Pioneers pave way for EU islands’ clean energy transition

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Sifnos in Greece was one of the islands piloted for energy transition by the Secretariat. Credit: Flickr/Linda

Islands of the European Union can now learn from the experiences of six pilot projects in their attempts to transition to a clean energy network.

Clean Energy for EU Islands, an initiative launched in May 2019, has now released a handbook including theory and practical advice to help islands evolve into clean energy hubs through step-by-step processes, based on the findings of the frontrunner projects delivered so far.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The new document took a year to prepare, Jeppen Mikel Jensen – co-ordinator of the Secretary of the Clean Energy for EU Islands Secretariat, told PV Tech. It describes the experiences of six pilot islands over the 12-month period, and will immediately support another 20 pioneers in this space, although these 20 will receive lighter support from the Secretary compared to the initial six projects.

“It’s a two-way process,” said Jensen. “We on the secretary side are building this initiative for the islands, with the islands.”

The Secretariat had originally developed Transition Agendas with the Aran Islands in Ireland, the Cres-Lošinj archipelago in Croatia, Sifnos in Greece, Culatra in Portugal, Salina in Italy and La Palma in Spain. Many of these involve solar PV deployment and in some cases agri-voltaic projects, where solar is combined with agriculture to optimise land use. Electricity storage was also included in planning.

The experiences and inputs of the 20 pioneers will also be used to hone and revise the guidance offered so far.

The handbook states: “Islands offer a series of specific opportunities that are very well suited for modern energy planning, both in terms of the potential for energy efficiency, renewables and innovative solutions, as well as the creation of a broad and strong community-driven transition process.”

When launched, the Clean Energy for EU Islands scheme promised to help islands with early-stage, pre-feasibility studies as well as technical and financial due diligence for more advanced projects.

In October, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) offered grants worth €40 million (US$44 million) to 55 small solar projects to be located on Spain's Balearic Islands, with a total capacity of 326MW.

The six Islands' Transition Agendas can be found here.

The prospects and challenges of solar's new era in Europe and beyond will take centre stage at Solar Media's Solar Finance & Investment Europe (London, 5-6 February) and Large Scale Solar Europe 2020 (Lisbon, on 31 March-1 April 2020).

25 November 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Large Scale Solar Central and Eastern Europe continues to be the place to leverage a network that has been made over more than 10 years, to build critical partnerships to develop solar projects throughout the region.
2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.

Read Next

June 9, 2025
Sonnedix has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Renfe to supply 420GWh of renewable energy annually for its commercial operations.
June 4, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Enlight Renewable Energy is expanding its Gecama Wind Project in Castilla La Mancha, Spain, by integrating solar PV and battery energy storage systems.
May 30, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Aquila Clean Energy has started construction on a 52MW agrivoltaics (agriPV) project in Italy.
May 30, 2025
Spanish independent power producer (IPP) has unveiled two new solar-plus-storage projects, one in Central Chile and the other in Spain.
May 28, 2025
Renewables developer Solaria has reached an agreement in principle with Spanish bank Banco Sabadell to finance a 175MW solar PV plant in Spain.
May 23, 2025
TotalEnergies has commissioned its largest solar portfolio in Europe, a collection of five assets in Spain with a combined capacity of 263MW.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece