy is low on the island, […] we can try out various environmentally friendly solutions, such as ecological waste management or limiting the use of plastic," said Nikitas Nikitakos, professor at the University of the Aegean Informatics and Naval Electronic Technology Department.

Following the example of the island of Samso in Denmark, Ai Stratis could become the Greek counterpart of the Danish island where environmentally friendly means are used not only for producing energy and heating buildings, but for farming and livestock-breeding as well.