Smart city The Ellinikon announces 100% renewable plan

The Ellinikon is set to be the largest urban regeneration project in Europe, which is going to be a 100% renewable smart city being built from the ground up outside Athens, Greece. Being developed on the site of Athens’ old airport and the grounds of the 2004 Summer Olympics, this high-tech city will double the amount of green space in Athens. 

Most recently, Lamda Development, the developer behind The Ellinikon, completed a share agreement with a Greece-based renewable energy company, which will further plans to install photovoltaic panels on the rooftops of all its buildings. Additionally, Lamda will develop renewable plants specifically created for The Ellinikon, meaning that the energy will be sourced without diverting any from Greece’s national grid. 

The Ellinikon will become a model for how other cities can further their green goals using strategies that are achievable today. 

The Ellinikon Park (the largest coastal park in Europe) is already providing a source of energy through a small solar park. All of the development’s renewable energy projects are slated for completion by the conclusion of the development’s first phase. 

Fast facts

• The project also includes the 21K square foot Ellinikon Park (the world’s largest coastal park), and 50km of walkways and cycling paths, as well as two major retail destinations (among the largest in all of Europe), a 310-marina berth, two hotels, and approximately 10,000 residential units.  
• The development will include over 31,000 new trees from 86 different tree species, as well as over one million plants – 70% of which are native to the region and require no additional irrigation.  
• The Ellinikon Park will be operationally carbon net-zero at opening and is targeting carbon neutrality within 35 years of completion.  
• Green areas will have the added benefit of carbon sequestration, bridging the gap between Athens’ current 10% green space (compared to other European cities’ 40%) and resulting in an increase of 44% open space per Athenian resident.