Photo: Retrieved from impakter.com
Although many islands have access to wave and wind energies, they still struggle to distance themselves from petroleum. As the world moves toward cleaner energy, a focus must be put on building access to green energy for islands.
Indeed, the European Commission’s Clean Energy for EU Islands Initiative(CE4EUIslands), a “central platform for the clean energy transition of the more than 2,200 inhabited European islands” launched in 2017, is working to do just that.
In 2019, European Union (EU) islands consumed petroleum at 100-400% of the price of mainland Europe, bearing a heavy burden on their economy in addition to leading to significant quantities of greenhouse gas emissions.
European islands encompass a population of 16 million, accounting for 4% of the EU’s total population. To help these islands achieve the transition, the European Commission, in collaboration with the European Parliament, launched the Clean Energy for EU Islands secretariat in 2018, a platform to help “citizens, local authorities, businesses, and academic institutions work together to advance the clean energy transition on their island.”
The secretariat enables the collaboration between islands and mainland European institutions to help islands generate their energy sustainably in the long term.
Targets set out by the European Commission include reduced energy costs, increased production of renewable energy, construction of energy storage facilities, and improved energy security through decreased dependence on imports. Those goals will also help create employment, entrepreneurship opportunities, and economic prosperity coupled with self-sufficiency.