The small self-governing territory of the Isle of Man has announced this week plans to generate 75% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2026, on a path to full decarbonisation by 2030.
It was only at the beginning of 2020 when the Isle of Man previously promised to generate 75% of its electricity from renewables by 2035. Three years later and Isle’s government has recognised the need for more immediate action and brought forward its goal by nearly a decade.
Ministers have also given the Isle’s state-owned electricity supplier, Manx Utilities, the go-ahead to begin work on generating 30MW of electricity from onshore wind and solar power within the next three years.
As it currently stands, the Isle of Man’s current electricity demand averages around 40MW, and peaks at 75MW in winter, while falling as low as 25MW at night during the summer.
Sites in public ownership such as carparks and government buildings will be targeted for the installation of solar panels. Meanwhile, wind turbines could also be built on publicly-owned sites, particularly in areas with high wind yield.