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Showing 9 of 164 news items in Energy & Transport

Energy & TransportJanuary 21, 2025

How the world’s most remote EV charger is helping an island in the Atlantic ditch fossil fuels

Photo courtesy of Marc Bow/Timbuktu Content. Retrieved from euronews.com The island of St Helena is hoping that better infrastructure will incentivise more people to move away from petrol and diesel-powered vehicles. The island of St Helena has installed the world’s most remote public EV charger in its capital Jamestown. The charger on the British Overseas Territory, nearly 2,000km from the west coast of Africa, is part of a trial by Norwegian charging company Easee and Japanese car brand Subaru. With very few electric vehicles on the island so far, the government is hoping that improving infrastructure will incentivise more people to ditch their petrol and diesel-powered vehicles. And, as St Helena looks to accelerate its green transition, it’s part of a strategy to wean the island off of expensive fossil fuel imports.

Energy & TransportDecember 16, 2024

‘We’re an evolving laboratory’: the island on a quest to be self-sufficient in energy

Avertiginous outcrop with more than [500 volcanoes](https://www.elhierro.es/en/geografia), El Hierro, the most westerly of the Canary Islands, is less than 12 miles (20km) wide but features elevation differences of more than 1,500 metres. Swept by strong Atlantic winds and pockmarked with volcanic craters, it has spent the past [decade harnessing its natural features](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/apr/19/canary-island-renewable-energy-lehir) to create clean electricity – with the goal of being the first island to reach self-sufficiency in energy. Now, the island is reaching new milestones. Energy generated by wind and water has enabled its 11,000 inhabitants to be completely self-sufficient in electricity for [10,000 hours](https://x.com/redelectricaree/status/1792513928469045459?s=48&t=MagY808C7lN8as4K8Y7E8g)****since its renewables project was established. About [50% of the island’s annual demand](https://www.goronadelviento.es/informacion-estadistica-y-datos/) is now supplied by renewables. El Hierro is among the only isolated territories in the world to achieve this level of energy self-sufficiency through renewables – shutting off diesel engines and operating without external connection.

Energy & TransportDecember 16, 2024

CARILEC Reflects on Challenges and the Resilience of the Caribbean Energy Sector as the 2024 Hurricane Season Ends

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially concluded on November 30, marking the end of what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted to be an above-normal season. Over the past six months, the region experienced a total of eighteen (18) named storms, including eleven (11) hurricanes and seven (7) tropical storms. Alarmingly, five (5) of these hurricanes reached major hurricane status, classified as Category 3 or higher. Among the notable storms this season, three major weather systems; Hurricane Beryl, Tropical Storm Nadine, and Tropical Storm Sara, left significant marks on several Caribbean islands. Hurricane Beryl, in particular, was unprecedented as the first Category 5 hurricane to develop so early in the Atlantic hurricane season. The storm caused devastation across Jamaica, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, disrupting lives, infrastructure, and essential services. For the energy sector in the Caribbean, the aftermath of hurricanes underscores the vulnerabilities inherent to island systems. With aging infrastructure, topographical vulnerabilities, the need for the introduction or revision of relevant policies and frameworks, and supply chain issues, regional utilities face immense challenges in mitigating and recovering from storm-related damages.

Energy & TransportDecember 6, 2024

This isolated town in Maine could be a model for the clean energy future

If you trace the path of one electrical transmission line up the coast of Maine, through and around the state’s rocky outcroppings and over a long causeway, you’ll finally reach the island city of Eastport, 40 miles from the transmission line’s origin. Here, at the line’s terminus, sits the U.S.’s easternmost city and the East Coast’s deepest port, once a thriving hub of imports by sea. Today, the city is home to about 1,300 residents, who are no strangers to the harsh winds and strong rains that give remote islands like this one their rugged character. When big storms rip through, as back-to-back nor’easters did this January, Eastport loses its sole tenuous connection to electricity from the mainland. In 2018, the city’s backup diesel generator shut down and was never replaced, leaving residents to buy their own gas generators or sit in the dark and wait out the hours until the utility could restore power. “We’re yankees. We’re used to it. We got candles and lanterns stashed away, and we usually get a bucket of water when it looks like the power is going to go out,” said Jeanne Peacock, an Eastport city councilor and founding member of the city’s energy committee. “But it would be nice for everybody else if that didn’t happen.”

Energy & TransportDecember 6, 2024

Chilean Governor announces ambitious Tierra del Fuego tunnel project

Excerpt and Photo from en.mercopress.com Governor Jorge Flies of the Chilean Magallanes and Antarctica Region announced a project to build an underwater tunnel linking the mainland with Tierra del Fuego, an initiative from which Argentina would also benefit. The proposal submitted during a National Conference on Policies for Extreme Zones in Chile seeks to replace the current barge 3.7 kilometers crossing through the Strait of Magellan. The 4-kilometer submarine tunnel would entail a US$1.5 billion investment. The initiative would provide a definitive solution by directly and stably connecting the mainland with Tierra del Fuego, improving mobility in this strategic binational zone. The current barge crossing system faces significant limitations, especially in adverse weather conditions that affect the timeliness and safety of travel, it was explained. It also seeks to strengthen regional integration between Chile and Argentina, reducing travel times and boosting international trade and tourism.

Energy & TransportDecember 2, 2024

Tilos, a Tiny Island, Makes a Giant Leap for Sustainability

Excerpt and Photo from greekcitytimes.com On November 19th, Tilos was awarded the prestigious Grand Jury Award at the European Enterprise Promotion Awards 2024 (EEPA) in Budapest. The island’s groundbreaking “Just Go Zero Tilos” initiative, which focuses on sustainable practices, has captured global attention. **A Model of Sustainability** The “Just Go Zero Tilos” project has transformed the island into a model of circular economy. Key achievements include: Tilos has proven that even the smallest of places can make a significant impact on the environment. The island’s success has inspired communities across Europe to adopt sustainable practices.

Energy & TransportDecember 2, 2024

Prime Minister Mitsotakis at Naxos: Affordable and Clean Energy for Our Islands

In an interview with the local website naxostimes.gr, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke about the creation of the Islands Decarbonization Fund, which aims to provide affordable and clean energy for the islands, improve the quality of life for island residents, and protect the unique character of each location. The interview was given on the occasion of his visit to the island. The Prime Minister highlighted the distinctiveness of the islands, the challenges faced by local governments, the need to protect against the over-reliance on tourism, and the importance of strategic planning in areas such as healthcare, infrastructure, and digital governance.

Energy & TransportNovember 26, 2024

This island holds hope for solution to wasteful supply chains

On the English Isle of Wight, TeeMill is using tech innovation to drive efficiencies in the fashion supply chain. The resulting financial savings are then ploughed into sourcing organic natural materials and circular systems. The inspiration for this model, founder Mart says, is his upbringing on an island with few resources, which installed a mentality of low waste.

Energy & TransportNovember 26, 2024

The struggle for electricity in Ghana’s island communities

Excerpt and featured photo from GNA.org.gh On a quiet evening in Lala, an island community, 16-year-old Aku Boakye sits by the dim glow of a kerosene lamp, straining to read her textbook. The rhythmic sound of waves lapping against the shore is broken by the occasional flicker of the weak flame, casting long shadows on the walls of the 16-year-old family’s small home in Sene District of Bono East Region. Aku dreams of becoming a nurse, but every night, the darkness threatens that dream. “I can only study when the Sun is up,” Aku says. “At night, we have no electricity. When it’s dark, it’s really dark.” This is the reality for over 170 island and 2000 lakeside communities in Ghana, where access to electricity remains a distant hope. These isolated communities, surrounded by water, are cut off from the national grid, live without the modern conveniences that much of the world takes for granted—lighting, refrigeration, or even the ability to charge a mobile phone. At a time when the global conversation around climate change (COP29) focuses on renewable energy and reducing emissions, for people like Aku, the conversation is simple- they need power to build a brighter future. For these communities with inhabitants of about three million, this conversation at ongoing climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijani resonates deeply.