In today’s uncertain economic and political climate the Renewable Energy Industry in Greece is encouragingly considered a promising one. As fuel becomes ever so expensive, not to mention its proven detrimental effects on the natural environment, Renewable Energy Projects have become a high priority on government agendas and investors are keen to benefit from the popular trend.
However, an ethical dilemma arises when Renewable Energy Projects clash with the preservation of historic sites. Greece is rich in sun, wind and water; however, it is just as rich in history, culture and memory.
So here is the Catch-22: Sustainable Energy Sites or Sustainable History Sites?
A couple of recent case studies worth mentioning reflect this problematic question.
St George Monastery, located in the Myrofyllo settlement, is a seventeenth-century monastery that is no longer in operation (it does not currently host a monastic community) and is operated by the inhabitants of the nearby villages on special occasions throughout the year. The monastery also has a symbolic value because of its role in the Greek Revolution (1821–32).
A scheme to divert off Acheloos River, located nearby the monastery, included the construction of a hydroelectric power station in addition to a number of dams financed and managed by the Public Power Corporation of Greece.
Flooding the monastery was proposed as unavoidable in the Environmental Impact Assessment. The Ministry of Culture and all the government bodies involved gave their consent because the project was at that time considered vital for the development of the region of Thessaly. However, environmental groups and inhabitants from the nearby settlements intervened, and the State Council (the highest court in Greece) decided that alternative options had to be considered in order to save the Monastery. The construction of a protective wall around the monastery was proposed, leading to major delays in the project.
Gyaros is a very small, arid, and unpopulated island in the Aegean Sea. The island was a place of exile and torture for political dissidents in Greece during the Civil War and the military junta (between 1948 and 1974). The remains of the main prison building and camps are still visible today. The island as a whole is recognized as a place of historic memory associated with the struggle for freedom and democracy.
The symbolic value of the island is vivid and strong, particularly for former prisoners who established an association called “Gyaros Historical Memory” in order to safeguard the historic memory of the place. Once a year they pay tribute to the departed by holding ceremonies on the island.
To exploit the rich wind energy potential of the island, proposals were submitted to construct wind farms on a part of the island considered free from any historic presence. The proposals met the silent consent of the Municipality, but firm opposition came from the ‘Gyaros Historical Memory’ association on the basis of the investment’s impact on the island’s historic memory. The issue is still unresolved today.
The case studies cited above demonstrate that the cultural and social aspects of the Renewable Energy development regions were not fully taken into account during the planning process. This in retrospect created resentment and protests, hence stalling what could have been a substantial development project for the areas of interest and their local communities.
The development of Renewable Energy Projects should be linked to the protection of the historic environment and the sustainable development of the local community.
Every keen investor in Renewable Energy should consider the following four principles when their development region of interest happens to be near or even on historic land.
What is history if not the evolution of time? A hundred years ago it was a monument, today it is also a wind farm, next century it will also be something else.
“A Renewable Energy Plant may now be seen also as part of the historic environment…, as another step — not the final one — in the evolution of the historic environment over time and into the future.
Accordingly, our focus should be on how to manage, support, and guide this evolution”
(I Poulios, Renewable Energy Plants Development, Historic Environments and Local Communities: Lessons from the Greek Experience, The Historic Environment: Policy and Practice, Vol. 3, No 2, October 2012, pp. 127-142)