Tinos, mission - Newsbeast.gr
"Good evening, how much will it cost me to get me to the point where the wind turbines would be set up on your island?". The middle-aged taxi driver in the square of the picturesque old port of Tinos with a question, lowering his sunglasses. "Dude, I'm not going anywhere. I don't even know if the car is going. It's far, behind those little hills, near a peak. ", he tells me pointing.
We agree to pay what the taximeter writes.
The road to the Prasa plateau, where the first wind turbine was planned to be placed in the area, is passable in the first kilometers, so we are given the opportunity to chat with our "tour guide" on the route. To learn how people deal with this development. The feeling we had starting from Piraeus with the ferry was that the island would be turbulent.
But if you are not satisfied only with what you read on social media but find yourself in Tinos and talk to people, you will get a completely different picture. The local community for the most part does not seem to be reacting to developments. During the three days we stayed on the island, we talked to a lot of people. With the owners of the shops on either side of the busy uphill road that leads to the imposing church of Panagia Tinos, with businessmen who maintain cafes and taverns on the beach of the city, with patrons and with residents who took a walk. Everywhere the climate we received was identical: Most are indifferent.
The reactions are mostly from the municipal authority, the opposition factions and specific organizations, but they do not suggest any alternative.
"Listen. What we want is for our island to gain something from this story and not just entrepreneurs. ", the taxi driver tells us just before he leaves the asphalt and catches the dirt road. To get to the point where the wind turbines will be installed looks like a small feat. You are encouraged to approach it nowhere.
The puddles are getting deeper now, the car is going up carefully and we are covering a total distance of 20 kilometers in 45 minutes. We close the windows so that no more dust enters. The next uphill is steep, narrow and inaccessible. The taxi driver is afraid that the car will break. "It simply came to our notice then. I will leave you here, it must not be far away ". We arrange for him to wait for me and I continue on foot.
From there, the town of Tinos does not even look dim. One of the arguments of those who react is that the wind turbine would act as a deterrent to attracting tourists to the island. From there, not even the end of the propeller can be seen in the city.
This special fee is already credited directly to the electricity bills of many household consumers throughout the country. For example, the 181 domestic benefits (ie households) of Aesimi in the area of Evros, were shared over 600.000 euros (just over 3.000 euros per household) for the period 2010-2014, which appeared in their account as a discount.
The question we have from the beginning is whether those who react, from the young mayor of Tinos Giannis Siotos to the last resident who protests against the installation of wind turbines, have to offer an alternative other than wind or solar energy that produces electricity and at the same time does not cause damage to the environment and the health of citizens. The response from all agencies is negative.
Not only on the beautiful island of Cyclades or in our country, but all over the world. No counter-proposals…