It’s at all times enjoyable and provoking to see how different cultures are discovering their method out of fossil fuels and in the direction of a resilient, renewable future.
This summer time, whereas touring in Greece, I noticed very related internet zero applied sciences and techniques to these we’ve got within the US (which focus on PV, EV, and warmth pumps) however with a singular, Grecian twist. On this heat, Mediterranean nation, they’re harvesting sunshine in modern methods and mixing its vitality with warmth pumps to reside “Eudaimonia” or the great life.
Warmth pumps
Warmth pumps are a straightforward expertise for locations like Greece to embrace and the nation has completed so wholeheartedly. They’re the plain house conditioning alternative each as a result of they work nicely in Greece’s delicate local weather and since they are often powered by the ample sunshine that falls on Greece day after day (see beneath). One sees the side-discharging, ductless warmth pump items in all places; above doorways, sitting on balconies, on rooftops, or simply perched on partitions. Ductless warmth pumps are probably the most environment friendly as a result of they don’t lose vitality pushing air via leaky ducts and so they don’t have backup electrical resistance warmth.
Warmth pumps in Greece are primarily used for cooling (because the nation has a lot larger cooling wants than heating) and lots of the legacy heating methods nonetheless use oil and pure gasoline. However the warmth pump infrastructure is there to cowl all house conditioning, and as fossil gasoline costs skyrocket and extra photo voltaic comes on-line, Greeks can simply attain for his or her helpful warmth pump distant controls regardless of the season.
Sunshine
Head outdoors noon in Greece and you are feeling how intense the solar’s vitality is — it envelops you with its radiance and heat. Greece harvests this intense vitality in a few methods:
PV — In fact, Greece is collaborating within the worldwide electrical energy takeover by photo voltaic (or photovoltaic/PV) panels. Vitality from solar energy is rising by leaps and bounds — rising from 1.5 GW of put in capability in 2012 to 11.5 GW final yr. Photo voltaic accounted for 17% of all Greek electrical energy in 2025, and low-carbon energy makes up about half of the Greek vitality combine (and is rising quick).
I noticed photo voltaic arrays alongside mountain street sides and on rooftops in all places we went. I even noticed them on the moveable stairs that permit folks to board airplanes.
However Greece harvests two kinds of photo voltaic vitality in another way than we do within the US.
Garments drying — one among my favourite makes use of of photo voltaic vitality is for garments drying. I’ve been writing in regards to the misplaced artwork of hold drying laundry since residing as an trade pupil in Italy many years in the past. In Greece, like Italy, the dryer is nonexistent. Sunshine is used to dry laundry rapidly, and drying racks and garments traces are in all places. Laundry waving within the breeze is each iconically stunning and a straightforward and environment friendly use of ample sunshine. The Greek solar dries garments very quickly in any respect, saving 3–5 kWh of electrical energy per load (over electrical dryers – warmth pump dryers are far more environment friendly), and better of all, your garments return to their drawers smelling like the ocean and sunshine.
Photo voltaic water heating — What was particularly attention-grabbing to an admitted water heater nerd was using daylight for photo voltaic water heating in Greece. Photo voltaic water heating is the place refrigerant in a panel collects warmth from the solar and makes use of it to warmth water for showers, dishes, and so forth. Photo voltaic water heating expertise began alongside PV panels within the ’70s and ’80s as a promising strategy to harness the solar’s vitality. However whereas photo voltaic PV has change into the fastest-growing vitality producing expertise in historical past, photo voltaic water heating has stayed fairly area of interest in most markets as a consequence of excessive gear and set up prices and complexity. For instance, within the US in 2023 (the final yr ENERGY STAR unit cargo reviews can be found), 190,000 warmth pump water heaters (HPWH) have been offered whereas solely 6,000 photo voltaic water heaters have been offered (out of a complete of 10,000,000 water heaters offered nationally).
However in Greece, photo voltaic water heating is ubiquitous; each single constructing I noticed had a photo voltaic water heater on prime. Tiny Greece is sixth on the earth for photo voltaic water heating installations, and as of 2021, 35% p.c of Greek houses had a photo voltaic water heater. Examine that to the US, the place solely 2% of houses putting in water heaters (a fraction of the general housing inventory) are at the moment putting in environment friendly HPWHs.
Photo voltaic water heating means basically free gasoline (daylight) to warmth your water — a financial savings of $400–$600 yearly over gasoline and electrical water heaters.
Greece has one way or the other cracked the set up and gear upfront value barrier. Tools prices solely 350–1000 euros and there are often rebates that deliver this down by half. Amazingly, one Greek useful resource estimates that set up of a photo voltaic water heating system prices solely 200–250 euros!! Examine that to the 1000’s of {dollars} installers are charging for warmth pump water heater installations within the US and we will see what a mature, low-cost, decarbonized water heating market appears like.
EVs costlier, and charging was a nightmare
The opposite key tech within the triad, complementing photo voltaic vitality and warmth pumps, is after all electrical automobiles. Right here I discovered Greece to be a bit behind.
EVs accounted for six.2% of the auto-market in Greece in 2025, which is roughly a 3rd of the European common. We needed to pay almost 4 occasions extra ($300 vs. $80) to lease an electrical car than a comparable gasoline automotive throughout our week in Crete.
Whereas we saved some huge cash by not having to fill our car with $8/gallon gasoline, it was sadly a nightmare to seek out charging on the island of Crete. We bought a Sensible electrical automotive with 400 kilometers of vary and solely wanted to cost on the finish of our week on the island. However we went to 7 totally different charging stations, most of them have been filled with different vehicles charging, one was ICE’d, and the ultimate quick charging station we went to earlier than dropping by the wayside was open however made us undergo a 20 minute means of downloading an app and signing up solely to then not work. In the long run, we needed to hypermile it again to our rental automotive location on the airport with 5% battery and cost there. I’ve by no means had such a tough time charging an electrical car and we’ve been proud EV homeowners since 2017.
However whereas EV infrastructure was missing, it was thrilling to see that in Greece, warmth pumps are ubiquitous and photo voltaic vitality is available in many flavors — it produces electrical energy and straight dries garments and heats water. Greece is a rustic the place clear vitality and the expertise to reap it are the norm and each the inhabitants and planet profit. I discovered classes for us within the US, particularly for these states with hotter climates, on how you can maximize harvesting shiny, blazing, clear, and ample daylight.
