A recent study conducted by the Clean energy for EU islands secretariat has shed light on challenges facing the electricity systems of EU islands in their transition to renewable energy. The study provides recommendations and best practice examples for achieving the security of supply needed for sustainable economic development.
In 2021 and 2022, the secretariat embarked on an in-depth analysis of the regulatory barriers hampering the clean energy transition on EU islands. This comprehensive study revealed key obstacles, including grid constraints and a lack of security of supply, both of which pose substantial challenges to the decarbonisation efforts of these islands.
Building on these findings, the secretariat has now focused on evaluating the connection policies of renewable energy power plants and the management of energy systems, particularly under conditions of asynchronous generation in non-interconnected islands. The primary aim of this research was to develop critical recommendations and guidance that will facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources while ensuring the quality and security of supply of the islands' electricity systems.
The study delves into the legislative and regulatory frameworks governing grid development and operations, renewable energy technologies, energy storage, and grid flexibility solutions. It also examines the current energy systems, existing and planned interconnections, and the policies surrounding grid connection. It includes 10 representative case studies from EU islands and groups of islands. These include:
- Rhodes and Kos-Kalymnos islands in Greece
- The Aeolian Islands in Italy
- Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote in Spain’s Canary Islands
- Azores and Madeira islands, Portugal
- Aruba and Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean
- La Réunion in the Indian Ocean and French Polynesia from the French islands.
Aside from a detailed analysis involving desk research and interviews, the study was shaped through active interaction with the system operators, regulatory agencies and governments relevant to the case study islands. These interactions included six online technical workshops exchanging best practices and strategies and five in-person workshops bringing national and local stakeholders together to discuss solutions and next steps. The study identified several critical challenges, such as frequent power interruptions due to grid instability, high curtailment of renewable energy, and the slow uptake of smart grid initiatives due to funding constraints. Additionally, the study highlighted the complexity and fragmentation of permitting and connection policies for renewable energy projects. Despite these challenges, the study also identified several good practices, often tailored to the specific needs of each island, which could serve as models for others.
The result of the study is 19 recommendations including best practices and existing publications which further clarify their possible implementation. The recommendations are grouped into those that focus on technical solutions for grid operations and management, and those that address the necessary regulatory and policy frameworks to support the islands' energy transition. The recommendations are directed towards Member State governments, electricity system operators and regulatory agencies. Each island system is unique in its way and hence Member State stakeholders can pick and choose actions from recommendations which most apply to their islands and their respective electricity systems. While the case studies focused on the non-interconnected islands, most of the resulting recommendations can be applied to all islands and some to remove areas on the mainland.
The findings from this study are expected to play a crucial role in guiding EU islands toward a sustainable and secure energy future, aligning with the broader goals of the European Union’s clean energy transition.
For further details, the full study can be accessed via the Publications Office of the EU.