Welcome to the new version of European Tribune. It's just a new layout, so everything should work as before - please report bugs here.
Display:
Small Mountain Village is a Greek Success Story | PRI's The World

Tsoukalas also got EU money to develop green energy projects for the town, including an "ecological park." He said the village's future might be environmental tourism.

He also built a small soccer stadium, a museum and a library -- all for a town of roughly 500 people.

According to critics, Tsoukalas has milked the EU system for projects that the town doesn't need

Or to put it another way, he found creative ways to make the EU send the money back to Greece. If soccer stadiums is what the system will fund, then that is what the periphery must build.

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

by A swedish kind of death on Mon Jun 18th, 2012 at 03:03:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
He describes building wind parks that not only created free electricity for all residents (other than 30% of the cost of the farm is charged to the municipality) but enough electricity for 15000 homes is created and then sold, creating income.

Furthermore, there are tens of thousands of animals in the village (pigs, cows, sheep). The town used to receive power for heat in the winter months from lignite and coal factories. Now, they have a biomass generator where they use both compost and animal feces to heat all homes in winter. I'm not sure how clean the new energy source is, but surely steam from biomass must be cleaner than lignite.

by Upstate NY on Mon Jun 18th, 2012 at 03:18:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
How clean the energy is depends on how the stuff is collected, transported, and the power plant's equipment and procedures.  The EROEI on the first two is a wash or positive it's the second where the a large "profit" is taken.  One thing to note is a properly run and managed farm is a net nitrogen contributor to the soil.  Once a proper balance is reached there is more animal waste produced than can be properly used and the excess not only can be used for power production it should be used for power production.  

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere
by ATinNM on Mon Jun 18th, 2012 at 03:34:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Display:

Top Diaries

Pentecost steam

by DoDo - May 20
9 comments

A Nomad's Life (A Farewell)

by Nomad - May 10
14 comments

Simple Solar Principles

by gmoke - May 17
1 comment

Rail News Blogging #24

by DoDo - May 12
10 comments

Ferguson hates on Keynes

by Migeru - May 6
100 comments

Occasional Series