The Island Clean Energy Transition Agenda is a strategic roadmap for the transition process towards clean energy. It is designed by the local community, for the local community.
Why develop a Clean Energy Transition Agenda?
Besides the Transition Agenda’s direct support to the transition process, its development also increases your visibility and broadens your network: Being part of an EU-wide network will raise awareness on your island's activities, and enable you to share your transition experiences with other islanders in order to help each other move forward effectively.
The Islands Methodological Handbook (From vision to action: how to tackle transition on EU islands?) provides detailed guidance on how to develop a Clean Energy Transition Agenda. Starting from an examination of the current dynamics on the island, the Clean Energy Transition Agenda spells out a vision of the island that is shared by the members of the island community. The perspectives of different island stakeholders are aligned to work towards this common vision by identifying possible pathways, including common goals and effective strategies. This helps to overcome technical and financial barriers, but also barriers related to historic traditions, and cultural and social perceptions for the island’s clean energy transition by mobilising all relevant stakeholders.
What will the Clean Energy Transition Agenda enable you to do?
Developing a shared understanding of the transition to a future-proof clean energy system will allow you to progress in the following three areas:
Community engagement. Creating awareness and increasing involvement of local stakeholders to support a governance system that clearly defines the responsibilities and ensures local ownership of the island's transition activities.
Decarbonisation plan. The development of a decarbonisation plan which links the community's vision with concrete actions for its realization.
Financing concept. Increasing the island’s capacity to benefit from existing and new funding opportunities by developing a clear financing concept.
How to develop a Clean Energy Transition Agenda for your island?
The Clean Energy for EU Islands Secretariat recommends the following steps in the development of the Island Clean Energy Transition Agenda:
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Step 1: Gathering the Transition Team
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- Get together with fellow clean energy transition enthusiasts on the island to form the transition team. This team ideally includes people from the local authority as well as representatives from community organisations, local businesses and schools/universities.
- Make your assessment of the current situation on the island using the Secretariat’s self-assessment matrix. Get more information about the matrix and how to self-assess your island here.
- Develop a writing plan for the Energy Transition Agenda. To help structure progress, this should include a schedule and clear allocation of resources and responsibilities within the team. The size of your island has an important effect on the required resources. As a general guideline, twelve months should be sufficient to develop a Clean Energy Transition Agenda. The transition team should be able to complete the write-up in the equivalent of 3 weeks of one full-time writer.
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Step 2: Mapping the Island Dynamics
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Following the guidance provided in the Islands Methodological Handbook:
- Describe the island in general terms (geography, economy & population)
- Describe the island energy system
- Map the key stakeholders on the island and identify the most relevant for advancing your island’s clean energy transition.
- Investigate how your island’s Clean Energy Transition Agenda relates to the clean energy transition and planning processes at different governmental levels.
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Step 3: Developing an Island Clean Energy Vision and Island Transition Paths
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- Organise a vision workshop open to all local stakeholders to determine a shared energy vision and the responsibilities of each of the participating organisations.
- Identify the transition paths that will bring your island from its current situation to the desired future vision. Invite technical, community and financing experts to help develop them.
- Classify the solutions that compose the transition paths according to the pillars that are relevant to your island. The Secretariat recommends focusing on electricity, transport to and from the island, transport on the island and heating and cooling.
- Agree on a monitoring strategy that will be used throughout the process.
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Step 4: Disseminating the results and follow-up
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- Submit your Energy Transition Agenda to the Clean Energy for EU Islands Secretariat.
- Speak about your island’s activities at our regional workshops and Clean Energy for EU island fora.
- Be part of the Secretariat's engagement platform to get in touch with like-minded islanders, expert organisations and companies.
- Monitor and update your Agenda periodically according to the defined monitoring strategy.
What are the minimum requirements for a Clean Energy Transition Agenda?
Plans, roadmaps and agendas to define pathways to decarbonisation can exist in many shapes and forms. The methodology proposed by the Clean Energy for EU Islands Secretariat is one way of developing a strategic Clean Energy Transition Agenda for an island context. On the EU's more than 2,000 inhabited islands, different methods have been adapted to the local situation. The Secretariat supports the integration of the Clean Energy Transition Agenda with existing plans and studies that have been developed for and by the island. The Clean Energy Transition Agenda aims to bring the planning process to the next level.
The contents of the Clean Energy Transition Agendas can vary significantly from one island to another. For example, islands that are new to transition planning may tend to focus on an assessment of the current situation and developing an island-wide vision. On the other hand, islands with advanced plans would probably focus on the advancement of their transition projects.
Islands develop the Clean Energy Transition Agenda according to their own needs. The Secretariat makes support materials, like the Islands Methodological Handbook or the Clean Energy Transition Agenda templates (see below links for download) available to the transition teams.
For a strategic energy transition plan to be considered a Clean Energy Transition Agenda, the content requirements are described in Minimum requirements for a Clean Energy Transition Agenda.