Sustainable Technology and Systems for the Integration of Renewables in the Energy Islands

Dear Colleagues,

The transition to cleaner forms of energy poses several challenges for island nations. Climate change has increased the level of urgency to adopt more sustainable energy sources and has put pressure on island nations, as they have typically relied on imported fuels to keep their economies running. Additionally, they are more vulnerable to natural disasters, so much so that the level of devastation due to recent natural calamities has been observed to be greater than it has been in previous decades. Limited space for human activities offers a challenge to the governments of island nations in allocating their use of energy, food, and other priority areas. Be that as it may, island nations hold some advantages that may alleviate these problems and that may facilitate the transition to clean energy. Mainstream and alternative forms of renewable energy resources, from conventional geothermal and biomass to intermittent wind and solar to emerging wave and tidal currents, are abundant in several locations that have significant and sufficient potential for exploitation. Finally, most of these countries have some of the highest costs of electricity for conventional energy and may transition to renewable energy, which has become cost competitive and is expected to be easier and a major driver, because of the high costs of traditional sources of energy.

This Special Issue attempts to address the issues related to the transition to renewable energy sources  on islands, including small island states, archipelagic countries, and off-grid areas on large islands. From up-to-date resource assessments, appropriate technologies, and systems to economic and social suitability and policy studies as well as apposite co-applications, a wholistic perspective of the current and future landscape of clean energy systems employed on island nations is to be presented. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, studies related to islands that are focused on:

1. Techno-economic assessments;
2. Suitability studies;
3. Social and policy studies;
4. Off-grid and micro-grid systems ;
5. Hybrid renewable energy systems;
6. Productive co-applications of renewable energy;
7. Energy storage and conversion technologies (i.e., batteries, hydrogen, flywheel, etc.);
8. Energy efficiency and the circular economy;
9. Climate-resilient urban and rural energy systems;
10. The energy–water–agriculture nexus;
11. Smart energy systems;
12. Negative emissions energy systems;
13. The electrification of transportation in the islands.

This Special Issue will be highly valuable in providing additional perspectives in the study of sustainable energy technologies on islands.

Prof. Dr. Joey D. Ocon
Prof. Dr. Louis Angelo Danao
Guest Editors

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• islands
• renewable energy
• smart grids
• batteries
• hydrogen
• off-grid systems
• hybrid systems
• energy–water–agriculture nexus
• electrification
• negative emission technologies