Greece Builds World's Biggest Solar Photovolatic Power Station

["Greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

GREECE BUILDS WORLD'S BIGGEST SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) POWER
STATION Greenpeace: Solar power breaks through cost barrier on Crete 

Athens/Amsterdam, 12.6.1997 - Solar power today enters a new era
with the Greek Governments' decision to begin the construction
of the world's largest solar photovoltaic (PV) power station on
the island of Crete. The  solar power station is part of a two
year campaign by Greenpeace to transform Crete into a solar
powered island.

The Greek Energy Minister Vasso Papandreou today agreed to fund
the first 5 Megawatt tranche of a proposed 50 Megawatt PV power
station on Crete with the U.S. company ENRON SOLAR. The European
Union (EU) and the Greek government will fund 55% of the capital
costs. Total investment is 17.75 million  US dollars. Enron
Solar's plan submitted to the Greek Government proposes building
9 Megawatts a year subsequently  to reach 50 Megawatts by 2003.
The current largest PV power station is 3.3 Megawatts in Italy.

Following the Greek Governments' announcement, Thilo Bode
Executive Director said "This smashes conventional assumptions
on solar power in terms of scale and costs. The solar age is no
longer a  future dream but a reality today".

At 50 Megawatts, the Crete solar power station would be fifteen 
times larger than  any other solar  PV installation in the
world, be  more than  four times cheaper  than the average costs
of PV, and provide electricity for nearly 100,000 people, an
eighth of Crete's population. The  given costs of electricity
given by Enron Solar for the first  5 Megawatts of the 50
Megawatt proposal is below 8.5 cents/kWh,  cheaper than a third
of Crete's fossil fuel electricity.

A  Greenpeace report released today "Plugging into the sun -
kickstarting the solar age in Crete" demonstrates that the 50
Megawatt solar power station on Crete could catalyse a global
breakthrough in commercial markets "If the world builds the
equivalent of eight of these solar power stations, we can 
create a $27 billion dollar market for solar PV and create
several 100.000 jobs". 

"This is the type of energy investment which Governments must
now implement if we are to have any chance of avoiding dangerous
climate change and if countries are to meet their own greenhouse
gas reduction commitments" Bode said.

Negotiations for legally binding greenhouse gas reductions will
be finalised in December at a meeting of the Climate Change
Convention in Kyoto, Japan. Greenpeace is calling for a minimum
20% cut in carbon dioxide levels by 2005 on 1990 levels, and to
begin negotiations for a fossil fuel phaseout, and in
particular, a  halt to new oil exploration.

Following  the Government's announcement the Energy Minster will
hold a  press conference to discuss other solar issues with
Greenpeace on its ship MV Sirius which is on a solar  tour of
the Mediterranean. -ends-

note to editors: 
The full report with a global overview of current trends and
costs in solar photovoltaic plus video footage and stills are
available from Greenpeace International

For more information contact:

Greenpeace International Press desk, Holger Roenitz on  ++31 20
5249 545 Greenpeace Greece, Stelios Psomas Tel: ++ 30 1 3806
375. Greenpeace International Solar campaign, Corin Millais on
++ 31 20 523 6202, MV SIRIUS in Athens on ++31 653 280 633/ 653
464 289, Jeff  Golden Enron Solar (Houston) Tel: ++1 713 853
6049, Mobile: ++1 281  413 9967