National Energy Roadmaps for Islands

Islands around the world face crucial energy challenges, including fuel import dependency, high electricity costs, environmental sensitivity and vulnerability to climate change. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) co-operates closely with island countries to accelerate their shift to renewables and help ensure a sustainable energy future.

National Energy Roadmaps for Islands outlines IRENA’s roadmap methodology and highlights specific island case studies. In addition to the brochure, an accompanying info-graphic poster illustrates the process and shows how roadmaps can assist islands in the transition to renewable energy.

To date, IRENA has worked with Barbados, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, Kiribati, Nauru, the Maldives and Mauritius to deliver roadmaps aiming for viable future energy mixes dominated by renewables. Each energy roadmap is the final product of co-operation between IRENA, the government and key stakeholders, such as electrical utilities.

Roadmaps show how the renewables could be scaled up faster, given the prevailing technical, economic and policy elements in each case. The analysis examines current energy use and identifies cost-effective ways to achieve high shares of renewable energy. A long-term capacity expansion model helps to find the best path to the least-cost power mix. Renewable energy potential in end uses like heating, cooling and transportation is also considered.

Each roadmap concludes with specific policy recommendations to enable implementation.