Islands lead the way to a cleaner energy future for Europe

News Article

The inaugural Clean Energy for All European Islands Forum takes place today in Chania on the Greek island of Crete.

Speaking at the Forum, Teresa Luis Ruiz, Chair of EURELECTRIC’s Network of Experts on Islands’ Energy Systems will outline that European islands are frontrunners in Europe’s energy transition. She will present leading innovative projects showing concrete successful and advanced innovative solutions on islands such as Gorona del Viento, Ventotene and the Faroe Islands.

The event officially kicks off the European Commission’s ‘Clean Energy for All European Islands’ initiative. It is supported by a Political Declaration on Clean Energy for EU Islands signed by the Commission together with 14 EU Member States in Valletta, Malta, back in May[1].

EURELECTRIC sees great value in the Forum’s objective of becoming a central discussion platform and a practical cooperation tool for European islands. “Our engagement in this initiative is to promote power companies’ efforts in pioneering innovative clean energy technologies and services which can act as catalysts to an accelerated deployment of clean energy on Europe’s islands,” said Ms Luiz Ruiz.

Political commitments and goal setting are important to drive energy transition efforts in the physically and economically restrained conditions of islands. Engaging the industry and in particular the electricity sector in these processes will be crucial to the process of identifying the most practical, fast and cost-effective solutions that could be deployed without putting at risk security of supply and avoiding additional costs to customers.

“The Forum can provide the right framework to discuss and develop solutions to the transition trilemma on islands by maximising the deployment of innovative solutions, storage and indigenous energy sources,” Ms Luiz Ruiz said. “Islands can become testbeds for new energy services, grid management approaches, electro-mobility solutions, and can therefore lead the way to successful practices that can be then deployed on the mainland.”

[1] Political Declaration on Clean Energy for EU Islands