GREEKS BUILDING WIND

The ancient Greek deity Aeolus ruled the winds. Some modern Greeks have turned their backs on Aeolus in favor of aesthetic considerations. Rojas SA, on the other hand, is busily building modern monuments to Aeolus in the form of giant turbines that will power the Greek nation the way Aeolus powered Odysseus' ships almost all the way back to Ithaca.

Click map to find celebrations of European Wind Day, June 15.

Greek Rokas to complete construction of two wind energy parks by end of year
Nick Skrekas, June 5, 2008 (Thomson Financial via Forbes)

WHO
Rokas Group SA and parent company Iberdrola Renewables

Rojas facilities. (click to enlarge)

WHAT
Rokas is completing two wind installations totaling 7 megawatts of capacity and Iberdrola is proceeding with planning for one 6 times that capacity despite legal challenges.

WHEN
Rokas has been building wind in Greece since 1998. It expects to finish the 2 new installations by the end of 2008.

Rojas facilities: Blue=operating, white=operating for PPC, orange=in construction. (click to enlarge)

WHERE
- The Rokas installations are in Crete and central Greece.
- The Iberdrola facility will be in central Greece.

WHY
- The Rokas Crete installation is 3.6 megawatts.
- The Rokas central Greece installation is 3.4 megawatts.
- The Iberdrola central Greece facility is 43.7 megawatts
- Rokas operates 13 wind installations in Greece with a total capacity of 193.3 megawatts. It has applications for facilities totaling 488 megawatts in Greece and 179 megawatts in Cyprus.

Energia Verde! (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Rokas website: “ROKAS is a pioneer in the development of wind energy in Greece as in 1998 the company set in operation the first private wind farm in Greece, which marked the beginning for the production of electric energy by private producers. Today, ROKAS operates 13 wind farms of 193.3 total capacity…”
- New Energy Finance, quoted on Iberdrola website: “From an initial renewables capacity of little more than 1,000 MW in 2001, Iberdrola Renewables became a pioneering force in the industry, making renewables the focus of its business strategy. At the end of 2007 its generation capacity from renewable sources exceeded 7,700 MW, consolidating as one of the global benchmarks in wind energy production and renewables in general…”