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    News

    Curated stories and analysis from islands and sustainability leaders worldwide.

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    Showing 9 of 168 news items in Energy & Transport
    Join the Follower Islands Programme: A New Call from the Clean energy for EU islands secretariat as Part of the “30 for 2030” Initiatives
    Energy & TransportOctober 4, 2024

    Join the Follower Islands Programme: A New Call from the Clean energy for EU islands secretariat as Part of the “30 for 2030” Initiatives

    Excerpt and Photo from clean-energy-islands.ec.europa.eu The Clean energy for EU islands secretariat is excited to announce a new opportunity for islands: the Follower Islands programme. This call invites islands to apply and take part in the ambitious “30 for 2030” initiative to fast-track their decarbonisation plans and learn from the 30 pioneering islands. Applicants will have the opportunity to select key learning topics for capacity-building activities, present their energy plans and visions for expert assessment and improvement, and choose a project for peer-to-peer coaching from experienced islands leading the way in clean energy. While individual applications from local island authorities are welcome, the secretariat encourages submissions involving multiple stakeholders. **Applicants have the chance to submit their complete applications to**[[email protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3d54535b527d5848544e515c53594e135848)**until 25 November 2024, 23:59 CET.** **What is a Follower Island?** A Follower Island is one committed to embarking on or accelerating its journey towards decarbonisation by learning from and adopting the successful practices of the pioneering “30 for 2030” islands. Whether starting from scratch or building on existing efforts, Follower Islands should be eager to advance their energy transition and leverage the full potential of the 30 for 2030 initiative. **Why Become a Follower Island?** Becoming a Follower Island offers a wealth of benefits. You will gain access to specialised capacity-building activities delivered by the secretariat’s expert team, focused on critical aspects of your island’s energy transition. You’ll also collaborate closely with the “30 for 2030” islands, benefiting from shared experiences, best practices, and direct interaction with peers who are trailblazing in the field of sustainable energy. Furthermore, Follower Islands will receive tailored consultations from the secretariat’s experts to support selected projects and meet unique local needs. The activities for Follower Islands will be carefully designed to match the preferences shared during the application process. These activities will include capacity-building sessions on selected topics, energy-planning workshops, and vision-making exercises. In addition, each Follower Island will receive peer-to-peer coaching for a chosen project. Participants will also gain access to a comprehensive knowledge-sharing platform brimming with valuable resources from current and previous initiatives. **Background** The third phase of the Clean energy for EU islands secretariat aims to provide technical support to 30 islands or groups of islands over three years, helping them achieve complete energy independence with 100% renewable energy by 2030. The secretariat is committed to assisting EU islands in creating, preparing, and implementing decarbonisation plans for their energy systems, offering technical and organisational support every step of the way. **Apply Now:**

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    Cabo Verde: Managing Energy and Water as an Island State
    Energy & TransportSeptember 19, 2024

    Cabo Verde: Managing Energy and Water as an Island State

    Though Cabo Verde has ample sunshine and a sustainable offering of reliable wind resources, it has yet to meet its energy targets. It tries to promote renewable energy resources to diversify its energy mix and lower its dependence on other countries and energy costs. During the 2023 International Conference of Partners, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy for Cabo Verde, Alexandre Monteiro, noted the island state has bold ambitions to exceed the 50% implementation of energy produced from renewable energy sources by 2030. As renewable energy contributes less than 20% to the country’s energy supply, this will help it achieve a 100% energy access rate by 2026. Cabo Verde is home to the Cabeolica Wind Park, which consists of four wind farms set across four different islands and prevent more than 47,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, with plans for expansion announced in 2023. With 30 wind turbines distributed among the wind farms on the islands of Santiago (11MW), Sal (9MW), Sao Vicente (7MW) and Boa Vista (3MW), Cabeolica maintained an installed capacity of 25.5MW in 2022. In 2022, the Government of Cabo Verde signed an agreement with Cabeolica to install three more wind power turbines with a capacity of 4.5MW each, representing a total additional capacity of 13MW.

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    This Quebec island loses its ferry for 2 months every year. Residents say it’s time for change
    Energy & TransportSeptember 6, 2024

    This Quebec island loses its ferry for 2 months every year. Residents say it’s time for change

    Photo: Isabelle Larose/Radio-Canada. Retrieved from cbc.ca For about two months out of the year, Ralph Josey must rely on his personal boat to transport large items from his home in Entry Island up to Cap-aux-Meules in Quebec’s Magdalen islands. As of Sunday, the small island of about 60 permanent residents will be without its permanent ferry, the MV Ivan-Quinn, as it undergoes annual maintenance. The technical shutdown from Sept. 1 to Oct. 19 means residents won’t be able to have trash pickup, ambulatory services or get their cars or big appliances to the mainland. “I mean right now if my vehicle breaks down I’m stuck,” said Josey. “We have our own boats … But why should we have to go through the expense of sailing to the main island?” Josey, who has lived there for nearly six decades, is among those calling for solutions or compensation. “It’s too long for a shutdown.… That’s our highway. That’s the only route we have off Entry,” said Josey, pointing to the difficulties the maintenance period causes for the island’s seniors.

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    Winds of change: Orkney Harbours’ path to the future
    Energy & TransportAugust 29, 2024

    Winds of change: Orkney Harbours’ path to the future

    Excerpt and Photo from pressandjournal.co.uk For years the ports have been at the forefront of the oil and gas sector, with crude oil moving through the Flotta Terminal since 1977. In addition, ship-to-ship operations of crude oil cargo have been conducted in Scapa Flow since 1980 and tankers have long used the site for sheltered anchorage. However, as the transition to Net Zero continues, the need to capitalise on the new market of renewables is clear. That point is emphasised by a reduction in oil and gas coming through the Flotta terminal. The clearest opportunity in the North Sea renewables sector undoubtedly comes from offshore wind. But the ports face a number of challenges to fully harnessing that potential, not least the financial aspect. Paul Olvhoj business development manager at Orkney Harbours, said: “Offshore Wind is obviously the main opportunity for us going forward. The huge scale of developments planned in Scotwind / INTOG and others on paper provides a strong income stream for the supply chain as it transitions from fossil fuels. However, the technical and financial challenges for these are placing a burden on business owners, in particularly ports. The demand for infrastructure projects to be fast tracked in time to support developments prior to contractual agreements means that investment is a major hurdle.”

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    Perspective Pivot: Mapping a Landscape of Voices in Oahu Changes Energy Planning
    Energy & TransportAugust 26, 2024

    Perspective Pivot: Mapping a Landscape of Voices in Oahu Changes Energy Planning

    Photo from Kendall Leonard, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute. Retrieved from cleantechnica.com At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), researchers often serve as guides who help communities navigate the world of renewable energy solutions. But in community-based technical assistance projects, the guiding role goes both ways: Researchers need local perspectives to fill contextual knowledge gaps and create more meaningful energy solutions. “Energy problems are people problems. We prioritize the interests of people and develop tools to serve them,” said Katy Waechter, an NREL researcher whose people-focused lens helped her team make critical adjustments during an energy resilience project for the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Over the course of six weeks, Waechter—along with representatives from the Hawaiian Electric utility and Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, affiliated with the University of Hawaii—traveled the 600-square-mile island to hear how individuals perceived independently owned hybrid microgrids. No amount of preliminary research could prepare the team for what they discovered: candid concerns, fresh perspectives, and previously uncharted priorities that ultimately pivoted the team’s research direction to better inform Oahu-wide energy planning.

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    On a rural Hawaiian island, solar provides a path to energy sovereignty
    Energy & TransportAugust 16, 2024

    On a rural Hawaiian island, solar provides a path to energy sovereignty

    Photo: Todd Yamashita. Retrieved from grist.org Like many homesteaders on the island of Molokaʻi, Kailana Place grew up off-grid, on 40 acres of family land designated for Native Hawaiians. Living in repurposed school buses surrounded by fields of red volcanic clay and kiawe trees “was a glamping lifestyle,” joked the social worker and mother of three, a way of life powered by kerosene and propane. Three years ago, those fuels sparked a devastating fire. Neighbors helped Place and her husband, Ikaika, build a new house with rooftop solar and a battery. Even now, the buzz of constant, reliable power has yet to wear off. Beyond ensuring continuous internet access and a freezer for fish and venison — most residents depend upon subsistence fishing, hunting, and farming — their asthmatic son no longer relies on a generator to power his inhaler. “It’s unreal,” said Ikaika Place. “My wife has never had a house where she could just switch on the lights.” It’s been a radical change. When it comes to electricity, residents of Molokaʻi get by with as little as possible. [Consumption rates](https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/molokai-news/2013-06-03/molokais-soaring-electric-rates) on this rural island are the lowest in the Hawaiian Archipelago, and energy costs are the most expensive in the state, which pays the nation’s [highest price per watt](https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/billing-and-payment/rates-and-regulations/average-price-of-electricity). For the 7,300 or so residents, that often means forgoing the luxury of reliable power. In fact, the cost and challenges of [accessing utilities](https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/09/molokai-has-an-electricity-problem-this-co-op-wants-to-change-that/) prompt many to live off the grid altogether.

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    Faroe Islands: Inside the undersea network of tunnels
    Energy & TransportJuly 23, 2024

    Faroe Islands: Inside the undersea network of tunnels

    High in the North Atlantic, the Faroe Islands is an isolated archipelago home to just 54,000 people. Tunnel building began in the 1960s and has transformed this tiny island nation both geographically and socially. More than two dozen tunnels now link communities that were once separated by mountains or sea. The newest tunnels are engineering marvels burrowing under the sea. Recently, the longest tunnel yet opened to the southern island of Sandoy, bringing change to the lives of its small community.

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    Design of a solar island with a water-battery storage system for Lake Ziway islanders in Ethiopia
    Energy & TransportJuly 12, 2024

    Design of a solar island with a water-battery storage system for Lake Ziway islanders in Ethiopia

    Access to reliable electricity remains a challenge for millions in remote African villages, including Lake Ziway’s islands in Ethiopia. This study introduces an integrated electricity system for Tulu Gudo Island, combining floating photovoltaics (FPV), pumped-hydro storage (PHS) and diesel generators (DGEs) to overcome energy constraints, land scarcity and sustainability issues. The study assesses electricity demand and solar-PHS potential using LiDAR-based digital elevation model (DEM) data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). PVsyst and HOMER Pro optimize the system based on net present cost (NPC), cost of energy (COE) and its ability to support a water-energy-food (W-E-F) nexus approach. An optimized configuration with 32.2 KWp FPV and two PHS units (PH: 245 KWh (508 KWh)) meets Tulu Gudo Island’s energy needs through a cycle charging strategy (CCs). This configuration offers economic and environmental sustainability, with an NPC of $154,265 and a COE of $0.140/KWh, while conserving 8760 m3 of water. It integrates successfully with the W-E-F nexus approach, achieving a 7% increase in electricity generation and a 2.4% higher capacity factor compared to conventional setups. The study validates results through comparisons with other simulation tools, ensuring accuracy. This hybrid electricity system has potential applicability in regions with similar conditions worldwide.

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    Beaver Island takes early steps to test wave energy in its waters
    Energy & TransportJuly 12, 2024

    Beaver Island takes early steps to test wave energy in its waters

    Excerpt and Photo from greatlakesnow.org A project off the shore of Beaver Island could harness the power of Lake Michigan’s waves to generate renewable energy. Right now, the island’s roughly 600 year-round residents get electricity from an underwater cable and diesel generators. But the community has worked toward renewable energy for a while. For instance, in 2022 it was one of 12 remote communities to [receive](https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-support-clean-energy-transition-12-remote-and-island-communities) Department of Energy grants to identify renewable energy and energy efficiency opportunities, and it’s [exploring](https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/12/beaver-island-explores-community-solar-project-for-energy-security.html) community solar. Now, a [team with the University of Michigan](https://graham.umich.edu/activity/29385) is collaborating with Beaver Island residents to develop a wave energy converter for the island. Wave energy converters use the movement of the water to generate electricity. The research team will spend the next couple years developing a prototype to install in the waters off the island.

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