Tenedos - Economy

Economy

Traditional economic activities are fishing and wine production. The reminder of arable land is covered by olive trees and wheat fields. Most of the agriculture is done on the central plains and gentle hills of the island. Red poppies of the island are used to produce small quantities of sharbat and jam. Sheep and goats are grazed at hilly northeastern and southeastern part of the island which is not suitable for agriculture. The number of farmers involved in grape cultivation has gone up from 210 to 397 in the recent years, though the farm area has gone down from 1,800 hectares (18 km2) to 1,200 hectares (12 km2).

Tourism has been an important, but limited, economic activity since the 1970s but it developed rapidly from the 1990s onwards. The island's main attraction is the castle last rebuilt in 1815, illuminated at night, and with a view out to the open sea. The public is not usually allowed into either the castle or the Greek church. The island's past is captured in a small museum, with a room dedicated to its Greek story. The town square boasts a "morning market" where fresh groceries and seafood are sold, along with the island's specialty of tomato jam. Mainlanders from Istanbul run some bars, boutiques and guesthouses. In 2010, the island was named the world's second most-beautiful island by Condé Nast's Reader Choice award. The next year, the island topped the reader's list in the same magazine for the top 10 islands in Europe. In 2012, Condé Nast again selected Bozcaada as one of the 8 best islands in the world on account of its remnants of ancient buildings, less-crowded beaches, and places to stay.

Fishing plays a role in the island's economy, but similar to other Aegean islands, agriculture is a more significant economic activity. The local fishing industry is small, with the port authority counting 48 boats and 120 fishermen in 2011. Local fishing is year-round and seafood can be obtained in all seasons. The fish population has gone down over the years, resulting in a shrinking fishing industry, though increase in tourism and consequent demand for more seafood has benefited the industry. The sea off the island is one of the major routes by which fish in the Aegen sea migrate seasonally. During the migration period, boats from the outside come to the island for fishing.

In 2000, a wind farm of 17 turbines was erected at the western cape. It has a nominal power capacity of 10.2 MW energy, and produces 30 GWh of electricity every year. This is much more than what the island needs, and the excess is transferred to mainland Anatolia through an underground and partly undersea cable. Overhead cables and pylons were avoided for esthetic reasons, preserving the scenic view. The land has an average wind speed of 6.4 m/sec and a mean energy density of 324 W/mat its meteorological station. This indicates significant wind energy generation potential.

A United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) project, the International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (ICHET) set up an experimental renewables-hydrogen energy facility at the Bozcaada Governor's building on October 7, 2011. The project, supported by the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MENR), is the first of its kind in the country. The power plant produces energy via a 20 kW solar photovoltaic array, and uses a 50 kW electrolyzer to store this energy as hydrogen. A fuel cell and hydrogen engine can convert this stored energy back into electricity when needed, and the experimental system can supply up to 20 households for a day.

As of 2011, the town's hospital and governor's mansion were the only two buildings in the world using hydrogen energy. A boat and a golf cart are also powered by the same system. At the governor's place, energy is captured with a rooftop 20 Kw solar array and a 30 Kw wind mill. The electricity produced is used to electrolyze water into hydrogen. This gas is stored compressed, and can be used later to generate energy or as fuel in hydrogen-powered cars. In June 2011, Henry Puna, the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands traveled to Tenedos to investigate how the island uses hydrogen energy.

In 2012, the Turkish government opened a customs office on the island, possibly opening the way for future direct travel between Greek ports and the island.