Island facts
The Island of San Pietro is located in the southwest of Sardinia, and about 5,950 inhabitants live on 51 square kilometres, characterised by pristine beaches and breathtaking scenery. In August 2019, up to 50,000 tourists reached this ‘paradise’. A relevant economic part rests on the sustainable fishing of bluefin tuna, unique for its culinary and healthy properties. On the island, the tuna is also processed and prepared for shipments around the world. The island has a very peculiar history: it has been inhabited since 1738, when a group of Genoese settlers, present since 1500 on the Tunisian island of Tabarka, settled there. For this reason, currently, 90% of the population speaks the Genoese language in their daily lives and has maintained the ancient Ligurian traditions. These traditions, especially from a culinary point of view, are flanked by North African ones, so much so that one of the typical dishes is couscous.
Electricity production
The electricity produced on the island comes from renewable sources, and in particular from 11 different photovoltaic plants (mainly small systems, located on public and private rooftops, but one reaches 1 MW of power). However, the main quantity of electricity comes from the mainland, with two marine cables connected to the electric grid. The transport to the island happens by ferries, but on the island bikes and cars are the most used transportation. The Municipality has started to adopt electric cars in its vehicle fleet, and some electric motorcycles can be rented. In the context of the REACT project, it was planning to install air-to-air (ATA) heat pumps, in order also to increase the efficacy of the PV installed on the building rooftop. For buildings with significant domestic hot water demands air to water heat (ATW) pumps have been deployed.
Clean energy transition
Through the project, REACT, the municipality and the European Commission want to integrate smart grid technologies into the island's net. Up to June 2021, 53 buildings have been considered for the demonstration activities of the pilot, which is transforming the San Pietro Energy community into a Virtual Power Plant (VPP). With the support of the Clean energy for EU islands secretariat and the Politecnico di Torino, which cooperates as a regional partner, the municipality is working on drafting a Clean Energy Transition Agenda.
As part of the 30 for 2030 call the following activities are planned:
The repowering of the Nasca wind farm will involve a comprehensive wind resource assessment, utilising a multi-year data model at the identified site through the Virtual Met Mast tool. This will lead to the production of a resource map for the island at relevant heights, along with an analysis of the technical characteristics of the anemometer. Additionally, suitable wind farm layouts will be evaluated, taking into consideration the co-location of a photovoltaic plant. A long-term yield assessment will be conducted for the wind farm using three different turbine models (P50, P75, P90), alongside a techno-economic assessment of a hybrid wind and storage solution, including its potential contribution to a renewable energy community. A technical feasibility study for the overall plant will be carried out, excluding the environmental assessment and on-site surveys, along with a photomontage of the selected solution.
In addition to this, technical support will be provided for the procurement and tendering processes associated with the repowering of the Nasca wind farm.
Efforts to address energy poverty will include an overview of best practices for supporting energy-poor households in the development of rooftop photovoltaic systems. This will be accompanied by assistance in formulating a strategy to combat energy poverty within the specific territorial context.
The repowering of the Nasca photovoltaic plant will also receive technical support for the procurement and tendering process, along with an evaluation of financial proposals.
Furthermore, a techno-economic pre-feasibility study will be conducted to explore the transition of diesel ferries to hydrogen. This study will include a comparison of different fuels and hybridisation solutions.
Watch Stefano Rombi, Mayor of Carloforte in San Pietro speak about the support from the Clean energy for EU islands secretariat and the clean energy plans for the island.