Greek energy communities: The low-down for producing your own power

Members of the energy cooperative Koinergia in the northern city of Ioannina are finally benefiting from the virtual net-metering of the energy harnessed in their community solar park. Last month, one of them received a negative electricity bill, an eye-catching sight with a reasonable explanation.

Amid energy and climate crises and rising prices, a sustainable way of life need not be synonymous with sacrifice. Energy communities offer citizens an opportunity for cooperation and a sustainable mindset that ultimately improves quality of life.

"We are not just a few hippies producing our own energy; this is big," Christos Vrettos, Electra Energy communications manager and project manager at REScoop.eu, who is also a member of the Hyperion Energy Community, told Kathimerini. "Try to see energy as a good, not as a commodity, to ensure everyone has access to it."