Innovative technology in the Pacific: Building resilience for vulnerable communities

Transitioning to sustainability will require innovation, not just in technological and economic terms but also in governance and culture. The work presented here sought a remote, vulnerable island context (Fiji, South Pacific) to enable further insight into the innovation process related to resilience and sustainability. The innovation targeted by this work was off-grid solar renewable energy (RE) systems framed as a development instrument to promote local, community-based resilience to climate change through increased livelihood security and reduction of climate change effects. Applying a local-level resilience framework to solar technology use, we conclude that the RE system can improve resilience, however, unintended consequences included a rush for energy usage causing a “tragedy of commons” of finite stored energy and subsequently increased supplementary fossil fuel use. This suggests that there are still missed resilience opportunities in the way that the innovation is implemented in developing countries and remote areas in particular. Further analysis demonstrated that improved planning at the socio-technological interface has the potential to strengthen communities’ resilience. With significant RE investments required for a transition to a low-carbon future in many developing countries, there is a pressing need to effectively introduce innovative uses of technologies. Existential threats to many local communities, and some nations in the Pacific may mean that sub-optimal innovation will not be enough

Thinking Outside the Box: Deepening Private Sector Investments in Fiji’s Nationally Determined Contributions through Scenario Analysis

Private finance is seen as the financing panacea for resourcing the nationally determined contributions (NDC) submitted by 170 countries to the United Nations (UN) system. Mobilizing private investment is challenging, especially for vulnerable Pacific Island Countries (PICs). Fifteen PICs have already submitted ambitious NDC targets, in which transition towards a sustainable energy environment through investment in renewable energy (RE) is central. Presently, RE investments in PICs are primarily external donor financed, however, reliance on limited and uncertain external finance is unlikely to deliver the required energy transition. A future scenario methodology was used, with Fiji as a case-study; the analysis provided insight into alternative trajectories towards transition. Based on the scenario analysis, an NDC resource mobilization framework was developed. Conclusions suggest that donors should re-orientate their priorities from investments in RE installations, towards investments that upgrade the current RE readiness levels and promote a long-term perspective of “organically growing” the local private RE sector. Channeling resources to target initiatives that will endogenously grow the domestic private sector is critical for PICs, as well as other developing countries, which represent a majority of the NDCs, and which are projected to dominate global growth in energy demand for decades to come

Using Renewable Energy as a Tool to Achieve Tourism Sustainability in Mediterranean Islands

This paper addresses the challenge of transforming Mediterranean islands into sustainable tourism areas, through the direct (or indirect) use of renewable energy projects and technologies. Through demonstration and a discussion of cases studies from studied islands, which takes into account island-specific characteristics and particularities, we assess the compatibility of renewable energy technologies (RETs) with sustainable tourism development. Conclusions emerge from this analysis which highlight prerequisites for RET-tourism compatibility; this has potential transferability to other insular territories. Developing an appreciation of the factors that can lead to sustainable tourism in islands through the use of renewable energy is a priority issue for two main reasons. Firstly, because until now scientific literature has only discussed the question of photovoltaics’ integration into tourism buildings, and secondly, because of the relatively high vulnerability to climate change impacts of islands compared to many mainland areas, according to predictions made by the United Nations and the European Union. Whilst international politics deal with the mass reduction of gaseous emissions into the atmosphere, reducing the adverse effects of climate change in the islands has become a significant component of national priorities

Renewable Energy and Sustainable Tourism Development in Hellenic Islands? : geographic Scales and Challenges of Sustainables Development

Ce travail de recherche interroge la notion du développement durable, et la façon dont ce concept se traduit dans le domaine des énergies renouvelables et du « tourisme durable » du niveau international au niveau local. A partir de cette question de départ, nous avons souhaité analyser les enjeux de la « durabilité » des énergies renouvelables par rapport à l’activité touristique et comprendre les leviers et les mécanismes qui participent à l’instauration d’un nouveau statut énergétique compatible avec le « développement durable ». Le développement durable n’étant pas un concept accepté de manière uniforme par tous les chercheurs, notre étude met en évidence la diversité des enjeux selon les échelles géographiques et repose sur des sources d’information variées, en essayant de distinguer les analyses théoriques et empiriques, et d’approcher la réalité de l’Europe par les réalités nationales et locales. Comme champ d’application de notre recherche nous avons choisi les îles de la Grèce, et nous avons cherché à voir comment les décideurs politiques de ce pays ont essayé de développer les énergies renouvelables en leur attribuant le statut de «formes énergétiques fondamentales » selon les lignes européennes. Nous avons cherché à élargir et valider nos conclusions par l’évaluation des « meilleures et des plus mauvaises pratiques » parmi diverses îles du monde. Nous avons revelé qu’il existe plusieurs dimensions du problème : - le jeu entre acteurs d'échelles différentes, aux enjeux souvent différents - le jeu et les interactions entre logiques sectorielles - le jeu des logiques spécifiques à certains milieux géographiques. Après des recommandations qui insistent sur l’importance de facteurs institutionnels et organisationnels dans le processus d’un développement durable, on parvient à conlure que, même si la multiplicité des échelles implique une grande complexité du développement durable, il y a toujours un espoir pour faire passer le message de Bruxelles à l’échelon local, sous la condition que certains paramètres soient pris en considération.This research discusses the notion of sustainable development, and the way in which this concept is translated in the fields of renewable energies and “sustainable tourism” from the international to the local level. From this starting question, we wished to analyze the challenges of renewable energies regarding sustainability within tourist activity and understand the mechanisms which participate in the introduction of a new energy status compatible with “sustainable development”. The sustainable development not being an accepted concept in a uniform way by all the researchers, our study highlights the diversity of challenges met to various geographical scales. Our work is based on multiple information sources, while trying to distinguish theoretical and empirical analyses and to approach European reality through national and local realities. As field of application in our research, we have chosen the islands of Greece and we sought to see how political decision makers of this country have tried to develop renewable energies allocating them the status of “fundamental energy forms” in compliance with European guidelines. We sought to widen and validate our conclusions through the evaluation of “better and worst practices” among various islands of the world. We revealed that there are several dimensions of the problem: - interactions between actors of different scales, with often different challenges to meet - interactions between sectorial logics - interactions between specific logics applied to certain geographical environments. After our recommendations which insist on the importance of institutional and organisational factors in the process of sustainable development, we conclude that, even if the multiplicity of the scales implies a great complexity in the implementation of sustainable development practices, there is always a hope to transmit the message from Brussels to the local level, under the condition that certain parameters are taken into account

Local challenges in the promotion of renewable energy sources. The case of Crete

Crete, the largest Greek island, attracts about 20% of the total Greek tourist activity and hosts more than50% of all renewable energy projects situated in the Hellenic island territories. In this article, we probe the comparatively successful promotion of renewable energy applications among Cretan municipalities by identification of key components and drivers of local dynamics which facilitate the development of such innovative and collective projects. We then refer to a theoretical economic grid highlighting the strength of local factors (i.e. social and institutional forces) in co-ordination mechanisms. We conclude that for the case of Crete, both internal factors (such as local acceptance) and external elements (such as macrostructure) play a core role in successful implementation of renewable energy, and from this we propose a number of facilitating conditions which could help promote renewable energy production on other islands

Local challenges in the promotion of renewable energy sources. The case of Crete

Crete, the largest Greek island, attracts about 20% of the total Greek tourist activity and hosts more than50% of all renewable energy projects situated in the Hellenic island territories. In this article, we probe the comparatively successful promotion of renewable energy applications among Cretan municipalities by identification of key components and drivers of local dynamics which facilitate the development of such innovative and collective projects. We then refer to a theoretical economic grid highlighting the strength of local factors (i.e. social and institutional forces) in co-ordination mechanisms. We conclude that for the case of Crete, both internal factors (such as local acceptance) and external elements (such as macrostructure) play a core role in successful implementation of renewable energy, and from this we propose a number of facilitating conditions which could help promote renewable energy production on other islands

Renewable energy pioneers are threatened by EU policy reform

The European Commission is reforming renewable energy (RE) policy to promote European competitiveness and RE penetration but also to phase-out financial subsidies for mature RE technologies. Optimising policy can be framed in the balance of Market Pull (MP) and Policy Push (PP) factors. The role of this paper is to determine the diversity of perceptions of energy actors, how that diversity relates to the balance of MP and PP and how this is likely to influence the ongoing policy reform process. A European survey was implemented and a total of 108 responses were received. A majority of actors (>75%) thought that there was a need for new EU RE policy. Four robust clusters of actors were identified. Further analysis demonstrated that the balance of MP and PP factors were not important in distinguishing between these clusters. The analysis concluded that levels of market intervention are the primary axis of difference according to energy actors’ opinions. These results have consequences for intended policy shifts in the EU RE sector, as the reduction of market intervention could mean that some of the “RE pioneers” may leave the sector which would impact on further RE penetration and EU competitiveness

Stepping up but back: How EU policy reform fails to meet the needs of renewable energy actors

The European Commission (EC) has been active in setting European policy and driving forward penetration of renewable energy (RE) across Member States (MS). Recent challenging economic conditions, increases in electricity price for most European consumers, an entrenched company oligopoly and the lightening of RE subsidies have all shifted the EC to a new realism for energy and climate policy. The 2014 EC Communication on climate and energy 2020–2030 removes MS-level RE targets in favour of a single EU-wide target (27% RE supply) and phasing out of subsidies for mature RE by 2020–2030. The purpose of this research is to determine if the recent policy moves by the EC are concomitant with what RE actors need in terms of EU policy reform. A questionnaire was implemented with expert professional energy actors across all MS of the EU in order to determine priority factors limiting RE penetration, key issues for RE in the EU and the specific policy areas which needed reform by the EC. The questionnaire was implemented just before production of the aforementioned 2014 Communication and included 108 respondents. Respondents replied to questions related to the significance RE implementation issues, impact of the economic crisis on RE implementation, need for further EU/national policy on RE. The main areas to target EC reform were identified, as well as the policy areas the most wanted by RE actors. Conclusions include (i) the lack of engagement of the sample of RE actors with EU-level policy with more of a focus on national and global agendas, (ii) a relatively coherent view in actors of the differential role of EC and MS governments and (iii) a failure in recent EC policy to deal with the most important perceived policy challenges in the RE sector, clarity and stability of subsidies and financial instruments

Challenges for Pacific small island developing states in achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)

The international community directs significant funding towards Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) for climate change allowing ambitious target setting. The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of Fiji targets 81 of renewable energy share in grid electricity supply by 2020 and 100 by 2030. A model is developed to determine possible energy transitions to achieve those targets. The model uses installed capacities, capacity factors and electricity generated for each technology and calculates direct CO2 emissions, the Global Warming Potential and the Levelised Cost of Electricity. Eight energy mixes were assessed for electricity supply adequacy and the ability to achieve the NDC. The results demonstrate few realistic energy future options; a sole focus just on renewable energy generation is unlikely to be successful. Specifically, meeting the 2020 and 2030 NDC targets would require the installation of significant new renewable energy capacity accompanied by phasing out of fossil fuel plants, addition of baseload technology (e.g. geothermal, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion), technological improvements (e.g. capacity factor) and minimizing electricity demand through energy savings and efficiency. All those determinants mean that there is a vital need for improved energy modelling and strategic planning, if NDCs are to be achieved in Fiji and other PSIDS

Innovative technology in the Pacific: Building resilience for vulnerable communities

Transitioning to sustainability will require innovation, not just in technological and economic terms but also in governance and culture. The work presented here sought a remote, vulnerable island context (Fiji, South Pacific) to enable further insight into the innovation process related to resilience and sustainability. The innovation targeted by this work was off-grid solar renewable energy (RE) systems framed as a development instrument to promote local, community-based resilience to climate change through increased livelihood security and reduction of climate change effects. Applying a local-level resilience framework to solar technology use, we conclude that the RE system can improve resilience, however, unintended consequences included a rush for energy usage causing a "tragedy of commons" of finite stored energy and subsequently increased supplementary fossil fuel use. This suggests that there are still missed resilience opportunities in the way that the innovation is implemented in developing countries and remote areas in particular. Further analysis demonstrated that improved planning at the socio-technological interface has the potential to strengthen communities' resilience. With significant RE investments required for a transition to a low-carbon future in many developing countries, there is a pressing need to effectively introduce innovative uses of technologies. Existential threats to many local communities, and some nations in the Pacific may mean that sub-optimal innovation will not be enough