Completion of the New Hilandar Energy System
The project for developing a hybrid power supply and distribution system for electrical energy began in 2016 with the idea of providing the Holy Hilandar Monastery with an economical, efficient, reliable, and environmentally clean source of energy. This source was intended to have uniform accessibility in all parts of the monastery estate where it is needed.
Considering that Mount Athos does not have a connection to any energy system, monasteries are forced to generate their own electrical energy. Before the initiation of this project, Hilandar relied solely on direct consumption from diesel generators, which, besides emitting significant amounts of exhaust gases, also produced loud noise. Additionally, due to constant use, these generators have a short lifespan, requiring additional investments in frequent repairs or replacements.
With the blessing of His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Mr. Irinej and the abbot of Hilandar, the Most Reverend Archimandrite Metodije, a charitable campaign was launched for the construction of a new hybrid Hilandar Energy System (HES).
The project involves the design, procurement, and installation of 6 transformer stations with a 7 km distribution network, a field of photovoltaic panels, inverters, batteries, and diesel generators. This will reduce the costs of electricity production and pollution of the monastery and its surroundings while simultaneously complying with all provisions set by the Centre for the Preservation of Athonite Heritage. The planned project, with its capacity and strategic positioning, will significantly improve living conditions for the monks while remaining nearly invisible to regular monastery visitors.
For this purpose, a fundraising event to support the project “Energy for Hilandar” was held in 2016 at the Imel company in Belgrade, thanks to the kindness of the owner and president of the company, Slobodan Urosevich, and the general director Mirko Urosevich. Significant initial funds were collected, followed by additional donations in cash and services from friends of the Monastery.
With the blessing of the Holly Monastery, the main coordinator of the project is Mirko Urosevich and his team, in collaboration with the team of experts from the Foundation of the Holy Hilandar Monastery. In the final phase, capturing the completed state and preparing marketing materials, his son, Nikola Urosevich, is also involved, whose footage is shown in the video.
The completion and commissioning of the entire hybrid system, as well as all transformer stations, are expected by the end of the year.
