European Island OPET Consortium

Mission

The European Island OPET Consor-tium operates as a node for informa-tion and dissemination of innovativeEU energy solutions and RTD resultsin the field of renewable energies andenergy efficiency, taking care of islands’particular conditions. The EI OPET alsooperates as a centre for the identifica-tion of island priorities, opportunitiesand possibility to replicate successfulprojects adapted to islands’ variableneeds. Among the priority areas andsectors, the following ones should beemphasised: promotion of 100% RESinitiatives, implementation of new RESand RUE solutions in the tourist sec-tor, and promotion of water-productiontechnologies based on the use of RES.

Results

RTD results: identification and consoli-dation of new initiatives and pilot projectson the line of “renewable energy is-lands”; establishment of successfultools to bring into contact RES marketactors with insular end users within keysectors such as tourism or water pro-duction.Policy results: generation of far-reach-ing island agreements (Chania Decla-ration) for the promotion of RES in is-land territories and the defence of spe-cific island policies, dissemination andanalysis of the impact of EC documentsand directives dealing with islands, aswell as proposal of regulatory and leg-islative frameworks at a national and lo-cal scale.

INSULA,International Scientific Council for Island Development

Co-ordinator

c/o UNESCO, 1 rue Miollis. F-75015 Paris. FRANCE

Contact: Cipriano Marin

Tel.:+33-1 45684056 Fax: +33-1 45685804

E-mail: [email protected]

ITER, Instituto de Tecnologíay Energías Renovables

Poligono Industrial de Granadilla - Parque Eólico

E-38611 San Isidro - Tenerife. SPAIN

Contact: Manuel Cendagorta

Tel.:+34-922 391000 Fax: +34-922 391001


NTUA-RENES, NationalTechnical University of Athens

9, Heroon Polytechniou Str.

GR-15780 Zografu-Athens. GREECE

Contact: Arthouros Zervos

Tel.:+30-1 7721030 Fax: +30-1 7721047


AREAM, Agencia Regional da Energia e Ambiente

da Região Autonoma da Madeira

Madeira Tecnopolo.

P-9000-390 Funchal. PORTUGAL

Contact: José Manuel Melim Mendes

Tel.:+351-291723300 Fax: +351-291720033


ANCIM,Associazione Nazionale Comuni Isole Minori

Via dei Prefetti 46.

I-00186 Roma. ITALY

Contact: Franco Cavallaro

Tel.:+39-090 361967 Fax: +39-090 343828


HIIU MAA VALITSUS,Hiiumaa County Government

Department of Regional Development

Leigri väljak 5, Kärdla 92401, Hiiumaa. ESTONIA

Contact: Reet Kokovkin

Tel.:+37 246 31132 Fax: +37 246 31089


Energy, Environment,

Sustainable development

EUROPEAN ISLAND OPET CONSORTIUM

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Summary of Activities

1. Renewable Energy initiatives: promotion of projects and actions aiming at large-scale im-

plementation of renewable energy sources on EU islands. Promotion actions gave special

importance to those initiatives characterised by a maximum exploitation of wind potential

and to those ones characterised by integration of different renewable energy sources.

2. Sustainable energies for priority sectors: promotion of

projects and initiatives aimed at the incorporation of the

sustainable energy strategy and the adoption of solutions

based on clean transports in the tourist sector, since the

high importance of this activity on islands, and the need to

support water production starting from RES in a large

number of European tourist islands.

3. Policy-oriented and general dissemination measures: - promotion and dissemination of the

EC Green Paper on Security of Energy Supply, EC White Paper for Energy, and related

directives. – Maintenance of web site – publication of the EIO Newsletter “Renewable En-

ergy Sources for Islands” - launching of campaigns of co-operation with island authorities

and international organisations – dissemination of the agreements and declarations on in-

ter-island co-operation in favour of RES that have been adopted to most European island

institutions.

4. Conferences and declarations: celebration of three conferences with a special importance

within the sustainable energy strategy of European islands, on specific subjects: Towards

100% RES, Tourism Tech-Island Forum, Energy and Water on Islands.

Actions included the preparation of studies, reports pamphlets articles within island maga-

zines, electronic documents, mailings, as well as promotion of EI OPET initiatives through the

participation in various local, regional and international events.

European Island OPET performs its promotional activities through:

• Evaluation of island communities’ needs and difficulties to access the information on state-

of-the-art energy technologies – analysis of projects that can be replicated – encouraging

market actors and end-users to overcome barriers that hinder a maximum exploitation of

RES in the privileged island situation.

• Acknowledgement of the essential role played by local authorities and island institutions in

the application of strategies, favouring the high potential and competitivity on new energy

technologies in island territories.

• Guaranteeing the implementation of achieved successful results by means of international

and regional island’s networks and island related associations, and through a permanent and

smooth access to main development bodies and island responsibles.

• Development of its network of focal points for the promotion of RET and energy sustainability

within the wide segment of the European Union made up by more than 300 islands. Distribu-

tion and specialisation of the EI OPET Consortium members allow to develop its activity as a

network of focal points in the main regional areas of European island.

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Part 1: Renewable Energies

1.1. 100% RES initiatives

WP 1.a. Towards 100% RES Supply

The Chania Conference

Objectives:

• To promote 100% RES initiatives on islands.

• To facilitate replication and knowledge about island projects and

strategies aiming at a large-scale use of renewable energy sources

on EU islands.

Main activities:

• Identification of most relevant projects carried out on European

islands and analysis of the possibility to replicate them on other

islands, taking into account the extreme singularity of situations

available within island territories and activities with regard to energy supply.

• Development of a Catalogue of island 100% initiatives on European islands, containing both

experiences and promoter institutions.

• Enlargement of the network of islands and island communities, aiming to incorporate projects

with maximum use of RES in their energy strategy.

• Analysis of the new energy technology state of the art and of the existing barriers to large-

scale implementation of RET.

• Start of the project with the celebration of the Conference of Chania (Crete), where the

Declaration “Islands – Towards 100% RES Supply” was approved, with the participation of

island authorities, energy deciders, main market actors, and RET manufacturers.

• Dissemination of the Chania agreements to the ensemble of island authorities and energy

actors, promotion of common policies based on inter-island co-operation aimed at strength-

ening 100% RES initiatives.

Public Report for Year 2001/2002

Presentation of the Chaniaagreements with the presence

of island authorities, ECrepresentatives and membersof the European Island OPET

Consortium.

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Some 150 European islands’representatives met in Chania(Crete) in order to consolidate

the need for a large-scalestrategy aiming to promote the

maximum use of renewableenergy sources on islands.

WP 1.b. Agreements in defence of islands’ specificity in the

matter of energy supply and RET development.

Objectives:

• Involvement of Island Governments within the process.

• Promotion of legislative initiatives.

• Inclusion of 100% RES strategies in island development planning.

Main activities:

• Development of an agreement with the Italian Ministry of the Environment to carry out

viability studies and establish investment funds for actions on Italian Smaller Islands in this

field.

• Inclusion of the objectives developed in Chania, and of a commitment to reach 100% RES

Supply, within the sustainable development plans approved by the island governments of La

Palma and El Hierro, both declared Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO.

• Participation and promotion of legislative initiatives aimed at favouring RES in island territo-

ries, such as the non-legislative proposal prepared for the Spanish Parliament.

WP 1.c. Campaigns for the promotion of renewables on islands.

Objective:

To take advantage of the existing tools and campaigns for RET promotion and 100% RES initia-

tives in European islands.

Main activities:

• Promotion of the Take-Off campaign and incorporation of new islands (El Hierro, La Palma,

Campos-Majorca, Porto Santo, Ventotene...).

• Consolidation of the insular dissemination centres specialised in RES and their valorisation as

a network (ITER centre, Campos centre project,...)

• Agreement with the UNESCO MaB programme for the establishment of dissemination cam-

paigns on 100% RES strategies and pilot projects in those island territories declared Bio-

sphere Reserves and considered as models of sustainable development.

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WP 1.d. Agreements for the promotion and execution of 100%

RES pilot projects

Objective:

Identification of relevant projects and definition of the agreement frameworks for their

fulfilment.

Main activities:

• Consolidation of the “El Hierro 100% RES” proposal (Canary Islands).

• Integration and advising, with regard to the Campos-Majorca project proposal.

WP 1.e. Software tool for an Island 100% RES strategy

Objective:

To establish a general guideline for the integration of RES

Main activities:

• Generation of a decisional model for the establishment of different scenarios of RES penetra-

tion in island systems, starting from actual data, under the direction of ITER.

• Application of this model to the island of Ten-

erife, as a decision-making basis for the

launching of the “Tenerife 100%” programme.

• Dissemination of this initiative to other islands,

as well as offer of assistance for the develop-

ment of scenarios.

Achieved results

Policy impact:

After the agreements of Chania and the development of several information campaigns, a high

increase in the interest of local authorities and main islands deciders to incorporate projects on

the line of 100% RES Supply has been detected. Island communities that joined in this initiative

have already made up a large network, able to influence the ensemble of 13 million European

citizens who live on islands. It is very significant to emphasise that the existing sensitivity within

the island political scope, and even at the European Parliament level, pleads the establishment

of specific policies for renewables on islands.

RTD impact:

The higher knowledge of RET’s state of the art, as well as the existence of very evolved refer-

ence projects and their viability, allowed to make a very important qualitative leap as regards

big projects of energy supply from renewables. Main insular energy operators started to quickly

change their attitude when they discovered the advantages of RET’s (wind energy in particular)

in small and medium-sized islands. Another factor that starts to contribute to their success is

the increased providers’ and operators’ awarenessof the existence of such a big market, when

considered as a whole: the islands’ market.

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Nevertheless, there is a big difference in the implementation process of other segments of RET

applicability (such as solar thermal or PV) including solutions and technologies related with

energy efficiency, in several island regions.

The Chania Conference proceedings, as well as case studies, reference projects and the description of the 100% Software, areavailable in the EI OPET web site.

Part 2: Actions in Priority SectorsRES for Tourism and Water

WP 1.f.WP 1.f.WP 1.f.WP 1.f.WP 1.f. The Binomial Energy-The Binomial Energy-The Binomial Energy-The Binomial Energy-The Binomial Energy-WWWWWateraterateraterater,,,,,

led by Fast – Punto d’Energia - Sassari (Italy)

Objectives:

Identification of pilot projects and promotion of solutions regarding water production (desalination)

based on RET application. Specific attention has been given to the solution of the seasonal

freshwater shortage on tourist islands in Southern Europe.

Main activities:

• Co-organisation of the Conference “Energies and Water on

Islands” held in Sardinia in November 2001. Dissemination of

results and identification of pilot cases.

• Dissemination of results of the projects carried out in the

Canary Islands (ITER and ITC), and identification of new cases

which can bring to the development of new demonstration

projects (Porto Santo, Smaller Italian Islands, El Hierro, Island

of Sal).

• Participation in International Fairs related with water-production tech-

nologies and help in making agreements between RET sectors and Desalination Technologies.

One of the sessions of the Conference “Energyand Water on Islands”, where more than 30 Euro-pean islands participated, together with islandenergy bodies and manufacturers related with RETand water desalination technologies.

Participation of the European Island OPET Consortium in the International Fair ofWater, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (CANAGUA – 2001), with the presence

of the Industry and Energy Minister of the Canary Islands Government.

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WP 2.a. The Tech Island Tourism Forum

Objective:

Launching of the Island-Tech Tourism Forum as an instrument for the promotion of new RET+RUE

technologies and alternative transport innovation projects for the island tourist sector.

Main activities:

• Establishment of agreements for the promotion of RET’s and new technologies of

clean transport in tourism, incorporating the concept of Renewable Tour-

ist Destination.

• Identification and analysis of gaps of information and contact

existing between tourist organisations and RET market actors,

with a succesive generation of proposals to overcome the bar-

riers causing a low penetration of RES and clean transport

solutions in a sector of an incredible potential such as

the tourist sector on islands.

• Design and preparation of the Forum of Island Tourist

Destinations Authorities as a political support to the

initiative.

• Organisation of the International Conference “Lanzarote 2001” by the EI OPET Consortium,

in collaboration with the Institute of Responsible Tourism (UNESCO) and other international

and local associations representing the tourist sector both at destination and hospitality

levels. The Forum was constituted during this Conference, defining also its functions, objec-

tives and initial composition.

• Participation in island destinations’ planning, in order to include guidelines on RES and effi-

cient transports, such as in the cases of the POT (Tourist Plan for the Autonomous Region of

Madeira) and the Sustainable Tourist Destination Plan of the island of La Palma.

• Promotion of pilot projects on sustainable hotels as energetically efficient buildings (Madeira

and Lanzarote).

Opening Session of the Conference“Lanzarote 2001” with the presence of the

Ministers of Tourism and of Environment of theCanary and Cape Verde island regions , and ofrepresentatives of the European Island OPET,of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Tech-nology, as well as members of IHEI (Interna-

tional Hotels Environment Initiative), of theInstitute of Responsible Tourism and of the

Biosphere Hotels World Network.

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WP 2.b.WP 2.b.WP 2.b.WP 2.b.WP 2.b. The Campaign “The Campaign “The Campaign “The Campaign “The Campaign “A new Sun for Islands”, A new Sun for Islands”, A new Sun for Islands”, A new Sun for Islands”, A new Sun for Islands”, in cooperation

with ICAEN

Objective:

Launching of a pilot campaign for the promotion of RET in the tourist sector. The campaign has

been initially addressed to those tourist destinations catalogued as Island Biosphere Reserves

by UNESCO, owing to their international qualification as privileged sites where to test pilot

projects of sustainable development.

Main activities:

• Concretisation of support agreements with local authorities and representatives of the tour-

ist sector of each island for the establishment of the campaign’s objectives and profile. The

islands finally selected were: Guadeloupe, Lanzarote, El Hierro, Minorca and Galapagos. In

each area an ensemble of campaign objectives and contents was differentiated, according

with tourist end-users, land features and RETs to promote.

• Launching of the campaign, development of contents and design of dissemination elements

(displays, posters, brochures, cartels, information to media, interviews, TV programmes).

• Placing of the dissemination elements in 6 airports (origin and destination), tourist centres

and 34 hotels and resorts.

Left: Stand for information on the campaign at the airport of Minorca.Right: Presentation of the initiative in Crete, with the presence of Mechtild Rothe (member of the Euro-pean Parliament), A. Zervos (EREC – European Renewable Energy Council), A. Garriga (ICAEN) andrepresentatives of INSULA.

Informative display – Associated logo “Biosphere Hotels”

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Achieved results

Policy impact: Identification of an improvement of the destination’s image associated with the use

of RES in the sector, with the promotion of new transports and the promotion of new measures of

energy efficiency and clean water production (sustainable and renewable destination), demon-

strated to be an excellent combination to break the traditional inertia of this sector. The Forum

allowed the integration of market actors and most relevant tourist users, but it also favoured

political support by local authorities, which perfectly understood that improvement and competitivity

of each destination has to be progressively associated with an image of energy sustainability. An

important step within this initiative was the acknowledgment by the World Tourism Organization,

and also an unconditional support by important tour operators such as TUI.

RTD impact: Effects associated with the Forum’s activity, conferences and workshops, as well

as the campaign itself, produced the appearance of demand and pilot projects a lot higher than

expected in several destinations. It is worth mentioning the implementation of solar systems in

the Biosphere Hotels Network, the suggestion for a Green Hotel project in Madeira, the imple-

mentation of energy saving systems in La Palma and Minorca, the expectations created in Hiiumaa.

A case of interest that shows some of the barriers existing in this field is given by the develop-

ment of a solar programme by Asolan, in Lanzarote, which generated a demand for more than

3000 m2 of solar panels, with the resulting difficulties for local provider companies and techni-

cians to supply and install them.

First meeting of Tourist MunicipalityMayors associated to the Forum in

favour of renewable, with the presence ofthe representatives of Erice (Sicily),

Hersonissos (Crete), Campos (Majorca),La Palma (Canary Islands), and the

UNESCO, INSULA and ANCIM.

• Evaluation of the campaign impacts both on the tourist sector of each destination (local

authorities, services, hospitality, transport sector) and on the tourists’ perception and de-

mand of RES utilisation in each destination.

• Agreements with the Institute of Responsible Tourism to include the requirements regarding

implementation of RET and energy efficiency solutions in the hotel sector and the permanent

placing of the Campaign elements in the establishments belonging to the “Biosphere Hotels

International Network”.

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Part 3:Policy-oriented General DisseminationMeasures and Co-operation

WP 1.h. General dissemination activities

Objective:

To act as a focal point for information about initiatives launched within the EI OPET, as well as

relevant information about technologies and related projects, and basic documents of EC’s policy

regarding energy and transports. It includes the establishment of agreements for technological

information updating, such as the cooperation with EREC.

Main activities:

• Dissemination of conference results, agreements and workshops, both in the web and through

the preparation of .pdf documents (Chania Conference, Island 100% cases, Tech-Tourism

Island Forum..). Dissemination also of political agreements dealing with islands carried out by

other relevant international Forums.

• Maintenance and enlargement of the website of the initiative, as well as inter-links with the

Consortium’s websites (ITER, INSULA) and with those of the cooperating institutions (ITR,

EREC, ASOLAN, La Palma BR, ICAEN).

• Publication of the EIO Newsletter “Renewable Energy Sources for Islands”, and its distribu-

tion to a large network of island centres and authorities.

Covers of the EIO Newsletter and of the CD containing the conclusions and contributions of the Chania Conference

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Achieved results

Policy impact: Dissemination activities and campaigns contributed to overcome the traditional

barriers existing on islands in the matter of energy policy caused by mutual ignorance of expe-

riences and initiatives successfully carried out in this field, both at a technological and a political

and legislative level. Incidence has been especially relevant among local authorities and island

governments.

RTD impact: Dissemination of experiences and technologies had a special incidence on the gen-

eration of new viability plans for 100% RES projects, bringing to a large demand of contacts. In

the case of the Tourist Forum, incidence was greater with regard to solar thermal and energy

efficiency, and it generated a demand of clean transports, which until this moment lacked of

significant experiences in the island territories of the European Union.

WP 1.i. General dissemination – OPET Cooperation

Objective:

Cooperation with other concurrent activities of the OPET net-

work.

Main activities:

• Participation in the OPET MERCOSUR Roadshow. This ini-

tiative allowed the establishment of new cooperation paths

for the development and assistance to projects with an

European participation, in particular those regarding iso-

lated rural electrification in Chile and Argentina, as well as

the new 100% RES initiatives in the small islands at Mar

de Plata (Argentina) and Easter Island (Chile).

• Collaboration with TERI (India) allowed us to introduce Eu-

ropean island experiences that can be replicated in iso-

lated areas, and in particular to help in the design of a

Sustainable Development Plan and 100% RES project for

Lakshadweep islands.

Presentation ofEI- OPET’s activitiesand initiatives in San-tiago de Chile, jointlywith ICAEN.

Presentation of the islandinitiatives at the Conference

organised by TERIin New Delhi.

Documents

European Island OPET Consortium