Decarbonizing Islands : Challenges and opportunities

Islands play a crucial role in the global energy transition and the decarbonization of power generation. On one side, they are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and on the other side, they offer a privileged setting for the development of innovative solutions.

Surrounded by oceans, islands have access to a sustainable energy resource: wave energy. Harnessing this vast natural wealth is an obvious solution to meet the growing energy needs while reducing CO2 emissions. In these regions, where the current cost of energy can reach €900 per MWh compared to €112/MWh in mainland France, and where dependence on fossil fuels remains very high, marine energy presents a high-impact opportunity. INot only it helps avoid significant amounts of CO2 emissions, but the projects are also already competitive  in these contexts.

However, the challenge lies in the scale of the projects, which remain small because of the consumption and because of islands’ logistical available infrastructures. To ensure their success, it is essential to multiply these initiatives across multiple sites and adopt a global vision for the industry. Many experiences showed that pilots farms do not work well for remote islands.

Islands, as true biodiversity sanctuaries, pose a major challenge in the development of marine energy: minimizing local environmental impacts. This requires close collaboration with local populations and marine authorities to select strategic locations where the impact on ecosystems is minimized. The long-term benefits, especially in terms of carbon emissions reduction, are overwhelmingly positive compared to the possible local impacts to survey.

Additionally, submerged infrastructures, such as wave energy converters, can create artificial reefs, thus contributing to the preservation of biodiversity and local marine resources. The challenge is to balance these impacts, ensuring that each project becomes a genuine asset to the island environment.

Wave energy offers several advantages. It provides stable electricity production with very low emissions, estimated at around 36 gCO2e/kWh. Furthermore, its installation requires little land, which is a valuable asset in island territories where space is limited. This technology holds great promise for delivering autonomous energy to remote island populations.

In addition, wave energy integrates effectively with other local renewable energy sources. It complements systems such as SWAC (seawater air conditioning), hydropower for stabilizing production rhythms, as well as wind or photovoltaic energy. This synergy strengthens the stability of the electrical grid while minimizing energy storage needs.

Thus, islands are an essential starting point for promoting a sustainable energy model. By harnessing ocean energy, we can, not only decarbonize these territories at a competitive cost compared to the current mix, but also already demonstrate the viability of this sector for medium size WECs .